DISEASES AND INSECTS ATTACKING THE HOSE. 140 



" Such being the metamorphoses and habits of these 

 insects, it is evident that we cannot attack them in the 

 egg, the grub, or the pupa state ; the enemy, in these 

 stages, is beyond our reach, and is subject to the control 

 only of the natural but unknown means appointed by the 

 Author of Nature to keep the insect tribes in check. 

 When they have issued from their subterranean retreats, 

 and have congregated upon our vines, trees, and other 

 vegetable productions in the complete enjoyment of their 

 propensities, we must unite our elforts to seize and crush 

 the invaders. They must indeed be crushed, scalded, or 

 burned, to deprive them of life, for they are not affected 

 by any of the applications usually found destructive to 

 other insects. Experience has proved the utility of gath- 

 ering them by hand, or of shaking them, or brushing 

 them from the plants into tin vessels containing a little 

 water. They should be collected daily during the period 

 of their visitation, and should be committed to the flames, 

 or killed by scalding v/ater. The late John Lowell, Esq., 

 states, that in 1823, he discovered on a solitary apple- 

 tree the rose-bugs ' in vast numbers, such as could not be 

 described, and Vv'ould not be believed if they were de- 

 scribed, or at least none but an ocular witness could con- 

 ceive of their numbers. Destruction by hand was put of 

 the question ' in this case. He put sheets under the tree, 

 and shook them down and burned them. Dr. Green, of 

 Mansfield, whose investigations have thrown much light 

 on the history of this insect, proposes protecting plants 

 with millinet, and says that in this way only did he suc- 

 ceed in securing his grape-vines from depredation. His 

 remarks also show the utility of gathering them. ' Eighty- 

 six of these spoilers,' says he, ' were known to infest a 

 single rose-bud, and were crushed with one grasp of the 

 hand.' Suppose, as was probably the case, that one-half 

 of them Avere females ; by this destruction, eight hundred 

 eggs, at least, vrcre prevented from becoming matured. 



