74 
does not leave the field, it must feed during the period of its active 
life above ground, upon the. tissues of the strawberry plant itself. 
It has, like other beetles, a biting mouth, and there is, therefore, a 
certain probability that its numbers could be reduced by the appli- 
cation of Paris green or London purple to the vines in autumn, 
possibly also in early spring, before the plants commence to bloom. 
The answer to the second question, when may young plants be 
taken from an infested field with security that they will be free from 
the eggs, depends, of course, upon the exact time of oviposition. 
As there remains a slight possibility that a few of the eggs are 
sometimes laid in fall, it is not absolutely certain that stools form- 
ing after July will be wholly free from them; but in all probability 
this will be the case. On the other hand, there is very little lkeli- 
hood that the hibernating beetles usually commence the deposition 
of eggs before April, and consequently plants taken up before this 
month will be fairly likely to be free from them, but it is safest to 
insist upon transplanting as early as is at all practicable. Hvery 
day’s postponement after the opening of spring invites insects forth, 
will incur additional risk of infection. It goes without saying, that 
by far the most judicious course is to obtain plants for setting from 
fields that have not been previously troubled by this insect. 
At whatever time the eggs are laid, the answer to the third ques- 
tion must be substantially the same. To destroy the borer, the in- 
fested fields should be plowed up as soon as possible after the fruit 
is harvested. However, if the ground is to be planted to another 
crop, it would probably make little difference when the plowing was 
done, unless other strawberry plantations were near at hand. The 
sluggish and wingless beetle would doubtless perish in the field, 
even if it were present in full adult activity. 
To prevent the ‘spread of the pest to newly set grounds, I know 
of no method but that of isolation. The fact previously mentioned 
that the beetle is extremely sluggish and without the power of 
flight, not only explains the slow spread of the pest from one 
part of the field to another, but also gives a hint of the distance 
and kind of obstruction necessary to prevent its passage from field 
to field. It is certainly unlikely that it could make its way unas- 
sisted over a space of more than twelve or fifteen rods; probably a 
street or a dusty road would be a fairly effectual barrier to its pro- 
gress, unless it was conveyed across by men or animals through 
carelessness or accident. 
Perhaps a division of the strawberry field into parallel belts, 
separated from each other by areas devoted to some other crop, 
would prevent communication of this insect from one belt to another, 
if the intervening spaces were a few rods wide. 
The only method which has yet been proven effective to prevent 
the ravages of the crown-borer is that of frequent rotation of crops, 
together with the planting of new fields at a distance from the old. 
This method has been applied with conspicuous success by Mr. 
Endicott, at Villa Ridge, and an outline of his procedure is com- 
mended to general attention. In making a new plantation, he selects - 
in spring the newest and strongest plants, sets these as usual, at a 
distance from any other field, leaves them until their runners have 
