GARDEN CHAFER ; MAY-BUG ; ROSE BEETLE. 9 



temperature is low, or in tlie evening. When the sun goes do-wn you 

 can shake them off the trees easily." " But," Mr. Chandler also noted, 

 "unless you put a sheet underneath the trees, you would never find 

 them, as they seem to disappear the moment they touch the ground." 



The German method of collecting is to beat or shake them down at 

 whatever time they are found to be most torpid (whether in the evening, 

 or in the cool early morning hours) on to cloths, or sheets, or anything 

 spread below the boughs which will allow of shaking the beetles 

 together aud destroying them. An inverted umbrella is particularly 

 mentioned as a convenient receptacle. This would be useful on a small 

 scale of working, as for Eoses or the like ; probably in orchard work the 

 attendance of the pigs, which are invaluable in similar operations with 

 Cockchafers, would be also useful here, and might save the trouble of 

 spreading anything beneath the trees to collect into. But whatever 

 method is followed in the detail of beating down, the important point 

 is that it should be done when the beetles are torpid. If they are in 

 active state, some of them will be sure to escape, as noticed by Mr. 

 Jenkins (see p. 7). Each female is considered to lay about a hundred 

 eggs, so that the escape of even a moderate amount of the Chafers 

 may set on foot a great deal of mischief. 



For destruction of the maggots in the ground the remedy recom- 

 mended by John Curtis is to water the infested land in autumn with 

 diluted gas liquor. This in the proportion of one-tenth of gas liquor 

 to nine-tenths of water is stated to kill the grubs without doing 

 mischief to the Grass. But it would be well to experiment on a small 

 scale, as to both these points, before giving a general application. Salt 

 and water is also mentioned as serviceable, but it is very difficult to 

 give fluid dressings at a strength which will do no harm to the surface 

 growths and yet be strong enough to kill the grubs when the application 

 has filtered down through an inch or two of soil. 



Dry dressings, such as lime, gas-lime, ashes, or dry earth sprinkled 

 with paraffin, or similar application, might be of service as a protection 

 from attack to lawns, but would hardly be applicable on a large scale. 

 Where the maggots are known to be lying near the surface in land 

 which can be disturbed, it is well to open the surface with scuftiers, 

 and let birds or pigs clear the maggots, and in case of birds resorting 

 to infested Grass-land, they should not on any account be molested. 



But in the case of this infestation, the best preventive course 

 appears to be when the beetles are observable, to beat them down from 

 the bushes, but taking care that this shall be so done, either by 

 choosing a time when they are torpid, or using precautious before 

 mentioned, that the Chafers shall have no chance of flying away to 

 start new infestation. 



