INJURING THE ROOT. 211 



pin. It has a small, brown head, and three pairs of 

 short legs near the front end, at shown at Fig. Ill, c. 

 It attacks the roots from the outer ends, burrowing 

 beneath the surface, and eating its way toward the 

 stalk. Shortly after midsummer it becomes full-fed, 

 and, deserting the root, pupates in the surrounding 

 soil. The pupa (rf) is about one-fifth of an inch long, 

 and white in color. A few days later it again trans- 

 forms, and emerges as a grass-green beetle of the form 

 represented at Fig. Ill, e. " The beetle climbs up 

 the stalk," according to Professor Forbes' account, 

 " living upon fallen pollen, and upon the silk at the 

 top of the ear, until the latter dries, when a few of 

 the beetles creep down between the husks and feed 

 upon the corn itself, while the others resort for fooil 

 to the pollen of such weeds in the field as are at that 

 time in blossom. In September and October the eggs 

 (a) are laid in the ground, upon or about the roots 

 of the corn, and most of the beetles soon after disap- 

 pear from the field." They feed for awhile upon 

 various fall flowers, and gradually die off, the winter 

 being passed by means of the eggs deposited in the 

 corn ground. The eggs hatch the following spring. 



Remedies. — As the eggs of this insect are depos- 

 ited in autumn in corn ground, rotation of crops 

 furnishes a simple method of preventing its injuries. 

 If the land is planted to some other crop the year 

 following, the larva?, on hatching, will be deprived 

 of suitable food, and consequently will perish. 



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