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THE COUNTRY GENTLEMAN. 



No. XIX. — Beetles Infesting Grape-vines. 



p. A. A- N. of Westfield, Chaatauquo Co., roquests 

 inforuiation a.s tu Ibo name, coiumoiiness, &e., of u large 

 tawny yellow beetle, having four equijisttint black 

 epoU along each side, which has this season been ob- 

 served for the first time in his vicinity, upon the Isa- 

 bella grape-viaes, feeding very voraciously upon the 

 leaves. 



In addition to answering this inquiry, it will proba- 

 bly be an acceptable service to the readers of the 

 Coo.HTRV Gentlbman, to have presented them in 

 one view, a short account of the other beetles of our 

 country which are at present known injurious to grape- 

 vines, as some of thofte are appearing upon tbo vines 

 every year, and should be picked off and destroyed 

 whenever one of them is seen. 



The Spntlcd Pelidnota (Peiidnota punctata) is the 

 name which hn« l>een given in books to the large beetle 

 referred to by Mr. N. It belongs to the ScarabatLS 

 family, the insects of which may bo distinguished by 

 having shortish antennsp, ending in a birge knob form- 

 ed of throe or more flat- 

 tened plates which open 

 apart like the leaves of 

 a book, and tho end of 

 their body covered and 

 hid beneath the ends of 

 the wing covers. This 

 beetle is of an oval 

 form, nearly on inch 

 long and half an inch 

 ' broad, of a shining pale 

 brownish-yollow color, 

 resembling the hue of a 

 faded leaf, and is at 

 once distinguished from 

 every other similar in- 

 sect, by having a very 

 large black dot on each side of the thorax, and th 



of our country tt is seldom or never seen. Where it 

 abounds it is most injurious to rose bushes, to grape- 

 vines, and apple trees. 



To destroy the Knse bug, I in the article above re- 

 ferred to, recommended Ibo turning of poultry among 

 the infested vogetution ; but as I 8tnt«d that this in- 

 sect had never appeared in niv own vicinity, except a 

 solitary specimen occnsionidly found, the reader would 

 certainly understand that [ did not speiik of this 

 remedy from any personal knowledge, which it was 

 possible for me to have in I be premises, but from in- 

 forniiition derived from other sources than my own 

 observation. My recommendations was based chiefly 

 on the stalomonis of Dr. IIauuis, in whose neighbor- 

 hood these in.sects had been very numerous. In bis Re- 

 port on Insects, to the Massachusetts legislature, April, 

 1838, page 72, he says : " Our insectivorous birds un- 

 doubtedly consume many of the rose bugs in the per- 

 fect and larva state, and deserve to be cherished and 

 protected for their useful hiibils. The -ptrftcl inscits 

 are also eaten greedily bij domestic fowls." Testi- 

 mony cannot bo more explicit than this, and it cannot 

 be supposed that Dr. Harris, residing where these in- 

 sects abounded, would mnko such a statement, unless 

 ho had actual evidence that the fact was as he tays. 

 Yet, in a communication from C. B. Mkek, published, 

 page 106 of the same volume of the Country Gentle- 

 man, alluding to the remedy I had recommended, ho 

 says that poultry will not oat theso beetles. We 

 sciircoly know what to think where testimony is so 

 conflicting. Will bens eat ro.»e bug« 7 They devour 

 them greedily, says one. They will not touch them, 

 says another. And both these witnesses are probably 

 testifying to us honestly of what their own eyes have 

 seen. We are therefore bound to believe them bolU. 

 I do believe them both ; and this will continue to be 

 my faitli, unless further researches show that one or 

 the other is certainly in an error. With Dr Harris, I 

 believe that hens devour rose bugs greedily. I doubt 

 not a hen, when she is placed for the Brst time among 

 bushes thronging with these insects, will instinctively 

 pick them up rapidly as she would kernels of corn, 

 swallowing them till her crop can hold no more. Each 

 insect has six feet, ending in a pair of claws, the ends 

 of which lire cleft or split apart, and are sharper than 

 the points of needles. Thus there are twouty-four of 



will not boiling water poured upon the ground kill 

 them without injuring the vines'? Experiments only 

 can show whether this is an efficacious measure. These 

 being destroyed, the few which rcm.iin beneath the 

 loose scales of bark will probably be insuCBcient to 

 cause any perceptible amount of injury. 



As to the other beetles aljove mentioned, the best 

 advice I am able to give, is for every vine-grower to 

 make himself acquainted with the appearance of these 

 enemies, so that he can readily distinguish them from 

 other beetles which are liable to occur upon the vines, 

 some of which ore beneficial, and are attracted to this 

 spot to feed on worms, lice, or other vermin there, and 

 should hence be allowed to remain unmolested. But 

 whenever ono of theso depredating beetles is seen, it 

 should be picked off and crushed beneath the sole of 

 the boot, Asa Fitch. Aug. 25, 1859. 



Leaves as a Manure. 



„.L~„., „, .1, , . - > "" vui«o -"" I'wiiiM. lit liccuivB. xuus luere are twouiy-luur 01 



others along the outer part of each wing cover, these these sharp prickles t« ea^-h insect, and thesef we inay 



lour dots lieinff nAnriv in A dIi.iii.*Ii» .n... ..» -. i j: 11 .. * . '....'. ^ 



four dots being nearly in a straight row at equal dis- 

 tances apart, as will be seen in the accompanying cut. 

 The hack part of the head is dark bottle green, and its 

 under side and legs are greenish black, with the thighs 

 sometimes chestnut color. This beetle occurs in J uly 

 August and September, in all parts of the United 

 States, both upon the wild and cultiviited grape-vines 

 Every year I find a few of them upon every wild vine 

 I examine, but I have never known them to be nume- 

 rous. Thoy however, are so large and so voracious, 

 that quite a number of leaves are probably consumed 

 by each one of them. 



Tho Light-loving Anomala (Anomala lucicola) is a 

 beetle of the Melolontlia family, in which the antenna) 

 are the same as in the foregoing, but here the end of 

 the body is not received beneath and covered by the 

 ends of the wiog-covers. This beetle is of a similar 

 oval shape to the preceding, but is much smaller, mea- 

 suring only thirty-five-hundredths of an inch in length 

 It varies surprisingly in its colors, from pale yellowish 

 to pure black, presenting hereby four varieties, which 

 are so distinct and well marked that they would be 

 be taken for different specios, and three of them havo 

 been named and described as such by Fabricius They 

 may be briefly distinguished as follows: 1st The 

 Gloomy Anomala, (jnosrcns, Pah.,) of a pale dull yel- 

 low color, with the thorax sometimes reddish, and with 

 the knob of the antennro and the middle of the breast, 

 J'.'^'=!' ,.,2'1- The .Spotted-necked Anomala (maculicol- 

 lis) 13 like the preceding, hut has a black streak, or a 

 large hack spot, on each side of the middle of the 

 thorax, and often the hind part of the head and the 

 outer side of the wing-covers are also black 3d. The 

 true Light-loving Anomala (lucicola, Fab) is pale 

 dull yellow, with the thorax black, except on each side 

 and on the middle of its hind edge j the hind part of 

 the head, the scutel or small triangular piece between 

 the base of the wing-covers, and the under side of the 

 body being also black, with the abdomen, or hind body, 

 brown, or sometimes dull yellowish. 4th. The Black 

 An.imala (alrata, Fab.) is black throughout, except 

 sometimes the abdomen, which retains a paler tingo. 

 these beetles are common on both the wild and culti- 

 vated grape-vines during the month of July, feeding 

 upon the leaves, and are much more voracious in pro- 

 portion to their size, than the preceding species. 



Ihe Rose bug (Macrodactylus subsninosus) also 

 pertains to the Melolontlia family of beetles It is of 

 the same length as the Anomala, but is more narrow 

 and oblong in it« form, and of a buff yellow color, 

 witb shining yellow legs, and very long black feet. A 

 full account of this beetle was given in the Country 

 uentleman throe years since, (vol. viii, p 75 i .md I 

 L ?;?.?"."""' ""'y.'^y- in 'his place, that this insect 

 18 name to appear in excessive numbers, and be very 

 destructive lu particular distriota, whilst over all the rest 



well suppose, produce an amount of irritation in the 

 crop of tbo hen that is perfectly tormenting to her. 

 And after some such experience as to the effects of 

 eating these lonecis, she probably becomes o irwer tien, 

 and adopt* a pledge of " total abstinence," never af- 

 terwardi permitting any of these "evil tpirite" to 

 pa.«s her lips. With Mr Meek, I believe that hens 

 will not touch rose bugs. 



Finally, the grape-vine flea beetle, (Ilaltica chaly- 

 bea,) of the Chrysomela family, is a very small oblong 

 oval beetle, sixteen-hundredths of an inch long, and 

 skipping like a flea. It is polished and sparkling, of 

 a deep greenish-blue color, but varying in particular 

 individuals to deep green, purple and violet, with the 

 under side dark green, and the antennie and legs dull 

 black. This beetle perforates numerous small holes 

 in tho leaves, instead of eating large irregular por- 

 tions of their sides or ends, as do those before men- 

 tioned. It is nearly thirty years ago that this flea- 

 beetle was first noticed as injurious to the vine, in 

 Cayuga county, of this state, by David Thomas, who 

 gave several valuable factji respecting it, in an article 

 published in Silliman's Journal, vol. 20. Ho noticed 

 small, smooth, chestnut colored worms eating tho vine 

 leaves, and on feeding some of these in a tumbler of 

 moist earth, he found they at length buried themselves 

 and about a fortnight afterwards the perfect insects 

 appeared in the tumbler. It is probably the latter 

 part of the season that these beetles hatch from their 

 pupiB in the ground, and ascond the vinos, feeding on 

 tho leaves till those are destroyed by tho frost, when 

 the increasing coldness of autumn drives thoui into 

 their winter quarters. They now travel down the 

 vines, as many as can crowding themselves beneath 

 the loo.ie scales of the bark. But this covert being in- 

 suflioieiit to accommodate but a small number, the rest 

 crawl slightly under the hiose particles of dirt immo- 

 liiatoly around the root. It is in these situations that 

 I have found them, torpid, in the winter. When the 

 warmth of spring returns, thoy revive, and agiiin aji- 

 cend the vines in search of food, and it is now, before 

 the leavej have put forth, that they do the most serious 

 irjury, as Mr. Thomiw observed, eating into the swell- 

 ing buds and devouring their central succulent parts 

 They are sometimes so numerous that every fruit bud 

 IS destroyed, and the vines are thus rendered barren 

 for tirnt year. And thoy ere long depo.sit, probably 

 upon the young loaves, tho eggs from which hatch the 

 small worms above mentioned. 



I am confident the readiest mode of subduing these 

 small flea-beetles, whenever they become numercms 

 upon the vines, will be to search them out oarly in the 

 spring, before they leave their winter retreats. Most 

 of tbom are then clustered together, and lying torpid 

 in the ground close around tho roots of the vines, and 



In the multitude of farm operations which can be 

 performed without droft upon tho pocket, or in other 

 words, which can be accomplished without its costing 

 a large sum in ready cash, but which will add greatly 

 to Ihe resources of the farm, and the ultimate wealth 

 of the owner, none arc of more importance than the 

 formation of the compost heap. Farmers waste a 

 great deal in the course of a year, which if it wore 

 carefully taken care of and treasured up, would be of 

 incalculable value. 



Now look for a moment at the economy of composted 

 manure. The materials which contribute to it aro in 

 themselves comparatively worthless, and the time 

 spent in collecting them together and placing them in 

 a proper position for decomposition, may not interfere 

 with the other labors of the farm, as it can be done at 

 intervals of half days, Ac, .to. The items which go 

 to make up the compost heap aro innumerable. Old 

 hones, soap suds, rags, leather, refuse of factories and 

 tanneries, carcasses of dead animals, Ac. Swamp 

 muck, fine charcoal, and small portions of plaster 

 should form a large proportion ; in fact any and every 

 thing that will decompose will make manure, and 

 should be gathered up 



Leaves, where they can be collected in large qoan- 

 tities, as in many of our forests, may be made highly 

 useful in augmenting the manure or compost heap. 

 Indeed a retteiit^agriculiural writer says that every 

 acre of wmidluud would affi*rd a pretty fair dree- ' 

 sing fur an acre of corn, if the leaves were gathered 

 and composted. Jubmsoh, in bia Farmer's Bncyclopn- 

 dia, recommends their use and says — " they do not 

 easily rot, but that I think is no objection to their u.-<e ; 

 they are a sponge to be saturated with urine, and if 

 not touched previously to carting on to the land, (after 

 having been used as a litter for cattle,) will convey 

 much of what might otherwise be lost." Leaves are 

 valuable as a litter for the stables, being an absorbent 

 of the liquids — and quantities of them may be put 

 into the hog pen with profit — but their greatest value 

 as a manure will be found when composted, and this 

 same remark may apply to straw, <ti!. Suffered to de- 

 cay in tho open air, the greater part of their value is 

 lost, while buried in the compost bed, all becomes 

 saved and makes a fine manure. 



Farmers who live contiguous to forests and wood- 

 lands should gather large quantities of leaves this au- 

 tumn, to bo used chiefly as a part of the material for 

 compo.'its, and as litter for stable, cattle stalls, bog 

 pens, &c. L. s. 



Remedy for Twitch Orasi. 



This is one of the thousand and one names by which 

 this pest is known. Several years ago I had a piece of 

 land that wanted to be taken up, but it waa so full of 

 the roots that I dreaded the job ; but about the same 

 time I saw a pioie in an agricultural paper, that the 

 editor had killed it by planting the land to potatoes 

 and after they wore dug he turned a drove of pigs into 

 the field. So I tried it, and with perfect success. The 

 land was so full of roots that I got but a small crop of 

 potatoes, but the next spring when I came to plow the 

 land, there was none to he seen. If any farmer has 

 his farm as full of it as mine waj, let him try this and 

 he will gain two things — fatten his pigs and rid him- 

 self of this pest Saoadahoc. 



Raisino Colts. — Jacob Strawn, tho great Illinois 

 stock-grower, says ho can raise flvo colts largo enough 

 to use, cheaper than ono steer, but the trouble with the 

 former is, that you cannot soil a lot of colts together for 

 the cash as you can steers. His stock horaes run out all 

 winter — he wintered ovor seventy head last season, with- 

 out grain of any description. Thoy did not all eat over 

 six tons of hay, having tho run of a blue grass pasture, 

 with wator and brush in it. Ho never weans a colt, or 

 catches tho horso to put to mares, but turns the 



m»v T„ 1 1 "TV" '"« T • T '"^ """''' ""^ e«">or to do as they please. This is " wholesale prairie 



may be scraped up and destroyed with little labor. Or farming." 



