50 FARM SPIES 



healthy, these bud-worms can no longer seriously 

 harm them. They merely gnaw the outer skin 

 about the same place as in the young corn, as you 

 see here. In some cases it checks the growth, but 

 it is rare that it kills the plant, and the larvae never 

 reach the soft inside part or pith of the stalk." 



"You speak of it as the larva of an insect, Mr. 

 Colby; what insect is it that makes the larva?" 

 Mr. Smith asked. 



Mr. Colby then told him that the insects making 

 the bud-worms are the common twelve-spotted 

 cucumber-beetles which, no doubt, they all had 

 seen many times in their gardens. " There is one 

 now, sitting under that clod; see it?" Mr. Colby 

 said, pointing to the ground. 



Yes, they all saw it, and then they remembered 

 that they had seen thousands of them before. 



" We never knew that this beetle injured corn ! " they 

 all exclaimed. "Why," said Joe, "I have seen them 

 everywhere, in our orchard and garden, and last year, 

 I remember I saw a lot of them in Aunt SalhVs flower 

 garden in the city, but I had no idea at that time that 

 they were such rogues." At this they all laughed. 



"They looked very good, didn't they, Joe ? " Mr. 

 Colby said; "but remember after this when you 

 meet them that they are not as innocent as they 

 appeared to be when you saw them in that flower 

 garden, but they are the cause of much loss 



