510 
ANNUAL REPORT OF NEW TORE 
STRIPED FLEA-BEETLE. TOADS DESTROY IT. 
flea-beetles which the fowl was picking from the leaf. I after¬ 
wards noticed them repeatedly at this work, first picking off from 
the leaf, and then off from the ground under it—it thus bein'* 
plain that a portion of the beetles leaped to the ground for safety 
as the work upon the leaf was going on, but failed by this 
resort to escape from the piercing eyes of the chicken. And a 
few days after I found these flea-beetles had totally disappeared 
from the cabbages, and were seen no more that season. Most of 
them had no doubt been devoured by the chickens; a few may, 
perhaps, have fled to safer quarters. An old hen getting into the 
garden commenced helping herself freely to the leaves ; but the 
chickens only want the beetles which are on the leaves.” 
I would further say, every owner of a garden in city, village or 
country, should make it a regular practice* to ‘rear at least ono 
brood of chickens each year in the garden, keeping the parent 
hen confined under a small coop placed somewhere in the midst 
of the grounds, and allowing the chickens to run freely about and 
forage for themselves, until they are grown so large as to begin 
to molest the cabbages, cucumbers or other vegetation. The 
number of these flea-beetles, centipedes and other injurious insects 
and their larv®, which a brood of chickens will search out and 
consume in getting their growth, is immense, and is by far our 
most convenient, most economical and effectual resort for keeping 
our gardens clear of these vermin. 
We have another important and invaluable animal to aid us in 
this work. Next to chickens, toads are beyond doubt our best 
safeguards against these and other noxious insects. A few of 
them should always be kept domesticated in every garden. How 
very serviceable these animals are in destroying this striped flea- 
beetle, is amply shown by the statement of a “Brooklyn bee¬ 
keeper,” made at a meeting of the American Institute Farmers’ 
Club, as reported in the New York Tribune, August 30, 1864, p. 
6, col. 6. He saj's he saw a toad snap up one or two bees from 
the ground, and fearing he was living on the bees, he killed him, 
and examined his stomach and found no bee or part of a bee 
therein, but “ two long, hairy caterpillars, and numerous heads 
and parts of beetles ; but the bulk was made up of a sort of cab - 
bage beetle or flea, jet black, of small size, with a hard shell, 
which I had noticed very abundant on my cabbages and turnips.” 
From what has now been stated, it will bo seen that we need 
