STRAW BERRIES 49 
July ; the others are wingless. These little pests—for 
the longest scarcely exceeds half an inch in length— 
burrow in the inch of soil nearest the surface, and 
work through the mulching material in such a manner 
that they come out just under the fruit trusses. They 
eat holes in the strawberries causing green fruits to 
wither and ripening ones to rot. 
Many may be caught by working over the surface 
soil with a trowel or small hand-fork a little after the 
fruits have well set. Another method, recorded by the 
late Miss Ormerod as having been successfully practised 
by the Messrs Laxton, of Bedford, is to sink glazed 
basins into the soil, so that the rims are flush with the 
surface, baiting these with sugared-water and pieces of 
lights, or fat mutton. If the basins are placed pretty 
liberaily over the plantation and the baits frequently 
renewed, quantities of the little pests may be captured. 
In any case, it is a good plan to skim off and burn, 
gas-lime, or deeply bury the surface soil, after an in- 
festation, as soon as the crop of fruit has been 
harvested. 
May Buc or Green Rose CuHarer.—Among the 
many sins for which the handsome Green Chafer 
(Cetonia aurea) has to answer is that of attacking newly- 
opened strawberry blossoms and eating out pistil 
and stamens, thus preventing fructification, or, at least, 
causing the fruits to come small and distorted. Where 
these chafers abound, the best plan is carefully to 
pick out and destroy the large rose-coloured grubs 
that are frequently turned up during the processes of 
digging and trenching. Excepting where strawberries 
are grown in conjunction with bush and orchard fruits, 
the chafers do not, as a rule, do much mischief to the 
crop we are now considering. 
SLUGS AND SNAILS. —- These always do a little 
damage to strawberry plantations, either by biting 
D 
