POTATO PESTS. 149 



itself in this country, although it has made one or two 

 futile attempts to do so. The female beetle is a little under 

 half an inch in length, the male being slightly smaller. 

 The colour of the beetle is yellow, with five longitudinal 

 dark lines on each wing case. The legs are reddish, and 

 the wings have a rosy hue. The eggs are oval in form, of 

 an orange colour, and are deposited in clusters of nine to 

 forty, mostly under one leaf. They are very similar to 

 those of the Lady-bird Beetle, but are smaller in size. 

 The larvae are of a dull reddish brown colour, and not 

 unlike those of the Lady-bird Beetle. When fully grown 

 the larvae are an inch long. They feed ravenously on the 

 leaves and stalks, and when fully grown fall to the ground 

 and pupate there in a few weeks. In America there are 

 two to three broods in a season. On the approach of cold 

 weather, the beetles descend to the earth, burying them- 

 selves a foot or more below the surface. The beetles are 

 extremely hardy and do not seem to be affected by the 

 cold or frost. There are numerous beetles which infest 

 potatoes, and as they may be mistaken for the Colorado 

 Beetle, we give illustrations of them, including the latter, 

 so that the real culprit may be more readily recognised. 



REMEDIES. In accordance with the " Colorado Beetle 

 Order, 1877," notice must be given to a police constable 

 directly one of these beetles is found. The constable 

 has then to communicate with the local authority, who in 

 turn has to telegraph to the Board of Agriculture. This 

 drastic measure, if promptly carried out, ensues immediate 

 steps being taken for stamping out the pest forthwith. The 

 larvae feed 011 other plants than the potato, as a small 

 colony of this pest was found at Tilbury, in Essex, in 190 1 , 

 feasting upon nightshade, cabbages, etc. The recognized 

 remedy is spraying with a Paris green solution. 



Dart Moth (Noctua [Agrotis] segetum). A surface 

 caterpillar, the progeny of the above moth, is harmful to 

 potatoes. The male moth has grey fore wings and white 



