187'.».1 



AND HORTICULTUKIST. 



87 



<^)f flower buds. If these symptoms show in any- 

 thmsf like a marked degree, if the plant is dui; up 

 and shaken, the insects in less or more numbers 

 are almost certain to be found. The remedy is 

 to carefully search for and destroy the perfect 

 insect that is to be found under the leaves; these 

 are by no means so numerous as the grubs, evi- 

 dently showing that many of these in the larvte 

 stage die, or at least do not come to the surface. 

 Complete .destruction of the mature insect, 

 which is easily accomplished by careful and per- 

 sistent searching, is a certain remedy for the 

 evil. 



I am exceedingly glad to be able to state through 

 the Monthly these important facts, for since 

 the great desire for rose buds in the Winter 

 months, hundreds of private gentlemen have 

 l)Ut up greenhouses exclusively to have roses in 

 Winter, and scores of florists have largely in- 

 creased their areas of glass for the same purpose ; 

 and yet as I have said before that complete suc- 

 cess has been far less common than failure, and 

 scores of intelligent gardeners who may have 

 failed in nothing else have been puzzled at their 

 want of success in this, and in many instances 

 have been discharged for such failures — failures 

 that have been due to the ravages of this insidi- 

 ous enemy of which they know nothing. 



An extensive florist from the interior of 2^ew 

 York State sent me samples the other day of a 

 grub that had been eating the roots of his gera- 

 niums, hibiscus and dracrenas, which on examin- 

 ation proved to be identical with the rose bug 

 maggot. Professor Riley, now entomologist in 

 the Department of Agriculture at Washington, 

 writes me that it was first sent to him some 

 years ago by Mr. Andrew Fuller, now of Ridge- 

 wood, jST. J., who had found it feeding on the 

 roots of camellias. From the fact that his atten- 

 tion was first called to it by Mr. Fuller, Profes- 

 sor Riley has named it Aramigus Fulleri. Pro- 

 fessor Riley has promised to send on a formal 

 description of its class and general habits., 



which, when received, Avill be forwarded to you 



for publication. 



Department of Agriculture, Washington^ D.C. 



My Dear Sir: — In accordance with promise 

 I herewith send you such facts as I have in my 

 possession regarding the snout-beetle that is so 

 destructive to your roses. I regret exceedingly 

 that absence daring a recent trip to the West has 

 prevented my doing so earlier. First, regarding 

 the habits of the insect, I take it that no person 



living can possibly have a better kriOAvledge of 

 them than yourself, for they have never yet 

 been studied by entomologists. The first knowl- 

 edge which I obtained of this insect was through 

 our mutual friend Mr. A. S. Fuller, who sent me 

 specimens in 1875, the species being then unde- 

 scribed. In 1876 it was described under the name 

 of Aramigus Fulleri by Dr. G. H. Horn, in the 

 proceedings of the American Philosophical So- 

 ciety, vol. XV. page 94. Mr. Fuller had found it 

 in greenhouses and somewhat injurious to cam- 

 ellias. It seems to be quite wide-spread, occurring 

 from the Atlantic at least as far West as Mon- 

 tana, and its habit of injuriously aftecting roses 

 and other greenhouse plants, must be looked 

 upon as a comparatively recent acquirement. 

 Such instances of newly-formed habits are con- 

 stantly presenting themselves to me in my studies 

 of insects. The beetle seems to be purely Amer- 

 ican, and the genus Aramigus was in fact, erected 

 for it and another species (Aiamigus tesselatus) 

 of about the same size but of a silvery white 

 color, with faint green hue which I have found 

 in Kansas upon the well known " resin weed." 

 The beetle belongs to the same family and is 

 pretty closely allied to a well-known European 

 beetle (Otiorhynchus sulcatus, Fabr.), which is 

 larger and darker in color, and is also very inju- 

 rious to greenhouse plants, as well as to some 

 grown out of doors. This species also occurs in 

 this country, as I have specimens that were taken 

 in Massachusetts. It is the habit of all these 

 beetles, so far as their habits are known, to work 

 in the roots of plants while in the larva state, 

 just as your Aramigus does. The eggs are doubt- 

 less laid upon the roots by the female beetle, 

 which burrows into the ground for this purpose. 

 Upon inquiry I find that what is evidently this 

 same beetle has been more or less injurious to 

 roses in and about Washington, and that Mr. 

 A. Jardin was obliged to give up the growth of 

 Tea Roses here, a number of years ago, on ac- 

 count of its injuries. I hope before long to have 

 an opportunity of studying more closely into its 

 habits, and into the best mode of preventing its 

 injuries. When I have done so you will hear 

 from me again. Until that time I shall be unable 

 to make any suggestions of value. 



I am, very truly yours, C. V. Riley. 



CARNIVOROUS PLANTS. 



BY J. GREIVES, PATERSON, N. J. 



Mr. Peter Henderson's account of his ex- 

 periments in the December number of the 



