217 



comes out at night on walls, stone floors, &Q.., and is as quick as an 

 adder in its movements when disturbed. It seems impossible to 

 eradicate it; it appears to breed with extraordinary rapidity, and is 

 endowed with great muscnlar power, so much so that it is somewhat 

 difficult to hold a large specimen between the thumb and finger. Lime- 

 water, which is a sovereign remedy against the common earth-worm, 

 ai)pears to have little intiueuce on it, and the only effective mode of 

 destruction is to turn out the soil from the pot and catch and kill the 

 intruder, taking care, however, not to knoclc or jar the plant, as this 

 worm, instead of coming- to the surface on being disturbed, like the com- 

 mon worm, will instantly recede to the center of the ball of earth and 

 remain there undisturbed.'' In a later number of the Gardener's Chron- 

 icle for 1871, page 4GS, Mr. W. Baird speaks of a worm under the name 

 of Megascolex {Ferichoeta) diffringens, found in three different gardens in 

 England, in hot-stove houses, which is pi'obably the same worm as the 

 eel- worm referred to by Mr. Fish. 



The Coloeado totato-beetle. — The reports from Wiscou.sin in- 

 dicate that this insect is not so numerous as last year. In Kalamazoo 

 County, Michigan, they have decreased 50 per cent., and other counties 

 send similar rei)orts, though in Wayne County " they have appeared in 

 myriads." In Ohio they are very numerous, as will be seen by the fol- 

 lowing- extracts : 



Warren County. — The potato-bug is doing great injury; everybody 

 is catching and killing them, though some rely on Paris green. 



Picliiiway County. — Injurious to crop. 



Wyandotte County. — Plenty. 



FranJdin County. — Present in countless numbers, but doing little 

 damage. Cool weather prevents their eggs from hatching, while the 

 ladj^-bugs devour them. Great efforts are being made for the destruc- 

 tion of the pest. 



Eoss County. — Present in great numbers. 



Lucas County. — Numerous; farmers systematically killing them. 



Champaign County. — Millions at work on the potatoes. 



Delaware County. — Quite troublesome. 



The Kentucky reports represent the insect as just making its appear- 

 ance in several counties : 



Shelby County. — The advance guard of the potato-bugs made their 

 appearance May 10. 



Spencer County. — Potato-bugs appearing for the first time; never 

 before within twenty miles. (Locusts also plenty.) 



Indiana reports are as follows : 



Ferry County. — Colorado bugs more numerous than last year, but have, 

 as yet, done but little damage. . , 



Laiorence County. — The lady-bug is destroying the eggs of the potato- 

 bug, which is doing but little damage. 



Hoivard County. — Colorado beetles too scarce to do any damage. 



Marshall County. — Not half as bad as last year. 



Fosey County. — Hot many bugs yet. 



Kiio.v County. — Colorado bugs more numerous than' last year. 



Wells County. — Has made its appearance within a few days. The 

 only remedy is to destroy them before they deposit their eggs. 



Harrison County. — Have again ax^peared in great numbers, and are 

 likely to destroy most of the crop. 



In St. Cair, Montgomery, and Ogle Counties, Illinois, the beetles are 

 " not so numerous as last year." Madison, Putnam, Hancock, and 

 Tazewell Counties report " plenty of bugs." In Massac County " a new 



