THE CRANBERRY ROOTWORM. 3 



several instances in peat bottoms, where the roots of the vines may 

 travel a foot in depth, but in these instances the dying of the vines 

 could usually be traced to the feeding of the cranberry girdler. 



When the root feeding is severe the vines show signs of weakening 

 in the early fall. The leaves dry out, turn red or brown, and before 

 growth starts the following season most of them will have shattered 

 to the ground, leaving the dead uprights and runners bare of green 

 foliage. Small areas are thus killed out, almost invariably at the mar- 

 gins of the bogs or on relatively high and sandy areas in the interior of 

 the bogs. (PI. II, fig. 1.) The mud and peat bottoms rarely suffer 

 from rootworm attacks, presumably because the root system of the 

 cranberry is so much thriftier and more extensive in these soils than 

 in sand and possibly because the beetles seek sandy soil in which to 

 deposit their eggs. 



The injury produced by the feeding of the beetles on the foliage and 



berries is so slight as to be almost negligible. This habit, however, 



affords a means of control, namely, of poisoning their food by the use 



of insecticides. 



DESCRIPTION OF STAGES. 



THE ADULT. 



The adult (PI. II, fig. 3) is a shining brown beetle measuring less 

 than one-fourth of an inch in length. The following description of 

 the adult is taken from Blatchley ; those of the other stages are by the 

 author. 



Oblong, oval, convex. Brown, bronzed, strongly shining, the elytral margin often 

 greenish -bronzed ; antennse and legs reddish-yellow, the outer joints of former often 

 dusky; under surface of body greenish, abdomen brown, its tip paler. Head coarsely 

 and sparsely punctate, clypeus more closely punctate. Thorax nearly twice as wide 

 as long, narrowed in front, sides strongly curved, hind angles prominent; disk rather 

 sparsely and finely punctate, elytra coarsely but not closely punctate, the punctures 

 irregular on the disk, a line representing the third interval smooth. Length 4-5 mm. 



THE EGG. 



The eggs (PI. II, fig. 2) of the cranberry rootworm measure 0.67 mm. in length by 

 0.30 mm. in width. In shape they are regularly elongate, elliptical. When first 

 deposited they are a dirty white in color, later becoming uniformly yellow. The 

 eh'-ll is smooth and glistening, and sufficiently transparent to reveal the larval out- 

 liiif: before hatching. 



THE LARVA. 



The full grown larva (PI. If, fig. 5) Measures from 7-9 mm. Normally it lien in a 



■ I position bo thai its mil Length is seldom revealed. Itscolor iswhitish with head 



light brown and thoracic shield of very pale yellowish In-own. Tips of mandibles 



black, shading off i<- Lighi brown al the ba <■. Labrum and clypeus brown. A row of 



pines, ill-- ambulatory setae, on each ventral abdominal segment projects 



obliquely bach I. lender and small. 



'11.'- |>ii|»:i (PI. II, fig. 4) is slightly shorter than the extended larva, whitish in 

 coloi on the head and thorax are longer and stouter than those in the lai vaJ 



