CULTURE OF THE ROSE. 41 



question,' in this case. He put sheets under the tree, shook them 

 down, and burned them. 



"Dr. Green of Mansfield, whose investigations have thrown 

 much light on the history of this insect, proposes protecting plants 

 with millinet, and says that in this way only did he succeed in 

 securing his grape-vines from depredation. His remarks also show 

 the utility of gathering them. ' Eighty-six of these spoilers/ says 

 he, * were known to infest a single rose-bud, and were crushed 

 with one grasp of the hand.' Suppose, as was probably the case, 

 that one-half of them were females : by this destruction, eight 

 hundred eggs, at least, were prevented from becoming matured. 

 During the time of their prevalence, rose-bugs are sometimes 

 found in immense numbers on the flowers of the common white- 

 weed, or ox-eyed daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemwri) ; a worth- 

 less plant, which has come to us from Europe, and has been 

 suffered to overrun our pastures and encroach on our mowing- 

 lands. In certain cases, it may become expedient rapidly to mow 

 down the infested white-weed in dry pastures, and consume it, 

 with the sluggish rose-bugs, on the spot 



" Our insect-eating birds undoubtedly devour many of these 

 insects, and deserve to be cherished and protected for their ser- 

 vices. Rose-bugs are also eaten greedily by domesticated fowls ; 

 and when they become exhausted and fall to the ground, or when 

 they are about to lay their eggs, they are destroyed by moles, 

 insects, and other animals, which lie in wait to seize them. Dr. 

 Green informs us that a species of dragon-fly, or devil's-needle, 

 devours them. He also says that an insect, which he calls the 

 enemy of the cut-worm (probably the larva of a Carabus or pre- 

 daceous ground-beetle), preys on the grubs of the common dor-bug. 

 In France, the golden ground-beetle (Carabus auratus) devours 



