ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



291 



181) was found devouring its larva;,* and though 

 hitherto coni5idered rare this Lebia lias sud- 

 denly I'allcn upon it tlic present year in many 

 parts of Missouri. During a recent trip along the 

 Missouri Bottom wc found this cannibal very 

 abundant in some potato iields belonging to ^Ir. 

 Wm. Coleman, where it was actively engaged in 

 destroying both the eggs and larvae of the Potato 

 Beetles. The head, thorax and legs of this 

 cannibal are yellowish-brown, in high contrast 

 with its dark-blue wing-covers. 



This makes fourteen conspicuous enemies of 

 our Colorado Potato Beetle which wc have 

 tigured, and a dozen more, mostly of small size 

 and inconspicuous markings, might easily be 

 added to the list. Moreover, chickens have 

 learned to relish the eggs, and have even acquired 

 a taste for the young larvie. So wc need not 

 wonder that the army is being decimated in those 

 States llrst invaded by it. 



BOGUS EXrEUIMKNTS. 



It was recently reported to us that a neiglibor 

 had succeeded in driving away all his Potato 

 bugs by strewing Elder branches among the 

 vines. Wc went to examine the lield, and found 

 our friend enthusiastic over his discovery; and 

 indeed, though the vines were nearly devoured, 

 there were but a few full grown larvre to be 

 found. But, as he could not tell us what had 

 become of the " slugs," we undertook to show 

 him where they had gone, and after digging a 

 few moments with a trowel, unearthed dozens 

 of them, the majority in the pupa, but a few jxt 

 in the larva state. Our neighbor had, in fact, 

 been misled by appearances, for want of better 

 knowledge of his enemy. The larvie as they 

 acquired their growth suddenly became so de- 

 structive, that to save his vines he was obliged 

 to try some means of killing theui, and as an 

 experiment he tried the Elder. Tho lai-vse AVere 

 just read}' to disappear of their own accord, and 

 as the great bulk of them did really disappear in 

 two or three dajs after the application, the appa- 

 rently logical inference was made that they had 

 been driven away by the smell of the Eldc'r. 



How many of the published remedies that 

 Hood the country owe their origin to just such 

 defective proof! The sun-scorching remedy, 

 which consists of knocking the bugs off the vines 

 on to the heated ground between the rows, and 

 which has been so often rccomniended the luvscnl 

 year, partakes a good deal of this character; for 

 it can only be of bcuelit in a very dry season, and 

 at a time of year when the bugs have done most 

 of their damage. A goodly proportion of the 

 larviB that arc thus knocked ofl" will always 



•Dqit, of Agr. Itcp. IStK, p. SI. 



manage to burrow into the ground and trans- 

 form, or to get back upon the vines ; and 



THE TRUE REMKDY 



consists in preventing them from Ijccoming 

 numerous so late in the season. Watch for the 

 beetles in early spring, when the vines are just 

 peeping out of the ground. Ensnare as many of 

 them as you can before they get a chanc'e to pair, 

 by making a few small heaps of potatoes in the 

 lield planted : to these the beetles will be attracted 

 for food, and you can easily kill them in the 

 morning. Keep an eagle eye for the eggs which 

 are first deposited. Cultivate well, by frequently 

 stirring the soil. Surround your fields on the 

 outside by rows of such tender-leaved varieties 

 as the ^Mercer, Shaker Russet and Early Good- 

 rich; but, above all, isolate your potato field as 

 mucli as possible, either by using land surrounded 

 with timber, or by planting in the centre of a corn 

 lield. Carry out these suggestions thoroughly 

 and you will not have nuich use for Paris green, 

 and still less for the scorching remedy. 



tKi 



I Uic Missouri Entomological Ueiioil for ISB'.).] 



THE TAR.N'ISIIEI) PLANT -BUG. 



{ Cujtsiis oUineatus, Say . *) 



Cu 



EB\ C.\P8Ili 



(^)nitc early last spring while entomoh)gizing 

 [Fig. isi.] in Southern Illinois, 1 spent 



a day with Mr. E. J. Ayres, 

 of Villa llidge, and was sur- 

 prised to learn that he had 

 become quite discouraged 

 T iHHiSIHK in his efforts to grow young 



/ iiMnHI \ pp.^j. (i.^.Qs^ on account oi 



the injuries of a certain bug, 



>, ^^ gvv I wliich, upon examination, I 



^■r / found to be the Tarni.shed 



\ Plant-bug, represented en- 

 larged at Figure 182, the hair line at its side 

 showing the natural size. The family to which 

 this bug belongs is the next in a natural ar- 

 rangement to that which includes the notorious 

 Chinch-bug. and the insect is, like th.at species, 

 a veritfible bug, and obtains its food by sucking 

 and not bitintj. The Capsas family is a very 

 large one, containing numerous species in this 

 country, but among them, none but the species 

 under consideration have thrust themselves upon 

 public notice by their evil doings. 



•This bug w:is,.riginnll.v 

 lineolaris, but, an-.m-iliiig I 

 linearU uiiilir liis iiliii.v _ 

 Cajmus obliiwnt 



Mr, 



iitin 

 .lillv iV- 



•ih.il 



lo Ihi- gi-n 



I'hi, 



linid li:int-l)U 

 l.ygus As Ml 

 lo, 1 hnv.- rcti 

 approiiriate. 



muh's all'.l l."'linlHllv cjll-'il the"" i.iUli-- 

 • II hi r,:ility l.rloogslo iMi-liiT's gunus 

 ih'si-rinlliiil is tlii' oiilv oiir 1 have access 



f(l ilie mime he gave it as being tmineutly 



