200 



Forty- fifth Report on the State Museum. 



the larva? by fallowing, starvation, growth of the supposed immune 

 crops; protection of seed by tar coating, and soaking in kerosene, salt 

 and copperas, and other solutions; the effects of certain fertilizers; 

 .methods of destroying the pupae and beetles, etc., etc. 



The experiments in remedies and preventives against the larvae gave 

 no satisfactory results or such, at least as seemed to be of practical 

 importance in preventing to any great degree their ravages. It 

 appeared as if the efforts of the agriculturists could be directed with 

 better results toward the destruction of the beetles. 



The Bulletin closes with the life -histories and larval descriptions of 

 five species of our wire-worms, viz.: Agriotes mancus (Say), Asaphes 

 decoloratus (Say), Melanotus communis (Gyll.), Drasterius elegans 

 (Fabr.), and Gryptohypnus abbreviatus (Say), — covering twenty-two 

 pages, which are of special value in consideration of the comparative 

 little study that has, up to the present, been given to this family, and 

 its great economic importance. 



The Rose Bug and How to Kill it. 



The following notice was communicated to the New England 

 Homestead, of May 9, 1891 (vol. xxv, p. 265), in compliance with a 

 request from the editor: " Will you please tell our readers how to kill 

 the rose-bug ?" 



There are localities as notably in the State of New Jersey, where the 

 grape crop can not be protected from destruction by the rose-bug. This 



insect has its breeding 

 ground in wet places in 

 sandy regions. Under 

 favorable conditions these 

 breeding grounds, in the 

 course of 3 T ears, become 

 so extended that at a 

 regular period, known 

 almost to the very day 

 C (about the 25th of May 

 in New Jersey), such im- 

 mense armies are sent 

 abroad, that their com- 

 ^ bined attack is perfectly 

 irresistible. Although 



Fia. 44.— The rose-bug, Macrodactylus subspinosus, with hundreds of thousands 

 structural details. (From Insect Life.-) may . be ^^ ^ &g fM| 



