COLEOPTERA. 33 



subterranean retreats, and have congregated upon our vines, 

 trees, and other vegetable productions, in the complete enjoy- 

 ment of their propensities, we must unite our efforts to seize 

 and crush the invaders. They must indeed be crushed, scalded, 

 or burned, to deprive them of life, for they are not affected by 

 any of the applications usually found destructive to other 

 insects. Experience has proved the utility of gathering them 

 by hand, or of shaking them or brushing them from the plants 

 into tin vessels containing a little water. They should be 

 collected daily during the period of their visitation, and should 

 be committed to the flames, or killed by scalding water. The 

 late John LoweU, Esq., states,* that in 1823 he discovered, on 

 a solitary apple-tree, the rose-bugs " in vast numbers, such as 

 could not be described, and would not be believed if they were 

 described, or, at least, none but aii ocular witness could con- 

 ceive of their numbers. Destruction by hand was out of the 

 question," in this case. He put sheets under the tree, and shook 

 them down, and burned them. Dr. Green, of Mansfield, whose 

 investigations have thrown much light on the history of this 

 insect, proposes protecting plants with millinet, and says that 

 in this way only did he succeed in securing his grape-vines 

 from depredation. His remarks also show the utility of gath- 

 ering them. -'Eighty-six of these spoilers," says he, "were 

 known to infest a single rose-bud, and were crushed with one 

 grasp of the hand." Suppose, as was probably the case, that 

 one half of them were females; by this destruction, eight hun- 

 dred eggs, at least, were prevented from becoming matured. 

 During the time of their prevalence, rose-bugs are sometimes 

 found in immense numbers on the flowers of the common 

 white-weed, or ox-eye daisy ( Chryumthemum hucanthemnm)^ 

 a worthless plant, which has come to us from Em-ope, and has 

 been suffered to oven*un our pastures and encroach on our 

 mowing lands. In certain cases it may become expedient 

 rapidly to mow down the infested white-weed in dry pastures, 

 and consume it, with the sluggish rose-bugs, on the spot. 



* Massachusetts Agricultural Repository, Vol. IX. p. 145. 



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