/^osy Rustic nmf Surface Lan'cc. 83 



hour by one .s|Hicimen uiuler obsurvnliun. The tiainaf^'e caused by 

 a small numlK,'r in 11 plot of jMdatoos will be seen to Ik; ven' great. 

 The larva' have l»cen R'i)orte(l as early as May lOlh in dock. Stainton 

 says it feeds im the n>ot.s of various Cvi>eracea. The pupal stii^'e is 

 fouud in the <:;rnund in an earthen excavation. It i.s li^'ht yellowi.sh- 

 biMNNTi in colour, alxiut three-fourths of an inch lon^', ending' in an 

 anal spike and .s(jme short stoxit bristles, ix)intinf,' backwards, on the 

 last two .se'.,nu<^ut''- The iiuaj^'o apjtears in Auj^'ust and .Septenil)er, a 

 few sti"a<;*,'lers even in Octol>er. It is particidarly found in <;aniens 

 and lanes and by hedf,'erows, also alon*; the l»orders of ditches, 

 mai-shes and feus. It flies at nit,'ht and readily comes to li^'ht. The 

 fui-e wings are pale brown with a rosy tin<,'e, a dark broad patch 

 below the upiH-'r boiiler l^etween the inner line and the ellwiwed line. 

 The hind wings are whitish-givy with a darker central line. The wing 

 exiKinse varies from one and a quarter to one and a half inches. 



An almost identical attack is reconled from America * by two 

 si)ecies, Hydracia nitcia and //. ncbris, Guen. The former is known 

 as the Potato Stalkborer and has been recorded doing injur)' to 

 potatoes in Western Maine, the damage being due to the larvte 

 lx>ring up the stalk and causing it to wilt. It also attacks wheat 

 and caiualions in Ohio (Webster). It also injures tomato, spinach, 

 cauliflower, ilahlia, aster, lily, si)inia, .salvia, thistle and other plants, 

 and has l)een noiice<l in currant, ajiple, y>each and blackl>eny twigs, 

 and whwit and other corn. Xo doubt our si)ecies has a similar 

 varied diet. I do not know the egg stage of this moth, nor where 

 the eggs are dei)Osite<l in this country. 



rKKVKNTION. 



All we can do is to haml-pick the haulm in gardens and Helds 

 where it is seen to wilt and then destroy the larva* inside; by so 

 doing a great deal of damage will be .saved. Poultry should be 

 tuine<l on |>otato fields, when the crop has l»een lifted, to devour the 

 pup.f, and the men should l->e instructed to kill all pup;e they turn 

 up in digging. 



Surface Larvae attacking Celery and Potatoes. 



The HeJirl and Dart Moth (..(. rxclnmationis, Linn.) larva-, 

 commonly calknl Surface Larva" or ("utworms, were ri'jH)rte<l by 

 Messrs. Carter and Co. ns seriously attarking one of their clients' 



• "fviiin- 111- :• ■iriotiB to Vegetable Cn'|», i" 11 < ••. .. ;i, f.S. Depi. 



.\grj., Dir. Kilt., i . 11K)*J. 



G 2 



