ENTOMOLOGY 85 



half of July, on the upper surface of the leaves, eating littie round 

 holes, but not doing any perceptible injury in this stage. The beetle 

 is quite active and flies readily, or, if surprised, it will fold its legs 

 and drop to the ground, remaining quiet until the danger is over. 



Early in fall and during the winter the canes will often show a 

 usually rather symmetrical, not very abrupt, nor very great swelling. 

 At its worst it is rarely more than one-third greater in diameter than 

 the normal cane, and quite frequently the swelling is very slight. 

 These galls may be almost at the base of the cane or they may be 

 anywhere from two to even three feet above ground. Usually only 

 the main canes are infested, but not infrequently the more vigorous 

 laterals are also attacked. From one to four of these swellings may 

 be found on a single cane. The infested shoots may throw out leaves 

 or even blossoms in spring ; but they rarely ripen fruit and invariably 

 die during the season. If late in the fall, or early in spring, a stem 

 be split through the swelling, it will be noticed, first, that the wood 

 itself is not at all involved in the abnormal growth; but that the 

 bark alone is the seat of the trouble. It will be seen, further, that 

 there are hard, granular, brown patches throughout this swollen 

 bark, and by careful peeling it appears that these are sections 

 through girdling channels of the same character. The stem may be 

 thus girdled several times, and the girdlings eventually cause the 

 death of the cane ; sooner or later, in proportion to their number and 

 size. It will further appear that the pith also shows a brown track 

 and, anywhere from one to six inches above the swelling, will be 

 found a slender white larva from five-eighths to three-quarters of an 

 inch in length, with an enlarged head and brown jaws. This is the 

 culprit that has caused the mischief. 



The mode of checking and avoiding future injury by this 

 species is obvious, and requires only a little additional work when 

 trimming. As early in the spring as may be, and certainly by the 

 middle of April, the canes should all be carefully examined and cut 

 away below the galls. If these are at or near the surface of the 

 ground, the entire cane must be sacrificed. It might possibly bear 

 some fruit; but it would certainly mature a beetle which would 

 destroy a dozen other canes, and this would be poor economy. As 

 the plants are all pruned each spring in any case, it means simply 

 a little more care and judgment exercised in the work at a somewhat 

 greater expense of time. After the cutting, all the twigs and other 

 rubbish should be raked out, and at once burned. If the cut canes 

 are left in the field, the beetles will mature as well as if no cutting 

 had been done, and nothing is gained. Every gall should be cut out 

 and destroyed before the beginning of May. This will prevent 

 maturing of the beetles, and the field will be exempt from further 

 injury unless specimens come on from other sources. This fact 

 makes it important that growers should co-operate in the work, and 

 that, as already suggested, some means should be provided to compel 

 all engaged in blackberry culture to prevent their land from becom- 

 ing a nuisance to their neighbors. (Sp. Bui. N, N. J. Exp. Sta.) 



