Teachers' Leaflet. 629 



among man.v hundreds there may be but one or two worthy of cuhivation. Varie- 

 ties show their difference in color and sliape, just as do their wild relatives. The 

 Virginian or wild, meadow strawberry is, when well shaped, nearly spherical and 

 its color is bright scarlet, while the wood strawberry is long and cone-shaped, 

 and so light a red as to be almost pink. Some cultivated varieties have white 

 centers or tips and are very irregular in shape. 



LESSON LXXIV. 

 enemies of the strawberry. 



Purpose. — To teach the pupils to recognize and to combat tlie enemies 

 of the strawberry. 



The U'liitc Grub. — If the strawberry patch has been set qn land which has 

 been in sod it may be troubled with the white grub, which is the larva of the 

 large, brown beetle known as " June bug." This larva lives for three years in 

 the soil, feeding on the roots of plants. If sod land must be used for the straw- 

 berry bed, it should be ploughed and thoroughly pulverized in the fall, thus kill- 

 ing many of the grubs, pupae and recently-formed beetles; also the ground should 

 be well stirred again before and after setting the plants in spring or summer, 

 for thorough cultivation is the best means of fighting this insect. Affected plants 

 look wilted and sickly, and are readily" distinguished. In small plots it is prac- 

 ticable to watch for and dig out the culprits as their presence is there noted and 

 it pays to do so. 



The Strao^'berry Weevil. — This is a mere speck of a snout-beetle only a tenth 

 of an inch long, but it does many dollars worth of damage. Just before the bud 

 is ready to open, the mother pierces through the closed petals and lays an egg 

 among the clustered pollen-boxes, for she chooses only the perfect flowers, and 

 the larva when hatched feeds on the pollen. Then she punctures the stem just 

 back of the calyx, causing it to wither and the bud drops off. It is so tiny an 

 insect that usuallj^ the first indication of its presence is the dropping buds. Lime 

 sprayed on the plants acts as a deterrent to tlie egg deposition, driving the mother 

 to other plants, whose pollen it likes, among which are wild bergamont and the 

 red-bud tree. Arsenical poison used just while the buds are forming is also a 

 preventive. 



DISEASES. 



Leaf-spot, Rust or Blight. — This is the worst of the diseases of the straw- 

 berr\'. It may appear at any time during the season, but most often comes just 

 after the fruitage. Little red, black-bordered spots are seen upon the leaves, 

 calyx and stems of the plants, becoming brown and purple-edged as they enlarge 

 and run togetlier. Meat and moisture help its spread. In the fall, small, black 

 specks appear in the dry, ash-colored center of the spots. These arc the '' resting- 

 spores " and carry the disease over to the next season. Remedies should be pre- 

 ventive, spraying with Bordeaux mixture before the blossoms open and after the 

 fruit is picked. Mowing and burning the leaves should be practiced if spraying 

 has been neglected. 



Poii'dcry Mildeii.'. — This usually comes in damp weather. It attacks all 

 parts of the plants. The leaves curl up like a cup, as though suffering for water, 

 while a white, cobwebby powder appears on the surface. Early spraying with 

 Bordeaux mixture is the remedy. 



