250 STRAWBERRY. 



sent clearly showed the great mischief caused by the attack. 

 These were perforated in some cases with irregular shaped 

 holes right through the leaves, and still more injury was done 

 by little patches of the outer skin of the leaves being eaten 

 away, leaving the veins, but quite destroying the attacked 

 parts. So far as had been observed, the beetles were believed 

 to lay their eggs on the under side of the Strawberry leaves, 

 from which presently the grubs hatched out, followed in due 

 time by a second brood of beetles, but the progress of develop- 

 ment had not been worked out with precision. 



The general history of this rienits of beetles is, that their 

 larvte are rather elongate in shape, wrinkled, and with lateral 

 tubercles, and a projection at the tail extremity, which serves 

 as an additional leg. They live in company, and the beetles, 

 and larvte, feed on the leaves of the same plants, and the pupre 

 are to be found sheltered in cocoons in the ground. 



Prevention and Eemedies. — So long as the fruit is on the 

 plants, it does not seem possible to use any measures to get 

 rid of the pests on the leafage ; but so late in the season as 

 the 27th of July, in warm localities, this would probably not 

 be a difficulty. In such case picking off such of the grub- 

 infested leafage as was much injured would be a very desirable 

 course. Also insecticides, even of a poisonous nature, such 

 as Paris-green or Hellebore, might then be used without fear 

 of poisoning eaters of the fruit. 



As it is the general habit of the grubs of the Galeruccs to go 

 down into the ground to turn to chrysalids in cocoons, it 

 would probably do good to treat the surface soil beneath the 

 Strawberry leafage in late summer in such a way as would 

 get rid of the infestation, and so forestall the development of 

 a second brood of beetles. 



Judging from the observations sent, though the fact is not 

 clearly stated, with details given, there is presumably a second 

 brood, and, if so, this should be looked for, and got rid of in 

 hybernating state from beneath the Strawberry plants during 

 winter. The beetles would probably be found (as is the case 

 with a nearly allied species) harbouring in the dead leaves and 

 rubbish on the surface, and if this was scraped together and 

 burnt before disturbing the surface soil for the customary 

 winter treatment, a deal of infestation would most likely be 

 got rid of. 



