223 



awakeniug after a souud nap, tlie\' rapidly recovered activity, aud at 

 the end of another fifteen minutes they were again back upon the 

 flowers. These were coated with the yellow powder and this was 

 readily eaten without any obvious bad eft'ects. 



This was discouraging; but one more test was made. Colonel Pear- 

 son had paid 82 per pound for an article guaranteed fresh, pure, and 

 more powerful th m any other, and of this we used an ounce in 2 quarts 

 of water, adding a cup of molasses to make it more sticky and lasting. 

 This was sprayed on a rosebush near the house. It had rained during 

 the night, the bush was in the shade, the insects were cold and slug- 

 gish, and all conditions were favorable. The insects showed the usual 

 efi'ect at once. Most of them dropped, and many hung on by their toe- 

 nails only. The ground was wet and cold, and there they lay for hours, 

 apparently dead. But I am always suspicious of a rosebug, and 1 gath- 

 ered a handful and placed them in the sun. My suspicions proved well 

 founded, and all these insects, as soon as they became warm and dry, 

 recovered and flew away. This also happened, though more slowly, 

 where the insects were not laid in the sun, but only removed to a dry 

 place. Pyrethrum was a failure. But even were it not so the cost of 

 protecting a vineyard with pyrethrum would be greater than the mar- 

 gin of proflt on the grapes. 



Quassia was tried in the form of a strong decoction, bitter as gall. 

 But the rosebug has the organs of taste very imperfectly developed, 

 and did not seem to object to quassia at all. It probably acted as a 

 gentle stimulant. 



Colonel Pearson thought he had noticed that acetate of copper was 

 at least distasteful to them, and we stained a lot of white roses green by 

 spraying with this substance. They were not quite so attractive as 

 others that were left unsprayed, but were also eaten. 



Digitalis was tried and proved ineffective. Acetic acid also failed. 

 Colonel Pearson had used kerosene emulsion with the effect of driving 

 them away temporarily ; but they soon returned and it was not really 

 effective. 



I had about concluded that the only thing that rose bugs ever died of 

 was nervous debility ; for besides eating, their chief business in life 

 seemed to be copulating, and this they attended to ^' with a persistence 

 that was worthy a better cause." It made no difference that towards 

 the end of their stay the females had not an egg remaining in the ova- 

 ries ; this business suffered no abatement. 



About the time when the period of their stay was near its end, we 

 received from the Columbia Chemical Works, Brooklyn, X. Y., a sludge 

 oil soap which Colonel Pearson reports successful in killing these insects. 

 It needs further trial before being i)Ositively recommended. As to my 

 other experiments with these insects, are they not written in my annual 

 report ? This will appear in time for the next invasion, and I need only 

 add a few words concerning their breeding places. I find that these 



