GRAPE-VIXE PEST. 215 



blue flea-beetle. It has a most beautiful, brilliant, greenish- 

 blue color, and a very shiny shell. It is the size of a small 

 lady-bug, and somewhat the same shape, onl}^ a little more 

 oval. It appears very early in the spring, before the leaves 

 of the grape have shown ; and, just about the time the buds 

 begin to swell, the insect bores a small hole right in the side 

 of the bud, takes out the centre, and prevents it from devel 

 oping, using so much for food. They come in considerable 

 numbers ; and they pair immediately upon meeting their 

 mates, eating what little they want, and destroying a bud 

 every time they eat. They lay their eggs upon the foot- 

 stalks of the leaves, or at the base of the protruding shoot, 

 remain about for some time, and finallj' disappear. From 

 the eggs that are laid are hatched small brownish, nearly 

 black, slugs or worms, that feed upon the upper or under 

 surface of the leaf without much choice, gradually growing 

 with the leaves, the different broods lasting, perhaps, six 

 weeks ; when they all disappear. Sometimes they are very 

 plenty. They have been so numerous in some private gar- 

 dens as to destroy the crop complete!}' ; and any grape-grower 

 is liable to have them over-running his vines, if he does not 

 keep himself on the watch. It is my custom, as soon as the 

 buds begin to swell, to go out and look, especially upon the 

 outer rows. They do not appear to hibernate in the vine- 

 yard itself, but upon the adjoining grass-ground or other 

 substances about. Their color is so brilliant, that 3^ou can- 

 not mistake it with any reasonably sharp eyes ; it is strongly 

 in contrast with the brown color of the wood of the vines. 

 It is easy to see them, and you have only to crush them with 

 your finger to make an end of them. You can frequently 

 kill two of them at once. If it is cool weather, it is very easy 

 to put your finger upon them and kill them : if it is along 

 towards the middle of a warm day, you cannot do it; for, 

 when you put your finger where he is, he is not there, and, 

 if you are not acquainted with his habits, you do not know 

 where he has gone. There is a kind of magic about it. But 

 if you have watched him before, when you put out your 

 finger, you will see him drop towards the ground : but, just 

 before reaching it, he frequently makes a rapid turn, and 

 drops down one or two feet from where he appeared to be 

 falling ; and, unless your eye has followed him down in his 



