284 ENGLISH ESTATE FORESTRY 



turned up by the spade or plough, and in such cases they 

 can be picked out and destroyed, while birds have also an 

 opportunity of destroying them. With such crops as potatoes, 

 the digging of the tubers also turns out and destroys a good 

 number, and others are brought near the surface and injured 

 by frost. Pheasants, poultry, and rooks are fond of the grub, 

 and doubtless destroy a good many in one way and another ; 

 but probably man's greatest helper in this respect is that 

 persecuted little creature, the mole. His work below the 

 ground is constantly bringing him in contact with the grubs 

 of this beetle, and he doubtless makes the best of his oppor- 

 tunities, and, whatever the faults of the little " gentleman in 

 velvet " may be in other respects, he probably does much 

 good in this one. 



The egg-laying beetles are said to dislike pig manure, or 

 ground on which pigs have been running. This is probably 

 an instinct of self-preservation, as eggs laid on pig-frequented 

 ground would have little chance of surviving long, and this 

 instinct affords an opportunity of preventing egg-laying on 

 definite areas. In nurseries, for instance, ground already 

 planted might be rendered safe by scattering pig manure 

 between the rows in May. Beds of seedlings recently put 

 in are particularly liable to attack, as the beetles select such 

 ground for egg-laying, and the resulting grubs run no risk of 

 disturbance for the next two or three years. Beech is a 

 favourite tree of the older grubs ; but no seedlings seem safe 

 from them, and in some seasons large numbers are either 

 destroyed or seriously injured, without the damage being 

 visible until it is too late to prevent it. 



In addition to the ordinary cockchafer, the grubs of the 

 rose-chafer (Pliyllopertha horticola) also do great damage in 

 certain seasons. This beetle sometimes appears in enormous 

 numbers in June, and hundreds of acres of meadow land 

 may be seen almost alive with them. The grubs of this 

 beetle only take one year to develop, and their feeding 

 time is thus restricted to autumn and spring. They do 

 considerable damage to nursery stuff on light sandy soils, 

 especially to small plants ; but egg-laying may be prevented 

 in the same way as that described for the cockchafer. 

 Their natural enemies are pheasants, rooks, poultry, etc., 



