AMERICAN WILD VINE. 147 
the ground in the spring, not all at one time, but at irregular intervals, and lay 
their eggs on the lower side of the terminal leaves of the vine. In the month of 
July the false caterpillars, hatched from these eggs, may be seen on the leaves, 
in little swarms, of various ages, some very small, and others fully grown. 
They feed in company, side by side, beneath the leaves, each swarm or fraternity 
consisting of a dozen or more individuals, and they preserve their ranks with a 
surprising degree of regularity. Beginning at the edge, they eat the whole of 
the leaf to the stalk, and then go to another, which, in like manner, they devour, 
and thus proceed from leaf to leaf, down the branch, till they have grown to 
their full size. At this period, they are about five-eighths of an inch in length, 
somewhat slender and tapering, and thickest before the middle, having twenty- 
two legs. The head and the tip of the tail are black ; the body, above, is light- 
green, paler before and behind, with two transverse rows of minute black points 
across each ring ; and the lower side of the body is yellowish. After their last 
moulting they become almost entirely yellow, and then leave the vine, burrow 
into the ground, and form themselves small oval cells of earth, which they line 
with a slight silken film. In about two weeks after entering the ground, having 
in the mean time passed through the chrysalis state, they come out of their 
earthen cells, take wing, pair, and lay their eggs for another brood. The 
young of the second brood are not transformed to flies before the following 
spring, but remain at rest, in the mean time, in their cocoons.* A solution of 
one pound of whale-oil soap in six or seven gallons of soft water has been 
recommended to be thrown upon the vines in order to destroy these flies ; but 
should this prove ineffectual, fumigation with tobacco, red-pepper seeds, or other 
hot, acrid substances may be tried. 
The Vitis labrusca is sometimes attacked by several species of the Geometridse, 
such as span-worms, loopers, measurers, etc. ; but not often to very great injury. 
When the wounds, made by pruning the branches, the roots, or the ends of the 
cuttings, are not protected by a coat of fine earth, white-lead mixed with oil, or 
some other substance, the soft pith and decayed wood are also liable to be 
attacked by ants, centipeds, and other wood-eating insects, (Xylophagidse,) 
which sometimes perforate an inconsiderable portion of the stem, thus secretly 
destroying its vigour, and eventually its life, without any visible external cause. 
This species of vine is not subject to any other accidents of importance, except 
in some of its varieties, which are sometimes killed or greatly injured by the 
rigours of winter, or by vernal northerly winds. To guard against these evils, it 
is only necessary to bend down the vines from the trellis even with the ground, 
late in autumn, and cover them over with earth to the depth of eight or ten inches, 
and let them remain until early in the following spring, when the covering must 
be removed, and the shoots readjusted to the trellis as in the year before ; and 
to protect them in situations exposed to the northern blast, they may be sheltered 
by walls, buildings, or by hedges of other trees. 
Properties and Uses. The wood of the Vitis labrusca, from its diminutive 
size, open texture, and comparative scarcity, is very limited in its use in the 
arts. When reduced to charcoal, it may be employed by painters for drawing 
outlines, or may be used as a tooth-powder. It has been suggested that the 
primings of this species may be cut into small pieces, bruised, put into a vat, 
and boiling water poured upon them, which, on being fermented like malt, 
would make a fine beverage, either strong or weak; and on being distilled, 
would produce a spirit analogous to brandy. The green twigs, or fresh cuttings, 
have been recommended, as a substitute for rape, in flavouring vinegar. The 
fruit, when ripe and fresh, is considered as wholesome, nutritious, refrigerant, 
* Harris' Report, p. 378. 
