﻿PACKARD. 
  J 
  FLATTENED 
  MILLIPEDE. 
  759 
  

  

  The 
  Flattjined 
  Millepede, 
  Polydesmus 
  canadensis 
  Newport. 
  — 
  "Eating 
  the 
  roots 
  

   of 
  plants 
  and 
  other 
  tender 
  vegetations, 
  and 
  probably 
  causing 
  the 
  anbury 
  (club-root) 
  

   disease 
  iu 
  cabbages; 
  small, 
  slender, 
  white 
  and 
  brown 
  worms, 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  five-tenths 
  

   of 
  an 
  inch 
  long, 
  flattened 
  upon 
  the 
  back, 
  and 
  with 
  numerous 
  small 
  legs 
  appearing 
  like 
  

   a 
  fringe 
  along 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  body; 
  crawl- 
  

   ing 
  everywhere 
  over 
  the 
  damp 
  surface 
  of 
  

  

  the 
  ground 
  by 
  night, 
  and 
  withdrawing 
  „ 
  "-mm//sr''''ma^s^^^sim'-?7i777'i 
  

  

  into 
  the 
  crevices 
  under 
  chips, 
  stones, 
  and 
  '^'^^^WmF^^^mK^^^^^^ 
  

  

  similar 
  situations 
  during 
  the 
  day-time." 
  — 
  • 
  — 
  

  

  (Fitch.) 
  Pig. 
  30.— 
  Many-lined 
  Thousand-legs. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  myriapods 
  are 
  in 
  general 
  harmless, 
  feeding 
  either 
  as 
  in 
  

   the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  centipedes 
  on 
  other 
  insects, 
  or 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  millepedes 
  on 
  

   decaying 
  vegetables 
  or 
  animal 
  matter, 
  one 
  species 
  of 
  millepede 
  (lulus 
  

   multistriatus) 
  injures 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  the 
  strawberry 
  in 
  Illinois, 
  and 
  either 
  

   this 
  or 
  another 
  species, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  known 
  which, 
  eats 
  the 
  bulbs 
  of 
  the 
  

   carnation 
  pink, 
  according 
  to 
  a 
  writer 
  in 
  the 
  American 
  Agriculturist. 
  As 
  

   it 
  has 
  been 
  generally 
  thought 
  that 
  the 
  millipedes 
  are 
  harmless, 
  feeding 
  

   on 
  dead 
  and 
  decaying 
  animal 
  and 
  vegetable 
  matter, 
  I 
  insert 
  the 
  state- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  this 
  writer, 
  who 
  lives 
  at 
  Montreal, 
  Canada 
  : 
  " 
  I 
  planted 
  out 
  last 
  

   spring 
  a 
  good-sized 
  bed 
  of 
  carnations 
  ; 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  cut 
  

   down 
  in 
  about 
  a 
  fortnight, 
  and 
  I 
  could 
  trace 
  it 
  to 
  nothing 
  else 
  than 
  these 
  

   worms, 
  with 
  which 
  I 
  found 
  the 
  bed 
  to 
  be 
  infested. 
  I 
  removed 
  the 
  bal- 
  

   ance 
  to 
  another 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  garden, 
  and 
  saved 
  them. 
  I 
  then 
  examined 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  lilj^-bulbs 
  in 
  the 
  next 
  bed 
  and 
  found 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  

   bulbs 
  partly 
  eaten, 
  with 
  the 
  worms 
  in 
  them. 
  I 
  have 
  destroyed 
  large 
  

   quantities 
  this 
  autumn, 
  by 
  slicing 
  apples 
  and 
  turnips 
  and 
  laying 
  them 
  

   OQ 
  the 
  infested 
  beds, 
  the 
  worms 
  collecting 
  under 
  them 
  in 
  masses, 
  which 
  

   were 
  removed 
  and 
  burned." 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  generally 
  stated 
  in 
  systematic 
  works 
  on 
  entomology 
  that 
  the 
  

   millepedes 
  feed 
  on 
  decaying 
  vegetable 
  or 
  animal 
  substances,* 
  but 
  there 
  

   are 
  some 
  exceptions 
  to 
  this 
  rule, 
  which 
  I 
  will 
  give. 
  

  

  Curtis 
  iu 
  his 
  "Farm 
  Insects" 
  tells 
  that 
  lulus 
  londinensis 
  "infests 
  the 
  

   roots 
  of 
  wheat 
  in 
  Surrey," 
  while 
  of 
  lulus 
  latestriatus 
  Curtis, 
  " 
  thousands 
  

   were 
  infesting 
  a 
  garden 
  at 
  Nantwich." 
  Of 
  another 
  species, 
  Iiilus 
  pilosus, 
  

   he 
  remarks: 
  "I 
  have 
  found 
  it 
  more 
  than 
  once 
  infesting 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  

   cabbages 
  in 
  gardens 
  in 
  March." 
  A 
  species 
  of 
  another 
  genus, 
  Polydesmus 
  

   complanatus 
  Linn., 
  is, 
  he 
  says, 
  " 
  reported 
  to 
  be 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  most 
  destruc- 
  

   tive 
  species. 
  In 
  April, 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  ones 
  were 
  

   detected 
  eating 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  wheat, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  and 
  autumn 
  

   they 
  were 
  injuring 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  onions 
  and 
  pansies. 
  They 
  propagate 
  

   rapidly 
  when 
  the 
  earth 
  is 
  undisturbed; 
  and 
  specimens 
  measuring 
  three- 
  

   quarters 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  under 
  garden-pots 
  at 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  

   aneraonies." 
  The 
  iuli, 
  or 
  snake-millepedes, 
  Curtis 
  adds, 
  " 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  

   both 
  carnivorous 
  and 
  herbivorous, 
  for 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  detected 
  feeding 
  

   upon 
  small 
  snails, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  upon 
  the 
  pupa 
  of 
  a 
  fly 
  ; 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  be- 
  

   lieved 
  to 
  live 
  also 
  upon 
  larvae, 
  acari, 
  earth-worms, 
  etc.; 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  

   such 
  abundant 
  evidence 
  of 
  their 
  destroying 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  many 
  vegetables, 
  

   being 
  found 
  clustered 
  together 
  in 
  multitudes 
  at 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  corn, 
  pota- 
  

   toes, 
  turnips, 
  cabbages, 
  etc., 
  that 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  little 
  doubt 
  of 
  their 
  doing 
  

   great 
  mischief 
  to 
  many 
  crops 
  of 
  the 
  gardener, 
  and 
  apparently 
  to 
  the 
  

   farmer 
  also. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  confirm 
  this 
  generally 
  received 
  opinion, 
  which 
  

   appeared 
  formerly 
  to 
  rest 
  upon 
  doubtful 
  evidence, 
  I 
  shall 
  enumerate 
  the 
  

   different 
  proofs 
  which 
  have 
  come 
  to 
  my 
  own 
  knowledge. 
  A 
  garden 
  at 
  

   Ledbury, 
  Herefordshire, 
  was 
  infested 
  by 
  lulus 
  pulcliellus, 
  which 
  congre- 
  

   gated 
  in 
  masses 
  at 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  the 
  Brassica 
  tribe. 
  On 
  pulling 
  up 
  some 
  

  

  *Curti3 
  says 
  that 
  lulus 
  gattatus 
  of 
  Fabricius 
  has 
  been 
  observed 
  feeding 
  on 
  a 
  small 
  

   Relix. 
  

  

  