j<$ Strawberry Culture 



lights at night. The grub, after being hatched, is small and 

 lives in the ground for three years, growing larger each season, 

 until it transforms and becomes a beetle. It is a mistake to sup- 

 pose that ground containing small grubs is a safe place in which 

 to plant strawberries. These are" the most dangerous, as they 

 still have a year or two in which to live and eat, while the work 

 of the larger ones underground is almost finished. A large one 

 is far more destructive than a small one for one season, however. 



The presence of a grub under a plant is detected by the wilt- 

 ing of the small, tender leaves, the larger ones still continuing 

 to remain apparently fresh. A gentle pull will generally bring 

 the plant up with about half an inch of roots attached to the 

 crown, the grub having eaten them off at that point. By shav- 

 ing the ground off carefully with a hoe, the grub will frequently 

 be found. This should always be done, otherwise it will prob- 

 ably destroy several more plants. There is no way of saving the 

 plants except by killing the individual grubs,, so far as I know. 



To avoid trouble from grubs there are some methods of more 

 or less avail. In the first place, it is better to set strawberry 

 plants on land that has been "hoed crops'' for two, or better, 

 three years. If this cannot be done, land that has been in rank 

 red clover is generally less to be feared than that which has 

 been in grass. Deep plowing very late in the fall is believed to 

 kill many grubs. 



Several mechanical devices for destroying May beetles have 

 been tried. The principle of all is to attract the beetles by a 

 light at night and, when they fly against an obstacle and fall, to 

 catch them in a vessel containing water and a little kerosene. 

 It may be a lamp set behind a window with a trough fixed to 

 the window-sill outside, a lantern set over a tub, or other device. 

 It is urged against all these that they kill many friendly insects. 



