64 



FARMERS' BULLETIN 856. 



and darker mouth parts. The life history of this species can be 

 passed in warm weather in about four or five weeks, and it is prob- 

 able that at least four generations are produced in a year. 



Control. — As the beetle practically confines itself to work on the 

 tubers, only occasionally feeding on the foliage, the ripe tubers, 

 as soon as found damaged, should be fumigated with carbon 

 disulphid. (See Farmers' Bulletin 799.) Avoid curing and storage 

 in high, moist temperatures. Badly damaged or imi^erfect tubers 

 (see fig. 75) can be fed to hogs, and extremely bad ones should be 

 burned in the field with the vines. The utmost care should he exer- 

 cised not to transport infested tubers to uninfested localities., or from 

 an infested to an uninfested State. 



SWEET-POTATO FLEA-BEETLE. 



The sweet-potato flea -beetle ^ does more 

 harm northward. It eats out peculiar 

 channels along the veins of both surfaces 

 of the leaves soon after the plants are 

 set out. Later the entire surface of the 

 leaves becomes seared. This is the work 

 of the beetles. The larva, or grub form, 

 feeds at the roots of bindweed, of the 

 sweet-potato family. 



Control. — Before setting out the plants, 

 dip them into arsenate of lead, about 1 

 l)()iind to 10 gallons of w^ater, and spray 

 with lead arsenate a week or two later, 

 after which a second spray may be neces- 

 sary. Crop rotation also is desirable. 



TORTOLSE BEETLES. 



Tortoise beetles of several kinds, some 

 of them of brilliant hues, for example, 

 the golden tortoise beetle (fig. 76) or 

 light, when they can be captured and 

 " goldbug," rest or feed in broad day- 

 destroyed. When leaves are noticed to 

 have holes in them, the beetles or their 



young are to be suspected. The larvae, called " peddlers," can be 



picked off the lower surface of the leaves. 



Fig. 75. — Sweet potato, showing in 

 jury by the sweet-potato weevil. 



FALSEWORMS. OK SAWFLIES. 



There are two species of sawflies, insects resembling small bees, 

 whose young, or falsew^orms, injure sweet potatoes. (See fig. 77.) 



Chactocnema confinis Cr. 



