210 DISEASES AND INSECT ENEMIES. 



already stated, is about all that can be recom- 

 mended. The fact that these worms live upon 

 grasses shows the importance of keeping the beds 

 perfectly clean, and also the importance of keeping 

 the ground perfectly clean of grass for a consider- 

 able distance around the frames or the beds if the 

 latter are made in the field. So far as our observa- 

 tions go, the moth, which deposits the eggs from 

 which the cut worms are hatched, seldom if ever 

 selects the violet. The eggs are more likely to be 

 deposited on grasses and other plants, and from 

 these the worms reach the violet. It frequently 

 happens that growers are neglectful about keep- 

 ing old beds and the corners of houses free from 

 weeds and grass. It is not uncommon to allow 

 grass and weeds to grow up behind the beds in 

 some cases, and it is just such places that harbor 

 worms. Rigid attention should therefore be given 

 to cleanliness, which is as important in this case 

 as in any others mentioned. 



Sawfly* The leaves of violets during the 

 growing season, that is, from June to September, 

 are sometimes injured by a small caterpillar-like 

 worm, which has been determined by the Ento- 

 mologist of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture to be the larva of a species of saw- 

 fly. This insect sometimes does considerable 

 damage by cutting the leaves, giving the whole 

 plant a ragged appearance. The larva of the 

 sawflv seems to prefer cool, shady places, and, as 



