23G 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



FEBRUARY O, 1S33. 



A DISCOURSE 



Delivered before the Massacliusetls Horticultural Society, o« 

 tlie Celebration of its fourth Anniversary, October 3, 1832. 

 By TiiADDKUs William Harris, M. D. 

 [Contimiecl from page 22G.] 

 It is said,* that some persons Lave entifely 

 abandoued their vines in consequence oftlie dep- 

 redations of a small insect, which, for many years 

 was supposed to be the vine-fretter of Europe. 

 So far from being identical, it does not belong 

 even to the same genus, and its economy is widely 

 different from that of the vine-fretter, puceron, or 

 Aphis. It is described, in the "Encycloptedia 

 Americana," f by the name of Tdtigonia litis. 

 In its peifect state it is nearly one tenth of an inch 

 long, is furnished with four wings, the under pair, 

 when at rest, being concealed by the ujjper pair, 

 which are straw-colored, with two broad scarlet 

 bands across them, and a black spot at the tips. 

 On turning up the leaves of the vine cautiously, 

 the insects will be seen in great numbers with 

 their puncturing tubes thrust into the tender epi- 

 . dermis. When the vine is agitated, the little 7\t- 

 tigonifB leap from it in swarms, but soon alight 

 and rccomtncnce their destructive o|)eratii)ns. 

 The infested leaves at length become yellow, sick- 

 ly, and prematurely dry, and give to the plant, at 

 midsummer, the aspect it assumes naturally on 

 the approach of winter. These insects pass 

 through all their metamorphoses upon the plant ; 

 the wingless larviE and pupre are active, have a 

 general resemblance to the perfect insect, and feed 

 together in the same manner beneatli the leaves, 

 where also are found adhering inuumeralile emi)ty 

 skins, cast off" by them in their progress to maturi- 

 ty. They survive the winter in the perfect state, 

 hybernating beneath sticks, stones, and fallen 

 leaves, and among the roots of grass. The Tetti- 

 gonia of the vine is more hardy, and more viva 

 cious than the Aphis; hence the api)liGations that 

 have proved destructive to the latter are by no 

 nieaus so efficacious with the former. Funiiga 

 tions of tobacco, beneath a movable tent placed 

 over the trellises, answer the purpose completely. 

 They require frequent repetition and considerable 

 care to prevent the escape and ensure the destruc 

 tion of the insects ; circumstances which render 

 the discovery of some more expeditious method an 

 object of great importance to those whose viue 

 yards are extensive. 



The natural history of the rose-bug one of the 

 most powerful assailants of the vine, was for a 

 long time involved in mystery, but is at last fully 

 c:leared up.J Fabiicius, a German naturalist, was 

 the first to give a scientific description of this 

 insect, which he received from America, and ap 

 plied to it the name o{ Melolontha subspinosa. Its 

 prevalence upon the rose, and its annual appear- 

 ance coinciding with the blossoming of that flow- 

 er, have gained for it the popular name by which 

 it is here known. For some time after they were 

 first noticed, rose-bugs appeared to be confined to 

 their fiivorite, the rose; but within twenty years 

 tliey have prodigiously increased in number, have 

 attacked indiscrhninately various kinds of plants, 

 and have become notorious for their extensive and 

 deplorable ravages. The grape-vine in particular, 

 the cherry, plum, and apple trees have annually 



* Fessenden's New American Gardener, (iili ed. p. 299. 



t Vol. Vni. p. 43. Article Locust. 



tSee The Massachusetts Agricultural Repository (for July, 

 l^Vh,,^"'- ^ P- '■ ^"^ > '"^o Hie New England Farmer. 

 Vol. VI. pp. 18, 41, 49, &,c. 



uftered by their depredations ; many other fruit- 

 trees and shrubs, garflen vegetables and corn, and 

 even the trees of the forest and the grass of the 

 fields, have been laid under contribution by these 

 indiscriminate feeders, by whom leaves, flowers, 

 ind fruits are alike consumed. The simultane- 

 ous ap|iearance of these insects in swarms, and 

 their stidden disappearance, are remarkable facts 

 in their history. They arrive early in June, and 

 continue for about a month. At the expiration of 

 this time, the males become exhausted, fall to the 

 ground, and perish, while the females enter the 

 earth, lay their eggs, and also die. The eggs laid 

 by each female are about thirty in number, are de- 

 posited from one to four inches beneath the sur- 

 face of the soil, and are usually liatched in twenty 

 days. At the close of summer the larvce, which 

 are whitish grubs, attain their full size, being then 

 nearly three quarters of an inch long, descend be- 

 low tlio reach of frost, and pass the winter in a 

 torpid state. In the spring they approach the 

 surface, form little cells or cavities by compres- 

 sing the earth around them, and become pupre. 

 This change occurs during the month of May ; 

 and in the begiiming of June, having divested 

 themselves of their ptipa-skins, they emerge from 

 the earth in their perfect state. Such being the 

 metamorphoses and habits of these insects, it is 

 evident tliat we cannpt attack them in the egg, the 

 larva, or the chrysalis state ; the eueiny, in these 

 stages, is beyond our reach, and is subject to the 

 control only of the natural but inscrutable means 

 appointed by the Author of Nature to keep the in- 

 sect tribes in check. When they have issued from 

 their subterranean retreats, and have congiegated 

 upon our vines, trees, and other vegetable produc- 

 tions, in the complete enjoyinpnt of their ])ro])cn- 

 sities, we must unite our efforts to seize and crush 

 the invaders. They must indeed be crushed, 

 scalded, or burned, to deprive them of life, for 

 none of the applications usually found destructive 

 to other insects seem to afJ(;ct these. Experience 

 has proved the utility of gathering them by hand, 

 or of shaking them into vessels. They should be 

 collected daily during the period of their visitation. 

 Mr. Lowell* states, that in 1823 he discovered, on 

 a solitary ajiple-tree, the rose-bugs " in vast num- 

 bers, such as could not bo described, and would 

 not be believed if they were described, or, at least, 

 none but an ocular witness could conceive of 

 their numbers. Destruction by hand was," in this 

 case, "out of the question." He put sheets under 

 the tree, and shook them down, and burnt them. 

 Rose-bugs are day-fliers, and do not use their 

 wings readily during the night, which would 

 then^fore be the most suitable time to perform the 

 opiration mentioned by Mr. Lowell. Dr. Green, 

 of Mansfield, whose investigations! have rendered 

 the history of this insect complete, proposes pro- 

 tecting particular plants with millinet, and says 

 that in this way only did ho succeed in securing 

 his grape-vines from depredation. A strong mix- 

 ture of black pepper and tobacco in water was ap- 

 ])lied by him with a brush to the leaves and fruit ; 

 but it came short of the end desired. Air-slacked 

 lime or flowers of sulphur, dusted upon and be- 

 neath the leaves when wet with dew, have, in sev- 

 eral instances, under my own observation, partial- 

 ly screened them from attack. Of late years the 

 rose-bug has perceptibly diminished in numbers; 



* Mass. Agr. Rcpos. Vol. IX. p. 145. 



t New England Farmer, Vol. VI, pp. 41, 49, &c. 



but I regret to observe, that it is likely to be re- 

 placed by a destroyer of the same geiins, with 

 similar habits and powers. This inse<:t is of « 

 broad oval shape, of a rust color, and rather 

 larger in size than the rose-bug. It is the Melolon- 

 tha vannns of Fabricius, and is closely allied to the 

 vine-chafl't'r, so destructive to the vine in Europe. 

 The leaves of the wild gi-ape-vine are its natural 

 food, but, like the rose-bug, it is not particular in 

 its choice. In the year 1825 I first observed it 

 on the fi)reign grape-vine, in a garden in this vi- 

 cinity. In a late visit to the same spot, I Ibnnd it 

 in great numbers on this vine, and also upon 

 several kinds of garden vegetables. A muck 

 larger beetle,* of a brownish yellow color, with 

 eight black spots on its back, also feeds upon the 

 leaves of the cultivated and wild grape. These 

 insects are to be combated by the same means that 

 have been found successful against the rose-bug. 



The hirviE of three species of Sphinx,^ whose 

 metaniorphosos are similar to those of the potato- 

 worm, devour the leaves of the vine. They are 

 large, flesliv, naked caterpillars, feeding mostly at 

 night, and remaining at rest during the day-time, 

 when they will sit with the head and lore part of 

 the body erect in the most self-sufficient and dog- 

 ged manner fi)r hours. From this odd attitude, 

 resembling that of the fabulous Sphinx sculptured 

 by the ancient Egyptians, the genus received its 

 name. Three or four of these insects are able to 

 devotir every leaf uiion a vine ; but their ravages 

 early betray them, and render it easy to arrest 

 theiii in their career. 



Omitting several other insects of minor powers, 

 I sh:ill close my list of the assailants of tlie vine 

 with a few observations upon a species of Tenthre- 

 ilo,\ in- saw-fly whose gradually increasing ravages 

 I have long noticed. This insect does not appear 

 to have been named or described, at least it is not 

 to be identified by any description accessible to me. 

 In its perfect .state it is a little four-winged fly, of 

 a jet-black color, except the thorax, or iiart of the 

 back between the wings, which is red, and the 

 legs which arc variegated with jiale yellow. The 

 body of the female measures one-quarter of an 

 inch in length, that of the male is somewhat short- 

 er. Small iiiid apparently innocuous as these in- 

 sects are, e.tch pair may become the progenitors of 

 forty or fifty dcstrut-tive larvae. The flics rise 

 from the ground in the sjjring, not all at one time, 

 but at irregular intervals, and deposit their eggs 

 beneath the terminal leaves of the vine. The 

 larvte, unlike those of the saw-fly of the cherry- 

 tree, are long and cylindrical, resembling cater- 

 pillai'S; they feed in company, side by side, be- 

 ne .ith the leaves, each fraternity consi.-.ling of a 

 dozen or more individuals. Commcnciug upon 

 the first leaf, at its edge, they devour the whole of 

 it, then proceed to the next, and so on succcs.sive- 

 ly down the branch, till all the leaves have disap- 

 peared, or till the insects have reached their full 

 size. They then average five-eighths of an inch 

 in length ; the head and tip of the tail are black, 

 and tlie body is pale green, with transverse rows 

 of minute black points. Having finished the feed- 

 ing state, they leave the vine, enter the earth, 

 form for themselves small oval cells, change to 

 pupte, in due time emerge from the earth in the 

 [lerfect state, and lay their eggs for a second brood. 



^ Melolontha punctata. L. 



t SphiiLX Cianlor, Cramer; iS. saieilitia? Drury; and 

 S. pamvinjtrix, .Smith. 

 } Tenthredo ( Sdandria) Vitis. Harris. 



