62 



localities, but in general it may be said that they need not be very 

 deep, for the vapor is heavier than air, and w^ill go down as well 

 as up, and as a rule the white grub feeds only a little below the 

 surface. As to distance apart, the holes should be not more than 

 three or four feet from each other but the wisest course would be 

 to try a small bit of ground first and see what the effect is. In 

 Europe the bisulphide is used by the ton for the destruction of 

 phylloxera on grape roots, and with very good sviccess. Should 

 the demand for bisulphide increase as I think it certainly will, it 

 will be possible to buy it much cheaper than now. At present in 

 one pound cans or bottles it costs about twenty-five cents, but it 

 can be bought in larger quantities from the manufacturers for 

 almost half this or even less. 



Mr. W. B. Alwood makes a report in Insect Life, vol. 1 , page 48, 

 on the use of kerosene emulsion for the white grub. The emulsion 

 used was made by taking ten gallons of oil, and five pounds of 

 soap, which wheii diluted with water made three hundred gallons. 

 " This was applied liberally to the soil, which was for some days 

 kept freely soaked with the mixture." No serious injury to the 

 grass resulted, and the grubs were effectually driven away, or de- 

 stroyed. This is a very simple and easily applied remedy, and is 

 worthy of consideration. 



In a paper on the " Food and Habits of Beetles," published by 

 Mr. Townend Glover, in Reports of Department of Agriculture, 

 1868, Lachnoste}-na micans^ Lach?iosterna Jiirticoila^ Holo- 

 trichia crenulata^ Triche'stes tristis^ are mentioned as feeding 

 upon the foliage of the elm. Another somewhat similar beetle is 

 one known as Polyphylla variolosa^ Hentz., which is found near 

 the coast, but is not common in New England inland. It is a 

 light brown beetle, about an inch long, with very singular fan- 

 shaped antennae. On the back are light blotches. It is found in 

 July. Dr. Harris mentions as feeding upon the elm, Phyllo- 

 phaga georglcana, Gyll., and PhyUophaga piliosicollis, Knoch. 

 Among the leaf-eating beetles none are more destructive than those 

 called 



THE ELM LEAF BEETLE. 



This is a small beetle which has attracted considerable attention 

 for some years. It is said to have been brought from Europe, on 

 imported elms in 1837, but for a long time it did not receive much 

 notice. Of late, however, the ravages committed by the beetle 



