70 Lijan'oiis. 



BUSHBERG CATALOGUE. 



Bejtejicial. 



racking off the juice and water, countless num- 

 bers of these worms are found in tlie sediment. 

 This insect was named rmthnin vi(irnran/i, b_v Dr. 

 Paciiard. in this country; but Prof. Kiley informs 

 us that it is au importation from Europe, where 

 it is known as Lobesia botrana. 



The Rose-chafek. 



(Macrodactiihts siibspinoszis . ) 



This is the true ''Rose-bug," injur- 

 ious to many plants, but especially 

 hard on grape-vines during some 

 years. In Prof. Riley's words: "It is 

 one of those species whose larva de- 

 velops under ground, and cannot be 

 very well dealt with in this stage of 

 Fisr. t'3. j,.g jjfg yYe must contend with it in 

 the beetle form, and there is no other effectual 

 n)eans than by hand-picking, or by shaking 

 into vessels and on to sheets. This work can be 

 greatly facilitated by taking advantage of the 

 insect's tastes and preferences. It shows a great 

 predilection for the Clinton and its close allies, of 

 all other varieties of the grape-vine, and will 

 gather upon that variety and leave others unmo- 

 lested, where it has a chance. Those who ai"e 

 troubled with this beetle will no doubt take the 

 hint." 



The Grape-cubculio. 

 {Cceliodes inxq%ialis) 



Fig. 94.— a, berry, infested; 6, larva; c, beetle— tlie liair- 

 liiie showing natural length. 



The larva of this curculio infests the grapes in 

 June and July, causing a little black hole in the 

 skin, and a discoloration of thebeiry immediateh' 

 around it, as seen in the above figure. From the 

 middle to the last of July this larva leaves the 

 berrj^ and buries itself a few inches in the ground, 

 and by the beginning of September the perfect 

 insect issues from the ground and doubtless passes 

 the winter in the beetle state, ready to puncture 

 the grapes again the following May or June. 

 This curculio is small and inconspicuous, being of 

 a black color with a grayish tint. It is repre- 

 sented above, the hair-line underneath showing 

 the natural size. This insect is very bad some 

 years, at others scarcely noticed, being doubtless 

 killed by parasites. It is thus that nature works : 

 '•Eat and be eaten, kill and be killed," is one of 

 her universal laws; and we never can say with 

 surety, because a particular insect is numerous 

 one year, therefore it will be so tlie next. 



All infested berries should from time to time, 

 as the)'^ are noticed, be collected and destroyed, 

 and the beetle n)ay be jarred down on sheets, as 

 with the Plum Curculio. 



There are several Cut-wokms which eat the 

 young, tender shoots of the vine, and draw them 

 into the ground below; they have destroyed, or 

 kept back at least, many a young vine. The little 

 rascals can be easily found and destroyed b.v dig- 

 ging for them under the loose clods of ground 

 beneath the young vine. 



There are many other insects injurious to the 

 grape-vine — large solitary worms — insects which 

 lay eggs in the canes — others which make curious 

 galls, etc., but the reader who desires an acquaint- 

 ance with these, must refer to Prof. Riley's 

 reports. 



It will be more useful to tlie grape-grower to 

 close this chapter on insects witli a brief account 

 of some of 



THE BENEFICIAL SPECIES 



which he will meet with, and which he should 

 cherish as his friends. 



Insects which are beneficial to man by feeding 

 upon other insects that are injurious, may be di- 

 vided into those which simply prej' upon such 

 injurious insects, without, however, being other- 

 wise connected with them — the predacious insects; 

 secondly, into those which in their earlier stages 

 live in or on their prey — the true parasites. This 

 last class is represented only by two Orders, viz., 

 the Diptera, or two-winged tlies, and the Hymen- 

 optera (especially the families Ichneumonid;e and 

 Chalcidid.ip). The egg is deposited by the mother 

 parasite on or into the body of its victim, which 

 is usually in the larva state, the parasitic larva 

 feeding upon the fatty parts of its victim, and 

 causing its death only after it has itself reached 

 full growth. 



T The most impor- 

 tant parasites a- 

 mong the Diptera 

 are the Tachina- 

 flies, which in gen- 

 eral appearance are 

 not unlike our 

 common House-fly. 

 Those among the 

 Hymenoptera are 

 by far more ntimer- 

 ous in species and 

 more varied as to general appearance and mode 

 of development. We select for illustration one of 

 the most common forms, viz., a Microgaster of 

 the family Ichneumonidae, a small 

 inconspicuous insect which is 

 known to prey upon a large num- 

 ber of worms and, among others, 

 also on the Hog-caterpillar of the 

 1 I) ' t vine. By means of her ovipositor 

 the female Microgaster inserts a 

 Fig. 96. number of eggs in the body of 



Microgaster. the caterpillar while this is "still 

 young. The Microgaster larvie develop within 

 the caterpillar, and when full grown they pierce 

 the skin of the latter, and work themselves so far 

 . - _ out that they are 



^^'^*'-**"-*'r**'ib*4ij^^*«™<^ commence spinn- 

 Fig- ■'■;■. ing small white co- 



Shrunken larva of CHa<:R()CAMPA, coons standino" on 

 with Microgaster cocoons. ^^^ ^^ represented 



in Fig. 97, the caterpillar having by this time died 

 and greatly shrunk. A week or thei-eabout later 

 the Ichneumon flies begin to hatch from the co- 

 coons. 



The Predaceous Insects include numerous spe- 

 aies of all Orders, and we can here only select a 

 few of the more important ones which liave been 

 observed in connection with the insects injurious 

 to the grape-vine. 



Ladybirds. — The Coleopterous family Cocci- 

 nellida), or Ladybirds, comprises in the United 



Tachina-Fly. 



