The Strawberry Book. 35 
the vines were new and valuable; but I was obliged to 
abandon this plan as equally ineffectual and expensive. 
It is always safer to raise one or two hoed crops on 
land intended for strawberries, as the May beetle seldom 
lays eygs in ploughed soil, choosing grass land where the 
larve will be protected from birds. These offensive grubs. 
live chiefly upon grass roots, and in some places devour 
them so completely that if two parallel lines be cut in 
-the turf, the sod between them may be rolled up like a 
carpet. 
Where only a few grubs show signs of their presence 
in well-established beds of strawberries, they must be at 
once dug out and killed. They can be found early in the 
morning close under the plant they have ruined ; but as it 
grows warmer they burrow down in the soil to a depth 
of eight or ten inches, so that an unsuccessful search is 
frequently made for them by those who do not know their. 
habits. Skunks are very fond of white grubs, and dig 
them out and eat them with avidity. 
There is another white grub, resembling this one, but 
of a lighter color, and somewhat bluish shade, found usu- 
ally under old manure heaps. It is the larva of a dung 
beetle, —the Scarabaeus relictus of Say, — but whether 
it is destructive or not I have no means of knowing. I 
have found them in great numbers in old hot-beds-in the 
middle of a vegetable garden, but never saw any injury 
done to plants that could be traced to their presence. 
The rose-bug (A/elolontha subspinosa) is not too 
dainty to despise strawberry leaves, when roses and grape- 
blossoms are not at hand. They invaded a strawberry 
plantation of mine last year in vast numbers, and destroyed 
half the foliage of the plants, leaving only the skeleton of 
the leaves. I killed an immense number by hand-picking, 
finding sometimes as many as ¢hirty-ezght on a single 
leaf; but I did not prevent their doing great injury. I 
count them second only to the white grub jn power of 
mischief, , 
