Inclement Weather, Diseases, Etc. 323 



by the bees, and a paper was prepared by Mr. George Gra- 

 ham, the President, in which was embodied all that is known 

 as to the injuries committed by that insect. From this it ap- 

 pears that after the hornets and wasps had punctured the skin, 

 the bees followed and abstracted the fluids, leaving only the 

 dry husk. Certain it is that a prejudice prevails among our 

 vine-dressers against this useful and industrious insect, and 

 many declare war upon the bees. 



There is a slug, the larvae of the Selandria vitis, which is 

 found upon the leaves of the grape-vine in July. They feed 

 in companies of a dozen or more, eating the upper surface, 

 and injuring the foliage. At present, these insects are not 

 numerous in pur vineyards, but they may increase, and then 

 will deface the foliage as badly as their congeners do the 

 orchards of cherry and pear-trees. 



Various remedies have been suggested, such as dusting with 

 lime and other dry and acrid substances, and syringing with 

 soap-suds and petroleum, as recommended, by Mr. Parkman, 

 for the rose-slug. To a gallon of soft-soap, he adds two- 

 thirds of a pint of petroleum, mixing thoroughly ; he then 

 dissolves this mixture in half a barrel of water, and applies 

 with a syringe. But after all, it will be best to exercise 

 watchful care and observation of the first approaches of this 

 and all other insects that are injurious, and then a little per- 

 severing labor, in the way of hand-picking, will enable us to 

 keep them in check. 



In making up these remarks upon the insect depredators of 

 the vineyard, I have had recourse to various authors, but have 

 chiefly extracted from my own compilation, the chapter on 

 "Insects," in the volume of American Pomology* just published, 

 where credit is given to the different authorities. Many of 

 the statements have been personally verified by myself, and 



* American Pomology : The Apple. Orange Judd & Co., New York. 



