160 



THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



CONCERNMNG CERTAIV SMART BUGS. 



It is very reiuai'kablu that many insects will 

 fiercely attack certain varieties of a particular 

 species of plant, and either leave certain otliers 

 entirely alone or attack them but to a limited 

 extent. For example, the roundish green leaf- 

 galls about the size of a small pea ( VitifoUce, 

 Fitch), that in certain seasons and in certain 

 localities swarm so profusely on the under side 

 of the leaves of the Clinton grape-vine, and in a 

 less degree on those of the Taylor and the Dela- 

 ware, ai"e never found on the Catawba, the Isa- 

 bella, or any other cultivated variety of the wild 

 Fox grape. Again, the common Eose-bug {Mu- 

 crodactylus suhspinosiis) will often gather in 

 swarms on the Clinton vine, and almost entirely 

 neglect other cultivated varieties of grape. In 

 all probability, however, most of these are rather 

 cases of a particular insect preferring particular 

 species of plants, than of its preferring particu- 

 lar varieties of one and the same species ; for the 

 Clinton and the Taylor— whatever may be the 

 case with the Delaware — are most likely culti- 

 vated varieties of the Frost Grape ( Vitis corcli- 

 ybZia), and not, like the Catawba group, of the 

 northern Fox Grrape {Vitis kibrusca). But we 

 know that in the "West the Colorado Potato-bug 

 will almost always leave Peachblow Potatoes 

 alone, when it has a chance to fall foul of other 

 varieties of the potato; and we recently showed 

 that, in the East, the Three-lined Leaf-beetle 

 nearly ruined the Early Goodrich in a certain 

 locality, while other varieties ofthe Potato grow- 

 ing in the same neighborhood were scarcely 

 hurt by it. (American" Entomologist, p. 54). 

 Upon similar principles, our Oyster-shell Bark- 

 louse, which is a species imported from Europe, 

 is said by reliable European authors never to be 

 found upon a particular variety of apple grown 

 in the Old \Yorld— the Winter Majetin apple 

 unless ourmemoiy has deceived us. Hence we 

 may see that insects are not by any means such 

 mere machines as most people suppose them to 

 be ; for while it would genei-ally puzzle every- 

 body but au experienced horticulturist to dis- 

 tinguish one variety of plant from another, ex- 

 cept by the flower or the fruit, insects often dis- 

 tinguish them without difliculty at any period 

 of their growth. 



It would seem from information that we gath- 

 ered together at the recent meeting of the Cen- 

 tral Illinois Horticultural Society, that the 

 Apple-worm Moth {Carpocapsa pomoneUa) , 

 the history of which we illustrated in a recent 

 article (American Entomologist, pp. 112-114), 

 is in the same way perfectly able to discrimi- 



nate between different varieties of apples. Ac- 

 cording to Mr. E. E. Perkins, of Onarga, 111., 

 the Carolina Ked June is imicli worse infested 

 with the larva of this moth than any other vari- 

 ety ; and the same thing has been observed of 

 the Milam by Mr. M. C. McLean of Coles 

 county, Ills. On the other hand, Mr. McLean, 

 Mr. Cochran of Calumet, Ills., and Mr. Ham-' 

 mond of Warsaw all agree, that the Maiden's 

 Blush is entirely exempt from Apple-worms; 

 and the same thing is asserted of the Gilpin by 

 Mr. McLean, Mr. Cochran, and Mr. L. C. Fran- 

 cis, of Springfield, Illinois. 



Snbsecxuently, on our attending the annual 

 Meeting ofthe jSTorth Illinois Horticultural So- 

 ciety, the above good character of the Maiden's 

 Blush was fully confirmed by Messrs. D. F. 

 Kinney, J. W. Robson, D. B. Wier and J. 8. 

 Shearman of iST. Ills, and Suel Foster of Iowa; 

 and that of the Gilpin by Messrs. Kinney, 

 Robson and Foster. We further learnt from 

 Mr. E. E. Bacon of Ogle Co., and Mr. J. W. 

 Robson of Jo. Davies Co., in N. Ills., that they 

 found the Benoni apple to be entirely exempt 

 from apple-worms; while on the other hand the 

 Willow-twig was reported by Mr. D. F. Kinney, 

 and the Carolina Red June by Mr. Suel 

 Foster, as peculiarly subject to the attacks 

 of this little pest. Moreover, according to Hon. 

 Elmer Baldwin of La Salle Co., and Mr. J. S. 

 Seely of Kendall Co., N. Ills., the Early Han^est 

 apple is more infested by Bark-lice than any 

 other variety; and it seemed to be a pretty gen- 

 eral idea, that sweet apples are generally more 

 subject to the attacks of bark-lice than sour ones. ^/ 



Practically, such observations as those are of 

 great value, and should be multiplied and 

 recorded as extensively as possible. The Gil- 

 pin apple, for instance, is but a poor fruit; but 

 it is so good a bearer and so late a keeper, and 

 withal has so tempting an appearance from its 

 bright red color, that — ^as the phrase goes — "there 

 is money in it." And when we add to these 

 recommendations the fact of its entire exemp- 

 tion from apple-worms, it may perhaps be advis- 

 able to plant largely of it, in spite of its com- 

 paratively poor quality either for eating or for 

 cooking. 



ANTS. 



Although these are not generally to be feared 

 in the green-house or flower-garden, yet we have 

 occasionally suffered by them, and have found 

 the simplest way to destroy them to be to lay 

 fresh bones around their haunts. They will 

 leave everything else to attack these; when thus 

 accumulated, they can easily be destroyed by 

 dipping in hot water. — Peter ITenderson, in 

 Practical FloriciiltKre. 



