ENTOMOLOGY 81 



particularly such as bloom early, may be used to protect later-bloom- 

 ing plants. One of the best for this purpose is the Charles Downing, 

 as it blooms early and its blossoms are exposed to the sun. By laying 

 out beds with Downings or other early staminates on the sides that 

 experience has shown to be most susceptible to attack e. g., in pro- 

 tected sunny spots or near woodland in which the beetles might have 

 hibernated the insects will be attracted from the other portions of 

 the beds and can be the more readily controlled by spraying with 

 the arsenicals. (Cir. 21, R. E., B. of E. U. S. Dept. of Agr.) 



The Strawberry Leaf-Roller. This leaf-roller seems to be of 

 European origin, and is one of those species which in its native 

 home is not seriously injurious, but in its new surroundings finds 

 conditions to its liking and frequently outruns its natural checks. 

 At the present time it extends from Canada to Virginia and probably 

 even farther south, and westward to the Mississippi Valley, very often 

 in harmful numbers. It is, in the adult stage, a small moth, measur- 

 ing with expanded wings about three-fifths of an inch. Its color is 

 light reddish brown, the forewings streaked with wavy darker brown 

 and white lines as shown in the figure. When the wings are folded 

 and the insect is at rest, the dark area at the base forms a somewhat 

 conspicuous deeper brown patch on the middle of the back. The 

 hind wings are of a soft dark smoky gray, and both wings have long 

 fringes. The moths fly readily during the middle of the day and 

 run rapidly on the leaves, diving to the under side or into a fold so 

 quickly that it requires close watching to follow their movements. 

 They do not ordinarily fly very far where food plants are abundant, 

 but where they are plentiful, some of them find their way to con- 

 siderable distances, infesting new fields where clean plants were 

 set out. 



This moth makes its appearance in the strawberry fields in 

 early May. The insects mate soon after their appearance and egg- 

 laying begins at once. The eggs are pale green, almost like the 

 underside of the strawberry leaf in color, round or slightly oval, 

 much flattened and about as large as the little meshes in the netting 

 of the half-grown leaf. 



Larva3 hatch from these eggs in from five to seven days, and at 

 once make their way to the upper surface. At this time the minute 

 creatures are light green in color, with a proportionately large head 

 and rather long hair. When first noticed they are about an eighth 

 of an inch in length and are feeding on or along the midrib of a leaf 

 or lobe or, sometimes, on a larger leaf, along one of the larger veins 

 toward the edge of one side. For a day or two the minute caterpillar 

 feeds thus without protection, gnawing into the vein or alongside 

 so as to weaken the tissue, and then it begins to draw the upper sur- 

 faces of the leaf or lobe together by means of fine silken threads, 

 until there is a complete fold that forms a shelter for its maker. 

 It feeds continuously within its shelter, and improves it by making 

 the fold more complete and more secure, and sometimes actually 

 making a roll of an entire leaf. 



