﻿_i65- 
  

  

  leaves 
  of 
  trees, 
  especially 
  oak, 
  hickory, 
  and 
  ash, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  on 
  a 
  few 
  

   other 
  plants. 
  The 
  damage 
  to 
  foliage 
  is 
  sometimes 
  considerable. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  no 
  measures 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  depended 
  upon 
  for 
  the 
  destruc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  white 
  grubs 
  in 
  the 
  beet 
  field, 
  and 
  the 
  beet 
  grower 
  must 
  conse- 
  

   quently 
  rely 
  upon 
  preventive 
  measures. 
  The 
  most 
  obvious 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  

   suggested 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  white 
  grub 
  is 
  bred 
  mainly 
  in 
  grass-lands, 
  

   and 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  few 
  pastures 
  or 
  meadows 
  of 
  long 
  standing 
  which 
  are 
  

   not 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  infested 
  by 
  them. 
  Consequently, 
  whenever 
  an 
  old 
  sod 
  

   is 
  broken 
  up 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  planted 
  to 
  some 
  other 
  crop 
  for 
  at 
  least 
  two 
  years 
  

   before 
  it 
  is 
  set 
  in 
  beets; 
  or, 
  if 
  necessity 
  requires 
  that 
  beets 
  should 
  be 
  

   raised 
  on 
  such 
  ground 
  at 
  once, 
  this 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  done 
  until 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   cleared 
  of 
  the 
  grubs 
  by 
  thorough 
  pasturing 
  of 
  the 
  sod 
  with 
  pigs. 
  These 
  

   search 
  out 
  and 
  root 
  out 
  the 
  grubs 
  in 
  the 
  ground, 
  greedily 
  devouring 
  them, 
  

   and 
  may 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  weeks 
  completely 
  clear 
  a 
  badly 
  infested 
  

   turf. 
  The 
  fact 
  of 
  the 
  winter 
  retreat 
  of 
  the 
  grubs 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  depth 
  

   below 
  the 
  surface 
  must, 
  however, 
  be 
  borne 
  in 
  mind 
  in 
  this 
  connection. 
  

   From 
  November 
  to 
  March 
  inclusive 
  they 
  will 
  commonly 
  be 
  beyond 
  the 
  

   reach 
  of 
  pigs. 
  

  

  The 
  Muck 
  Beetle. 
  

  

  Ligyrus 
  gibbosus 
  DeG. 
  

  

  (PI. 
  IX., 
  Fig. 
  2.) 
  

  

  The 
  larva 
  of 
  this 
  muck 
  beetle 
  need 
  not 
  ordinarily 
  be 
  distinguished 
  

   from 
  the 
  white 
  grubs 
  above 
  discussed, 
  its 
  size, 
  habits, 
  and 
  appearance 
  

   being 
  substantially 
  similar; 
  but 
  its 
  life 
  history 
  is 
  less 
  definitely 
  known, 
  

   and 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  its 
  continuance 
  in 
  the 
  earth 
  is 
  in 
  doubt. 
  The 
  prin- 
  

   cipal 
  economic 
  difference 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  different 
  habit 
  of 
  the 
  adult 
  

   beetle, 
  which 
  does 
  not 
  feed, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  known, 
  upon 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  plants 
  

   like 
  LacJuiosterna 
  and 
  Cyclocephala, 
  but 
  burrows 
  in 
  the 
  earth, 
  eating 
  the 
  

   roots 
  or 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  stalk 
  of 
  the 
  infested 
  plant 
  much 
  as 
  does 
  

   the 
  larva 
  itself. 
  In 
  early 
  spring, 
  says 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  E. 
  Weed, 
  the 
  beetles 
  

   are 
  often 
  dug 
  up 
  by 
  persons 
  working 
  in 
  grass-land. 
  They 
  are 
  said 
  by 
  

   Bruner 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  quite 
  destructive 
  to 
  sugar 
  beets 
  over 
  limited 
  areas 
  

   in 
  western 
  Nebraska, 
  gnawing 
  great 
  holes 
  into 
  the 
  roots 
  and 
  sometimes 
  

   thus 
  entirely 
  imbedding 
  themselves. 
  They 
  work 
  at 
  different 
  depths 
  from 
  

   the 
  surface, 
  sometimes 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  six 
  or 
  seven 
  inches, 
  but 
  mostly 
  about 
  

   three 
  or 
  four 
  inches 
  under 
  ground. 
  They 
  were 
  most 
  abundant 
  on 
  old 
  

   ground 
  and 
  on 
  ground 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  irrigated. 
  They 
  are 
  reported 
  as 
  

   feeding 
  also 
  on 
  carrots, 
  roots 
  of 
  sunflowers, 
  and 
  tubers 
  of 
  the 
  dahlia. 
  

   In 
  Mississippi, 
  according 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Weed, 
  a 
  serious 
  injury 
  to 
  corn 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  upon 
  grass 
  was 
  done 
  by 
  these 
  beetles, 
  which 
  gnawed 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  

   stalk, 
  causing 
  the 
  plant 
  to 
  wilt 
  or 
  killing 
  it 
  outright. 
  The 
  species 
  is 
  

   widely 
  distributed 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  and 
  is 
  abundant 
  in 
  Illinois. 
  

  

  