THE EOSE AND ITS CULTURE. 



343- 



flowers before them. To see twenty or thirty of 

 these caterpillars, each about two inches long, 

 marching out to the feeding-grounds, and crop- 

 ping them almost bare as they proceed, is a 

 sight to sadden the most sanguine Eosarian. 

 Fortunately the caterpillars of the Yapourer Moth 

 feed on Limes and other trees as well as the Eose ; 

 but when they do attack the latter, no other insect 

 can inflict greater injury in the same length of time. 

 Fortunately they are sufficiently large to be seen 



Fig. 52. — Caterpillar of Vapoiu-er Moth. 



with ease, and then can be rapidly collected and 

 destroyed. 



Besides destroying the caterpillars, something may 

 be done by attacking the moths .and the chrysalides. 

 The former may be caught by hand or nets, and also 

 probably by bats and birds. The latter may be 

 smLcared over or plastered in. Eggs may also be 

 rooted out or destroyed from hollow crevices, dry 

 leaves, or crotches of wood or bark. The trees may 

 also be rendered nauseous and distasteful for the 

 caterpillars, moths, &c. A dash of paraffin or other 

 cheap, strong-smelling mineral oil, methylated spirit, 

 carbolic acid, &c., renders leaves or buds nauseous 

 to the moths and poisonous or unpleasant eating for 

 the grubs. Tobacco-water, strong sewage, manure- 

 water, in which guano and soot are strong ingre- 

 dients, have severally deterrent results, and a weak 

 solution of carbouiite of ammonia, or ammoniacal gas 



liquor, strikes terror into the whole race of moths, 

 grubs, and caterpillars. 



One word must be added as caution against a grub 

 that is not often found on Eoses in this country, 

 unless when they are grown on old fat grass-lands, 

 but which works wreck and ruin among them on 

 some parts of the Continent. This is the grub of the 

 common Cockchafer, Melolantha vulgaris. This grub 

 exceeds all others in size and durability, the insect 

 living in the grub state for three years before its con- 



fig. 53.— Tenthredo EosLirLiui. 



version into the perfect beetle, and coming forth -\^■ith 

 such numbers and force as to consume, or utterly de- 

 stroy, every verdant thing, Eoses included, within 

 their reach. In winter they bury themselves at a 

 depth of a foot or more in the ground, so that thej' 

 are somewhat difficult to reach. Fortunately it haS: 

 verA' limited powers of locomotion, and being the 

 largest among grubs, it is not difficult to discover it 

 at work, and to pick it up and destroy it. The grubs,, 

 as well as the perfect insects, may also be poisoned 

 with chemical pastes, or decoyed and trapped by 

 attractive vegetables, such as Lettuces or Potatoes. 

 These should be laid in proximity to Eoses and ex- 

 amined daily, and the finds of Cockchafers, either 

 grubs or finished products, destroyed. The danger 

 of these pests in force is seldom imminent in this 

 countiy, nevertheless it is important to keep a shai'p 

 look-out and destroy the first white worm seen. 



