156 



THE WESTERN POMOLOGIST. 



1871 



"Its antennae, A, 

 with the four short ^< 

 pal pi between 

 them, E, its six legs, 

 and two long hairs 

 behind, are the prin- 

 cipal features. What the short hairy projection 

 may be, we cannot tell, but suppose them 

 to be nothing but bristles. How singular that 

 so minute a creature should be productive of 

 so vast damages." 



There is no means of estimating the damage this 

 insect will do, as in its path certain death is .strewed 

 wherever it is found, and too much care cannot be 

 taken to prevent its spreading throughout the 

 country, which it will do if left to take its natural 

 course. 



Ilncrles About Insects— What Are Tliey. 



Friend Kridelbaugh. — I send you by this mail 

 box of bugs. The big one is merely a sam|)le of those 

 that fl}' about evenings so plenty that they sound 

 like a roaring wind. I have not discovered what 

 they live on. Somebody told me they eat the cotton- 

 wood. 



The small bronze bugs are jilayiug smash in my 

 nursery ; there are ju.st one thousand million of 

 them on the place. They are skinning the leaves 

 oli" my rose bushes, mountain ash, plums and sev- 

 ural other varieties; don't touch apples or cherries. 

 They work in the night, and burrow in the ground 

 and lie dormant during the day under the tree. 



Last night I built up a fire to try to coax some 

 of them in ; but nary a one would accept the invi- 

 tation to warm himself. By the light of the fire I 

 could sec them feeding on the roses. I am in hopes 

 that their day will be over soon. 



The worms enclosed are feeding on the willows 

 in the nursery. Potato bugs are very plenty all 

 about here. While picking them the other day, I 

 observed the hard shell wings of hundreds of them 

 lying on the ground ; what became of the bugs? 



H. C. Raymond. 



Counca Bluffs, May 31, 1871. 



Lachiwdcrva qttercina — Diplotaxis fronrliciila — Nem- 

 atrus ventrdis, and Voryphorra XQ-linecatn. 



Remarks. — The first insect you mention is the 

 perfect imago of the May Beetle, Laclmosternu quer- 

 cina. It apijears to be plenty in several localities. 

 We hear of it at Oregon and St. Joseph, Mo., as 

 well as at your place and Des Moines. Of it at the 

 latter place Mr. Miller, the editor-in-chief, in a 

 note to us says : 



" We have never known this bug (or perhaps 

 more properly called beetle) so numerous before at 



the time of its flight, which commenced here about 

 the 15th of May. Nor have we ever known this 

 insect to do much, if any injury above ground 

 before. As usual its flight continued but a few 

 evenings. But during its stay some kinds of 

 trees were literally defoliated. The Lombardy 

 I)oplar, mountain ash and the birch, appeared to 

 be its favorite resorts — the birch in particular. 

 These trees were alive with them, and when shaken 

 the dropping of bugs reminded us of old-time wal- 

 nut picking in a frosty morning. This insect when 

 in the larva; or grub state is especially fond of the 

 polaloe. We have known potatoe erojis seriously 

 injured by it. It will be well to call the attention 

 of farmers to it, for it is evidently multiplying fast. 

 For the sake of giving our readers correct and 

 scientific knowledge concerning this insect, we 

 copy from the Journal of Agriculture the following 

 descriptions, by Prof. 0. V. Riley, State Entomolo- 

 gist, of Missouri, of the Mav-Beetle. 



Fig. 1— Pupa of the t?amu. Fig. 2 — Larvjv or '• White Grub." 

 Fig. 3 — Side view of Beetle. Fig. 4 — Back view of the ^ame. 



" The specimens sent were the common May 

 Beetle. (Lachnosterna quercina). The " White 

 grub " is one of the very worst and most insidious 

 of the farmer's foes, and well known to every body. 

 Tliat this beetle is the parent of it, however, is not 

 so ver\- generally known. I have carefully pre- 

 pared the accompanying illustration, which will 

 give the metamorphoses at a glance, and do away 

 with verbal descriptions of so common an insect. 

 It is characteristic of the beetle to appear in vast 

 swarms duriug the month of May — earlier or later, 

 according to season or latitude. The beetle is quite 

 voracious, and often greatly injures both fruit and 

 ornamental trees. I have known the Lombardy 

 jioplar to die, in consequence of the utter denuda- 

 tion they caused ; but as their existence is short, 

 and they are confined to the foliage, their injuries 

 are exceediugl_v small compared with those which 

 their larvse inflict upon us. Our meadows, straw- 



