142 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION. 



beetles, and their larvae, in the earth, living on natural food-plants 

 at the time the soil is broken up for the planting m strawberries. 

 Therefore the remedial measure that seems to promise most is so 

 managing the soil that when it is desired to set out the field to 

 strawberries the beetles will have been previously starved out; in 

 other words the use of a cultural method. We have 



not had opportunity to make a practical test of this promising meth- 

 od but we are reminded in this connection that Mr. England, who 

 lives just west of Missoula, some years ago was so troubled with this 

 insect that he abandoned strawberry growing entirely, using the 

 land for other crops. Mrs. England started in again to grow some 

 plants, in a small way in the summer of 1904, and had no trouble 

 whatever with the insects. 



Mr. Williams' trouble has been principally on newly broken, vir- 

 gin soil and we feel that if he had allowed the soil to lie fallow for 

 one season, keeping it free from vegetation, he would have been 

 troubled only in so far as the beetles are able to migrate into the 

 field from the sides. 



While the beetles are very general feeders, it is probable that 

 there are crops that could be tilled that would be let alone by them 

 and it is desirable to try planting potatoes and some other common 

 crops, making critical examinations of the roots from time to time 

 to learn if they are eaten by the larvae. If potatoes or any other 

 crop is found to be immune, it may be used on virgin soil infected 

 with this beetle and followed the next season by strawberries. 



