66 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



found in Mr G. L. Hough's vineyard July 24 and it is very 

 probable that in Mr Clyde Dean's vineyard at Portland, where 

 conditions are about a week earlier, young grubs had appeared 

 some time before. 



Habits of the larvae. The young larvae after they hatch from 

 the eggs drop to the ground, as observed b}^ Professor Webster 

 and corroborated in our own experience. There seems to be 

 very little or no attempt on the part of these tiny creatures to 

 crawl down the stalk. A recently hatched grub is such a small 

 creature that it rapidly makes its way into any crevice or crack, 

 and when it drops on loose earth soon disappears from sight. 

 Earlier writers have recommended the covering of the roots of 

 grapevines as deeply practicable at the time the young hatch, 

 so as to present more obstacles to the grubs when making their 

 way to the roots. This suggested to the writer some experi- 

 ments to determine the burrowing and traveling powers of these 

 little creatures. One small grub was placed on a piece of paper 

 at 9.27 in the morning and its wanderings carefully traced with 

 a pencil till 4.43 in the afternoon. The little creature traveled 

 almost continuously during that entire period and showed a 

 decided tendency to turn to the left. It covered the relatively 

 enormous distance of over 47 feet in seven hours, or an average 

 of about 2 yards an hour. The grub was placed in a dry vial, 

 and under such unfavorable conditions lived about three days. 

 This would seem to indicate that the little creatures can make 

 their way over many obstacles if not confronted by very un- 

 favorable conditions. 



Some tests were also planned to ascertain the burrowing 

 powers of these little grubs. A glass tube 17 inches long and 

 \ inch in diameter was bent so that 4 inches were vertical. 

 It was then filled with loosely packed earth, and on July 29, 40 

 recently hatched grubs were placed on the surface of the soil 

 in the 4 inch vertical portion. One grub had made its way 

 through the entire mass of soil by July 31, another by Aug. 1, 

 and 11 others by the third, making a total of 14 which had 

 traveled the whole length of this tube in a period of four days. 



