THE RED-STRIPFL' CRANBERRY WORM. 33 



worm, and of an insect eating the runners of the Hnea The roots of 

 tin.' cranberries are exceedingly numerous and fine, and it seems scarcely 

 possible that an insect Living in the roots, as it is claimed this i 

 should exist and do serious injury. Captain Ames, of Cotuit, has heard 



of this insect, and showed me places on his bog said to be caused by it. 

 < arefnl examination revealed nothing. The insect said to injure the 

 runners leaves traces of its work, but the insect itself seems very diffi- 

 cult to find. A cranberry plant will send off runners in every direction ; 

 the runners send out uprights which bear the fruit; the runners lie on 

 The surface of the ground, and when a bog is resanded, or before, take 

 root at intervals, though sometimes a runner will maintain six or more 

 uprights from the main root. It is the bark of these runners that is 

 eaten off at the under side: never much, but a little bite here and an- 

 other little bite there : the runner loses vitality, the uprights die. and 

 the infested space becomes brown and dry. This gradually spreads, 

 though as yet no very great damage has been done. I examined several 

 of these spaces and on every one of them I found the same appearance, 

 t. e.. dead vines, and on the runners a few small patches deprived of 

 bark; this. Captain Ames says, is sufficient to destroy a vine. One or 

 two of these barkings appearing tolerably fresh. I made a close search for 

 insects without any success: the only living thing found was a centiped. 

 ain Ames says that he has seen the depredator, and he is the only 

 one whom 1 could rind that had. He says it is an active, brown i: 

 with many legs and some hair like appendages at the sides. He says 

 he has seen them early in the season and again late in the season, bat 

 never at the time I saw him, i. e., August 9. I requested him to look 

 out for the next appearance of the insect and to send me specimens, but 

 I have not thus far heard from him, though he promised to comply 

 with my request. The insect has received the name of u girdle worm " 

 anmng Cape Cod growers. 



I have found a t'evr other insects on the bogs, some Hemiptera homo- 

 piera and some Hemiptera heteroptera.hnt they are not cranberry feeders. 

 They live on the weeds and grasses found on neglected bogs, and the 

 more neglected a bog is. the greater the variety and number of small 

 insects that are found on it. I have no doubt bat that most of these 

 insects do occasionally attack the cranberry, but 1 am equally certain 

 that, except the mosquito, they would not be on the bog were the weeds 

 not there. 



8993— Bui. 4 3 



