2 6G 



BUGS, INSECTS, ETC.— REMEDIES FOR. 



pupse are formed in rough oval cocoons 

 of a gummy substance, covered outwardly 

 with particles of wood and dirt, and the 

 perfect insect makes its appearance from 

 June to September. 



Little can be done in the way of 

 extirpating these underground borers, 

 when, as in the present instance, 

 ,their presence is only indicated by the 

 'approaching death of the vine. Still, 

 every vineyardist should make it a rule to 

 search for them wherever they find vines 

 suddenly dying from any cause unknown 

 to them, and upon finding such a borer 

 should at once put an end to his exist- 

 ence. The beetle which may frequently 

 be found during the summer months, 

 should also be ruthlessly sacrificed where 

 ever met with. We should also advise 

 not to plant a vineyard on land covered 

 with old oak stumps, and not to use oak 

 stakes where those made of cedar can be 

 had as conveniently. 



GRAPE-CANE GALL-CXTRCULIO— 



The canes of the Concord vines are fre- 

 quently found to have galls on the last 

 year's growth, in the shape of an elon- 

 gated knot or swelling which is generally 

 situated above or below a joint. This 

 gall was formed the previous fall while 

 the tender cane was growing, and has 

 almost invariably a longitudinal slit or 

 depression on one side, dividing that side 

 into two cheeks, which generally have a 

 rosy tint. The gall is caused by a little 

 footless, white cylindrical larva which 

 measures 0.28 of an inch, and has a 

 yellowish head, and somewhat darker 

 tawny jaws. It is minutely wrinkled 

 transversely, and sparsely covered with 

 minute white bristles; the three segments 

 next to the head being prominently 

 swollen underneath and the bristles at- 

 tached to them look very much like legs, 

 and doubtless to some extent perform the 

 functions of legs. This larva indeed 

 bears a very close general resemblance to 

 that of the Potato Stalk- weevil, and when 

 taken out of its gall immediately curls up. 

 It is of a uniform light yellowish brown 

 without any markings whatever. It is 

 closely allied to the Potato Stalk-weevil, 

 but belongs to the genus Madams which 

 differs from Baridius in the peculiar un- 

 dulating appearance of the wing-cases, 

 and more especially in their being highly 



polished, the word Madams meaning 

 glossy or polished. 



Remedy. — If these gall-bearing canes 

 are cut off and burned during the winter 

 there need be little fear of this insect's 

 work, the more especially as it is not 

 secure from parasites, even in its snug 

 retreat, for we have bred a species of 

 Chalets fly from the galls, which had 

 evidently destroyed the true gall-maker. 



GRAPE-VINE FIDIA.— One of the 



worst foes to the grape-vine that we have 

 is the Grape-vine Fidia, 

 which is represented in the 

 annexed Figure n. It is 

 of a chestnut-brown color, 

 and is densely covered 

 with short and dense whit- 

 ish hairs which give it a 

 Fig. 11.— Grape hoary appearance. We 

 Vine Fidia. have found it very thick 

 in most of the vineyards which we visited, 

 and it is almost universally miscalled the 

 "Rose-bug," which is, however, a very 

 different insect. It is found in the woods 

 on the wild grape-vine, and also on the 

 leaves of the Cercis Canadensis ; but of 

 the tame vines it seems to prefer the 

 Norton's Virginia and Concord. It makes 

 its appearance during the month of June, 

 and by the end of July has generally dis- 

 appeared, from which fact we may infer 

 that there is but one brood each year. 

 The manner in which it injures the vine 

 is by cutting straight elongated holes of 

 about }i inch in diameter in the leaves, 

 and when numerous it so riddles the 

 leaves as to reduce them to mere shreds. 

 The preparatory stages of this beetle are 

 not yet known. 



Remedies. — Luckily this beetle has the 

 same precautionary habit of dropping to 

 the ground, upon the slightest disturb- 

 ance, as has the Plum curculio, and this 

 habit enables us readily to keep it in 

 check. The most efficient way of doing 

 this is by the aid of chickens. Mr. 

 Peschell, of Hermann, on whose vines 

 this beetle had been exceedingly numer- 

 ous, raised a large brood of chickens, and 

 had them so well trained that all he had 

 to do was to start them in the vineyard 

 with a boy in front to shake the vines, 

 and he himself behind the chicks. They 

 picked up every beetle which fell to the 

 ground, and in this manner he kept his 



