7 STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
667 
ASPARAGUS BEETLE. REMEDIES. HAND-PICKING. SKUNKS. FOWLS. 
yellow spots. The anterior ono of theso spots is placed upon the base of the wing-cover, and Is 
usually egg-shaped with its pointed end directed backward. In perhaps a majority of instances 
this spot is prolonged and is confluent with the inner anterior angle of the middle spot. The 
middle spot is placed at a third of the distance from the base to the tip of the wing-cover. It is 
itransverse, being a third more broad than long, and is thicker towards its inner end, which ter¬ 
minates at the third row of punctures from the suture, its opposite or outer end being confluent 
with the orange border. The hind spot is placed nearer to the middle spot than to the widened 
orange tip of the wing-cover. It is similar in most respects to the middle spot, but is frequently 
smaller and placed somewhat obliquely, its inner end inclining backward, and its outer end unit¬ 
ing with tho orange border by a narrow neck. But these three spots are much varied in their 
size and form in different individuals, and are sometimes white instead of yellow. Tho under sido 
and legs are shining blue-black, and there is frequently a dull yellowish band below the knees and 
a spot of the same color on tho base of tho hind thighs. 
We finally come to remark upon the remedies for this insect. 
Being aware that the Asparagus Beetle has been known in Europe for cen¬ 
turies, we naturally look to the long experience they have there had with it, 
to furnish us with some convenient and efficacious mode of combating and 
subduing it. But we look in vain. As the result of the efforts and observa¬ 
tions of the gardeners there, we are told there is one remedy which is effectual, 
and one only. It is given to us in a single line of Kollar’s Treatise, as in 
other publications, that “ the only means of destroying these insects, is, pick¬ 
ing off and killing the beetles and larvae." 
Now this remedy of picking off the insects by hand and killing them, will 
suffice very well, we doubt not, for ordinary cases, where it is only a common 
sized bed in a family garden which requires attention. But where whole 
acres are overrun, and every plant thereon thronged with these insects, we see 
how vain it is to mention such a remedy as hand-picking, as being a suitable 
resort against such myriads. We should almost require to recall the million 
of men we have sent out to the war, and marshal them in these Long Island 
asparagus plantations, in order to succeed in cleansing them of these vermin 
by this process. The crops there must be hopelessly abandoned to their fate 
unless some more practicable remedy than this can be discovered. 
In the middle of one of the asparagus fields we noticed the dry dung of 
some animal as being wholly composed of the prettily spotted wing-covers 
and shining fragments of the legs and other hard parts of these insects, 
showing that the animal had been feeding upon and had consumed an immense 
number of them. The animal which had been glutting itself in this manner 
was undoubtedly the skunk (Mephitis Americana) whose relish for insects, 
when it can obtain them in sufficient quantity to supply its wants, is well 
known. And it might hence be made a most valuable auxiliary in destroying 
this Asparagus Beetle—but unfortunately we cannot recommend the pro¬ 
tection, even for this important purpose, of a creature which is everywhere in 
such bad odor. 
But the query then occurred to us, if this tabooed animal has such an 
appetite for these insects, have we not in our country some other animal which 
will have a similar relish for them? This suggested an experiment to us, the 
result of which we hastened to ascertain. A large sliver up*n which a multi¬ 
tude of these beetles were crowded together in their winter’s sleep, was broken 
from a rail and taken to the poultry yard and a few handfuls of corn were 
