74 INSECTS AFFECTING VEGETATION 



plants are fed upon, as plum, apple, pear, quince, blue or water 

 beech, elm, etc. 



In vineyards which are regularly sprayed with arsenicals and 

 Bordeaux mixture the flea-beetle will be effectively kept in check. 

 The first application for the berry moth before the blossoms open, 

 together with the application made after the blossoms fall, will 

 destroy the larvae, since these feed almost exclusively on the upper 

 surface of the leaves. The insects thrive best in neglected vineyards, 

 and may become quite abundant and destructive locally. Where it 

 is desired to treat for this insect only, the vines should be thoroughly 

 sprayed with an arsenical just as the buds are beginning to swell, or 

 somewhat earlier. A close lookout must be kept for the first signs 

 of the beetles, and the poison must be applied immediately. The 

 delay of a day or so may mean the loss of the buds, and hence of the 

 fruit crop. In the small home vineyard it will be practicable to 

 search out the beetles and remove them by hand, doing the work in 

 the morning when they are less agile. As stated, the destruction of 

 the larvaB when feeding on the foliage later will be very easily accom- 

 plished by spraying with arsenicals. 



It will also be quite practicable, as stated by Doctor Howard, 

 to jar the beetles from the vines on canvas frames placed beneath, 

 which should be kept saturated with kerosene. 



Rose-Chafer. About the time of blossoming of the grape in the 

 spring the rose-chafer may suddenly put in an appearance, often in 

 enormous numbers, the long, spiny-legged, awkward, brownish 

 beetles literally covering the plants, feeding at first upon the blos- 

 soms, but later attacking the young fruit and foliage, the leaves 

 being eaten bare, except the larger veins. This insect is a very gen- 

 eral feeder; it attacks practically all fruits e. g., apples, plums, 

 cherries, peaches, etc. as well as various vegetables, grains, and 

 grasses. Many ornamental plants, such as Spiraa, Deutzia, and roses, 

 are attacked, and its injuries to the last-mentioned have led to the 

 use of the common name of rose-chafer or rose-bug, though it is 

 perhaps now most commonly complained of from its injuries to 

 grapes and other fruits. When abundant, the beetles may do serious 

 injury in vineyards, quite destroying the blossom clusters or the 

 newly set fruit. Berries not actually devoured are often so marked 

 by the beetles that they become misshapen and crack as they grow, 

 the seeds often protruding. After 3 or 4 weeks of feeding the beetles 

 may disappear almost as suddenly as they came. 



The insect lives in the larval stage underground, feeding on the 

 roots of various plants, especially on the roots of grasses. In general, 

 it breeds principally in light sandy soils, especially in meadow lands, 

 but also in other places where there is more or less of growth of grass 

 and weeds, and, to a less extent, in cultivated ground. Wet, clayey, 

 or compact soils do not furnish desired conditions for the insects, and 

 from the fact that they are largely confined to the lighter soils it 

 becomes practicable to reduce them greatly by planting these to 

 annual crops which receive thorough cultivation. 



