THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



115 



as will be seen, the economy of this species is 

 nearly the same as that of the Three-lined Leaf 

 Beetle (Fig. 17, p. 26), wliich preys so exten- 

 sively on the potato plant in the Eastern States, 

 except that onr larva does not cover itself with 

 its own dung, and instead of the Asparagus 

 Hc'otle passing the winter under ground in the 

 larva state, it passes the winter above ground 

 in tlic perfect or beetle state. Entoniologically. 

 till' two species are closely allied, belonging to 

 dilTerent genera of the same small sub-group of 

 ilie great gi-oup of Leef-foeding Beetles (^Phyto- 

 pliiKjri), and both arc what are commonly called 

 •■double-brooded" insects; that is, there are 

 two distinct broods every year, the one gener- 

 ated by the other. 



According to Dr. Fitch, who published an ex- 

 cellent account of the depredations of tliis insect 

 on Long Island up to the year 186:^, one aspara- 

 gus grower there had three acres out of seven 

 ■' almost ruined;"' and four others had aspara- 

 gus beds so badly injured tJiat tliey plowed them 

 up. Throughout this entire region the general 

 idea up to 1802 seems to have been, that if this 

 beetle was not soon destroyed, the asparagus 

 would be: for every year the insect appeared to 

 spread further and further, extending already 

 for a distance of at least forty miles along the 

 northern side of Long Island, and every year it 

 got to be more numerous and more destructive. 

 Lime, salt, potash, and a variety of other such 

 applications, had all been tried and found inef- 

 fectual as remedies ; domestic fowls, which as 

 Dr. Fitch ascertained, feed greedily upon the 

 beetles, could scarcely be used in snlHcient num- 

 bers to clear fields of ten and twenty acres in 

 extent; and as to hand-picking twenty acre 

 fields, especially where the insect is so small, 

 that would be too discouraging an idea to be en- 

 tertained for a moment by any one. 



But in the year 1863, as we learn from Isaac 

 1 licks of Long Island, a deliverer appeared in 

 the form of a small sliining black parasitic fly, 

 probably belonging either to the Chalets or to 

 the Pi-octotrupes Family. A^iether this Fly 

 lays its eggs in the eggs of the Asparagus Beetle, 

 or in the larva of that insect, does not seem to 

 be at present clearly ascertained; but if the ac- 

 counts that we have received of it be correct, it 

 must do either one or the other. In the former 

 case, the larva that hatches out from the para- 

 sitic egg will consume the egg of the Asparagus 

 Beetle and entirely prevent it from hatching; 

 in the latter case it will destroy the larva before 

 it has time to pass into the perfect state. The 

 result, in either event, will be equally destruct- 

 ive to the bug and beneficial to the gardener. 



Thus, as we are told, "although the Asparagus 

 Beetle has not entirely ceased to trouble them 

 upon Long Island since ISO;), it yet has never 

 sinto that \ ear been of any very material dam- 

 age there. I'pon a few farms it still strips the 

 plants in llic latter part of summer, but not to 

 nuicli extent or so as to entail any very serious 

 loss." On this very interesting and important 

 siibjeel, we hope before long to be able to give 

 our readers some more precise and detiiiile in- 

 formation. 



lint the diniinutiuu in the numbers of the 

 Asparagus Beetle is probably due in part to ar- 

 tificial, as well as to natural causes. The Aspar- 

 agus growers upon Long Island have introduced 

 a method of fighting the insect, which is founded 

 upon correct principles, and seems to be followed 

 by very gratifying results. Early in the spring, 

 when Ihc Beetle has made its appearance and is 

 ready to lay its eggs, •' they destroy," as we are 

 informed, •• all the plants upon the farm except 

 the large plants for market, hoeing up all the 

 young seedlings that, as is well known, start 

 from the last year's seed every spring upon the 

 beds.'' Thus the mother-beetle is forced to lay 

 her eggs upon the large shoots from the old 

 stools; and as these are cut and sent to market 

 every few da>s, there are no eggs left to hatch 

 out into larva; for the second brood of beetles. 



At first sight we ndght suppose that it would 

 be possible, by carrying out the above system 

 rigidly to its utmost extent, to extirpate the in- 

 sect entirely. But unfortunately this can not be 

 done. Asparagus, according to Dr. Fitch, has 

 run wild to a considerable extent upon Long 

 Island, "and .slender spindling stalks of it may 

 be seen growing in all situations there, by the 

 roadsides, in the fields and in the woods. Thus 

 the Asparagus Beetle has such an abundance ot 

 food everywhere presented to it, .and the insect 

 is alread\- occupying such an extent of territon", 

 that there seems to be no mode by which it is 

 now possible for us to eft'ect its exk-rmination." 



To many persons, perhaps, such a crop as As- 

 paragus may seem of but very trifling import- 

 ance, in a pecuniary point of view. But avc 

 have already seen upon how large a scale it is 

 cultivated on Long Island, in the Slate of New 

 York; and a writer in the American Journal of 

 Horticulture, who hails from New Jersey, re- 

 marks as follows: ""We plant Asparagus in 

 great fields of ten to twenty acres. "Well plant- 

 ed, it will cost a hundred dollars to set an acre; 

 but it will continue productive for twenty years : 

 and if properly cared for each acre will clear 

 two hundred dollars ainniallv. There are men 

 all around me who have made ^mall fortunes 

 out of this single article." 



