1880.] 
AMERICAN AG-RIOULTURIST. 
4,33 
The Striped Blister-Beetle. 
The advent of the Potato-beetle ( Boryphora), 
seems to have driven out of mind the fact that we 
have always had potato-beetles, and in some years 
in respectable abundance. There are several spe¬ 
cies of the genus Lytta that infest the potato and 
kindred plants. These insects are related to the 
European Blister-beetle, known as the Spanish Ply 
ing the vines as they go. Though the insect can 
fly, it prefers, especially after a full feed, to walk, 
and if the driving be not too rapid, nearly all the 
insects in the field can be made to take up their 
march toward the windrow. If the operation is 
carefully performed, nearly the whole number of 
insects may be made to collect in the straw as a 
resting place, which is then to be fired ; thus large 
numbers of them may be destroyed without the use 
purpurea; there is another and a narrower-leaved 
species, both being found in the Western and 
Southwestern States. Under the name of “Black 
Sampson ” the root is used by the herb doctors, 
but it is not employed in regular practice. Like 
many other perennials, this, in order to produce 
the best effect, should be undisturbed for several 
years. In rich soil it will soon make a strong and 
vigorous clump, and may stand by itself or be 
or Cantharides, and are said to possess similar blis¬ 
tering properties, although they have never come 
into general use as a vescicating agent. During 
the present season we have received numbers of 
potato insects to be named, all being the Striped 
Blister-beetle (Lytta vittata) ; this seems to have 
been especially abundant throughout the Middle 
States, in some cases proving quite as destructive 
as the “ potato-bug,” as it destroyed all the foliage, 
and that could do no more. But this Blister- 
beetle, unlike the other, is most destructive in its 
perfect or beetle state ; indeed but little is known 
of the larval or grub state of this insect, beyond 
the fact that it passes its existence 
in the earth and probably feeds 
upon small roots. The engraving 
shows the general form of these 
Blister-beetles; some are black 
throughout, others are gray, one 
has a light margin to its wing 
cases, while this one has both a 
marginal and a slender central 
striped blis- stripe on each wing case; the col- 
ter-beetle. ors being light-yellow and black. 
These insects may be poisoned with Paris Green and 
London Purple, but it does not seem to be so effec¬ 
tive with these as with the regular potato-beetle. 
The best method of disposing of them, when they 
are abundant, is to drive them from the field. A 
windrow of straw or litter being placed at one side 
of the field, several persons, each armed with a 
leafy brush, march through the field abreast, beat¬ 
of poison. A repetition of this operation will so 
clear a field of the insects that the few which re¬ 
main will not be notably destructive. Should the 
other species occur at anytime, a similar treatment 
will be found effective for them. It is said that 
this insect prefers all other varieties of the potato 
to the Peachblow, and that they will not touch the 
vines of that if any others are in the neighborhood. 
The Purple Cone-Flower. 
Much nonsense has been written about prairie 
flowers. The majority of the flowers of our west¬ 
ern prairies are coarse and belong mostly to the 
Family of the Sunflower and, like -that, are in a 
large majority yellow. Most of the Cone-flowers 
(Rudbeckia) are yellow, but there are two purple 
ones separated from Rudbeckia and placed in a 
separate genus, Echinacea, a name which has 
reference to the hedge-hog character of the disk of 
the flower. The engraving shows the flowers of 
nearly the natural size ; the center of the flower at 
first is rounded, but soon becomes pyramidal and 
pointed. This portion is of a dark maroon color, 
while the rays are of a light rose purple. The 
general aspect of the plant is that of the Rud- 
beckias. It forms a very ornamental plant in culti¬ 
vation, but on account of its large size, growing to 
the hight of four feet or more, is only suited to 
wide borders. A clump standing by itself is very 
effective. It blooms in July and continues through 
the summer. The species here figured, is the E. 
combined with other tall growing plants of similar 
character, and produce a very pleasing effect. 
Black-Cap Raspberries.—The Gregg. 
There is perhaps no fruit about which tastes so 
much differ as they do with respect to the Black¬ 
cap Raspberries. While many prefer them to the 
red varieties, others find them positively disagree¬ 
able. They belong to a different species from the 
red varieties, and are as unlike in flavor as they are 
in color and general appearance. The black varie¬ 
ties are derived from Rubtis occidentals, often called 
Thimble-berry, which is found wild and, in the 
Northern States at least, extends entirely across 
the Continent. It differs from the common native 
red species in propagating itself by rooting at the 
tips of the long curved branches. Of this species 
there are many varieties in cultivation, some of 
them showing but little improvement over the 
wild fruit. Among the newest as well as the finest 
varieties of this class, is the Gregg, which is said to 
have been found growing wild on the farm of 
Messrs. R. & P. Gregg, in Ohio County, Indiana. 
This variety, as we have seen it on the grounds of 
Mr. E. P. Roe, is certainly very superior in size, 
productiveness, and the quality of the fruit, to any 
other black-cap that we have examined. With 
rather an aversion to fruits of this class, we find 
the Gregg quite acceptable; it is more juicy, and 
the seeds seem to be smaller than in any other. 
The engraving, which is from a photograph of a 
