19 



Roots are undoubtedly the most important produc- 

 tions of the vegetable garden ; and, among these, the 

 potato stands first in point of utiUty and value. I am not 

 aware that it is ever very seriously injured by insects, 

 though many appear upon its leaves. The common 

 potato- worm, has already been noticed. A small, striped 

 beetle,* of the size and shape of that appropriated to 

 the cucumber, is found in abundance upon the potato ; 

 and its numerous larvae, creeping about under back- 

 loads of filth, riot upon the luxuriant foliage. Occasion- 

 ally potato patches are ravaged by two or three species 

 of Cantharides, or blistering-beetles. It is only in the 

 perfect state that they are injurious to the potato-vine, 

 for the larvae live in the earth upon the small roots of 

 various kinds of herbage. Their appearance on the 

 potato is occasional only, for they devour the leaves of 

 several other plants. These native Cantharides are suc- 

 cessfully employed in medicine instead of the Spanish 

 Cantharides, and, were not the price of labor among 

 us so high, might be procured in sufficient quantity to 

 supply the demand in the markets for this important 

 medicinal agent. I regret to observe that the ash-col- 

 ored Cantharis f has recently appeared in great profu- 

 sion upon hedges of the honey-locust, t which are 

 almost defoHated by them. For many years past the 

 same insects have invariably attacked the Windsor bean 

 in the garden of a friend of mine in this vicinity. This 

 summer they were neglected ; and the consequence 

 was, that they entu-ely stripped the fohage from the 

 stalks, so that but a small and impoverished crop of 



* Crioceris trilineata. 01 iv. j Cantharis cinerea. Oliv. 



J Gledilschia triacanthos. Willd. 



