﻿PACKARD.] 
  THE 
  JUNE 
  BEETLE. 
  797 
  

  

  man 
  lire-heap 
  near 
  by 
  swarmed 
  with 
  the 
  well-known 
  white 
  grubs, 
  in 
  va- 
  

   rious 
  stages 
  of 
  development, 
  some 
  apparently' 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  year 
  and 
  

   others 
  in 
  the 
  third 
  year's 
  growth. 
  They 
  eat 
  the 
  main 
  roots 
  of 
  the 
  plant, 
  

   thus 
  destroying 
  one 
  plant 
  after 
  another. 
  From 
  this 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  obvious 
  

   that 
  if 
  we 
  observe 
  the 
  plant 
  to 
  wilt 
  and 
  suddenly 
  die, 
  we 
  may 
  look 
  for 
  

   the 
  white 
  grub 
  and 
  at 
  once 
  kill 
  it 
  to 
  prevent 
  farther 
  ravages. 
  It 
  is 
  evi- 
  

   dent, 
  so 
  large 
  and 
  voracious 
  are 
  these 
  worms, 
  that 
  one 
  plant 
  would 
  be 
  

   a 
  mere 
  trifle 
  to 
  one 
  of 
  them. 
  

  

  "It 
  also 
  eats 
  down 
  in 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  young 
  squash-i)lants, 
  as 
  

   I 
  am 
  told 
  by 
  Mr. 
  0. 
  A 
  Putnam, 
  of 
  Salem, 
  who 
  has 
  been 
  obliged 
  to 
  plant 
  

   the 
  seed 
  over 
  once 
  or 
  twice. 
  They 
  attack 
  young 
  plants 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  when, 
  

   they 
  have 
  thrown 
  out 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  leaves. 
  It 
  is 
  obvious 
  that 
  in 
  dealing 
  

   with 
  this 
  destructive 
  insect 
  we 
  must 
  become 
  familiar 
  with 
  its 
  habits. 
  

   Every 
  one 
  knows 
  the 
  larva 
  or 
  grub 
  of 
  this 
  insect, 
  so 
  that 
  a 
  detailed 
  de- 
  

   scription 
  is 
  not 
  necessary. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  large, 
  soft-bodied, 
  thick, 
  white 
  worm, 
  

   nearly 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  the 
  thumb. 
  Its 
  head 
  is 
  yellowish 
  or 
  pale 
  horn-col- 
  

   ored. 
  Its 
  skin 
  is 
  so 
  thin 
  and 
  transparent 
  that 
  the 
  air-vessels 
  and 
  viscera 
  

   can 
  be 
  seen 
  through 
  it, 
  while, 
  though 
  it 
  has 
  three 
  pairs 
  of 
  legs, 
  it 
  is 
  so 
  

   gross 
  and 
  unwieldy 
  that 
  it 
  lies, 
  when 
  dug 
  out 
  of 
  its 
  retreat, 
  flat 
  upon 
  

   its 
  side. 
  

  

  " 
  How 
  many 
  years 
  the 
  grub 
  lives 
  before 
  changing 
  into 
  the 
  beetle 
  we 
  do 
  

   not 
  know, 
  but 
  probably 
  at 
  least 
  three. 
  It 
  arrives 
  at 
  maturity 
  in 
  the 
  

   autumn, 
  and 
  early 
  in 
  May 
  in 
  this 
  state 
  the 
  chrysalis 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  

   little 
  rude 
  cells 
  or 
  chambers 
  about 
  six 
  inches 
  under 
  the 
  mold, 
  in 
  which 
  

   position, 
  we 
  have 
  found 
  it 
  in 
  Maine 
  late 
  in 
  May. 
  During 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  

   of 
  May 
  and 
  early 
  in 
  June, 
  *. 
  e., 
  for 
  about 
  a 
  month, 
  it 
  flies 
  about 
  at 
  night, 
  

   especially 
  on 
  warm 
  nights. 
  By 
  day 
  it 
  hides 
  in 
  fruit 
  and 
  other 
  trees, 
  

   clinging 
  to 
  the 
  under 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  leaves 
  by 
  its 
  long, 
  curved 
  claws, 
  which 
  

   are 
  admirably 
  adapted 
  for 
  the 
  purpose. 
  Here 
  it 
  does 
  at 
  times 
  much 
  in- 
  

   jury, 
  especially, 
  as 
  Harris 
  remarks, 
  to 
  cherry-trees. 
  

  

  " 
  Where 
  it 
  lays 
  its 
  eggs 
  is 
  not 
  definitely 
  known, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  

   it 
  burrows 
  in 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  there 
  lays 
  its 
  eggs, 
  as 
  does 
  the 
  European 
  

   cockchafer, 
  of 
  whose 
  habits 
  Harris 
  gives 
  a 
  summary, 
  and 
  also 
  the 
  gold- 
  

   smith 
  beetle, 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  give 
  an 
  account 
  farther 
  on. 
  Eiley, 
  however, 
  

   says 
  that 
  ' 
  soon 
  after 
  iDairiug, 
  the 
  female 
  beetle 
  creeps 
  into 
  the 
  earth, 
  

   especiall3' 
  wherever 
  the 
  soil 
  is 
  loose 
  and 
  rough, 
  and 
  after 
  depositing 
  her 
  

   eggs 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  forty 
  or 
  fifty, 
  dies. 
  These 
  hatch 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  

   a 
  mouth, 
  and, 
  the 
  grubs 
  growing 
  slowly, 
  do 
  not 
  attain 
  full 
  size 
  till 
  the 
  

   early 
  spring 
  of 
  the 
  third 
  year, 
  when 
  they 
  construct 
  an 
  ovoid 
  chamber, 
  

   lined 
  with 
  a 
  gelatinous 
  fluid, 
  change 
  into 
  pupee, 
  and 
  soon 
  afterward 
  into 
  

   beetles.' 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  the 
  autumn 
  at 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  cold 
  it 
  descends 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   depth 
  below 
  the 
  surface 
  to 
  avoid 
  the 
  frost, 
  probably 
  about 
  two 
  feet 
  be- 
  

   low 
  the 
  usual 
  depth 
  at 
  which 
  the 
  ground 
  is 
  frozen 
  in 
  the 
  winter. 
  At 
  the 
  

   approach 
  of 
  warm 
  weather, 
  however, 
  it 
  makes 
  its 
  way 
  up 
  near 
  the 
  sur- 
  

   face, 
  where 
  it 
  forms 
  a 
  slight 
  cell 
  by 
  wriggling 
  about, 
  and 
  then 
  passes 
  

   into 
  the 
  pupa 
  state. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  sometimes 
  pupate 
  and 
  appear 
  in 
  the 
  

   winged 
  state 
  in 
  the 
  autumn. 
  

  

  "As 
  to 
  remedies 
  against 
  this 
  grub, 
  the 
  careful 
  gardener 
  will 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  

   place 
  destroy 
  all 
  those 
  that 
  he 
  sees 
  by 
  crushing 
  them 
  to 
  death. 
  When 
  

   the 
  manure 
  is 
  spread 
  over 
  the 
  strawberry-bed, 
  he 
  must 
  watch 
  it 
  nar- 
  

   rowly 
  for 
  the 
  grubs 
  so 
  easily 
  seen, 
  and 
  kill 
  them. 
  When 
  a 
  vine 
  is 
  seen 
  

   to 
  die 
  down 
  suddenly 
  in 
  summer 
  he 
  must 
  then 
  dig 
  around 
  the 
  roots 
  and 
  

   search 
  for 
  them, 
  and 
  go 
  over 
  the 
  bed 
  carefully, 
  even 
  if 
  help 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  

   employed. 
  It 
  is 
  better 
  to 
  spend 
  even 
  much 
  time 
  and 
  money 
  for 
  two 
  or 
  

   three 
  years 
  in 
  succession, 
  in 
  endeavoring 
  to 
  exterminate 
  these 
  grubs, 
  

  

  