1883. J 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
275 
The Hop-Vine Borer, or Hop Grub. 
BY PROF. J. H. COMSTOCK, CORNELL UNIVIRSITY. 
During the spring of 1881, my attention was di¬ 
rected to an insect which is very destructive to 
hops in New York and Pennsylvania. 
In July I visited the hop yard of Mr. Hoyt, of 
Osceola, Pa., and found the ravages of this insect 
very serious, even threatening the destruction of 
his yard. From accounts received I infer that it is 
equally destructive in some parts of the valley of 
the Mohawk. It is computed that the annual loss, 
arising from it in the State of New York alone, is 
$600,000, estimating the loss at 10 per cent of the 
value of the crop. But 25 to 50 per cent of injury 
has been reported elsewhere. 
This pest has been known to hop-growers for 
many years, but has not attracted much attention 
from entomologists. Last summer I succeeded in 
rearing the adult insect, and can now give a nearly 
complete history of the transformations of the 
species, the egg being the only state not yet ob¬ 
served. The egg is evidenttyi deposited in the ter¬ 
minal bud of the young vine. The larva eats its 
way from this bud down to the first or second 
joint, above which the vine has a soft pith. This 
injury stops the growth of the vines, which become 
Fig. 1.— THE HOP GRUB. 
known among hop-growers as “ stag-vines.” The 
larvae can be found early in May, and are observed 
by hop-growers when tying the vines for the first 
time. At this period they differ much in appearance 
from the full-grown grub, which is the form most 
often observed by hop-growers. The young larva, 
when in the head of the vine, rarely exceeds one- 
half inch in length, and is much darker-colored 
than when full grown. The ground color is pale 
yellowish-white, with indistinct marking of the 
head. The first segment of the body is marked 
with black on each side. 
The insect remains in the head of the vine but a 
short time, and then passes to the grouud, where 
it attacks the young shoots from one-half to one 
inch below the surface. These young larvae work 
within the shoot, leaving only the bark. Later on 
they infest older vines, so that frequently they 
destroy vines from ten to twenty feet long. They 
also infest the upper part of the bed root, working 
upon its outer part. In this position they are 
easily found by removing the earth from the roots. 
The first indication of the borer at the roots is the 
dying of the leaves. This may be observed usually 
when the vines are from two to ten feet high. The 
larvae become full grown during the last half of 
July. The insect in this state is represented in fig. 
1. It is li to 2 inches in length, of a dirty white 
color, marked with black spots, which are arranged 
as shown in the engraving. The head is light 
brown, and the shield 
on the next segment 
of the same color, 
with the front margin 
black. The shield on 
Fig. 2. —pupa of hop the last segment of 
borer. the body and all the 
legs are black. During the latter part of July or 
early in August the larvae transform to pupae in the 
ground near the roots they have infested. They 
usually burrow only a few inches from the roots 
before transforming. I observed no indication of 
a cocoon or cell. The pupa is brown and measures 
about one inch in length. Its form is represented 
in tig. 2. The pupa state lasts about one month, 
after which the adult insect appears. It is a moth 
marked with spots and bands of different shades of 
brown. Its thorax is furnished with a series of 
prominent tufts, shown in fig. 3. Figure 4 repre¬ 
sents the moth with its wings spread. The figures 
are all natural size. This moth is known to ento¬ 
mologists as Apamea immanis. Only one generation 
of the insect has been observed in a year. It is 
therefore probable that the moths live from the 
time they emerge in August or September until the 
following: spring, and then lay their eggs on the 
heads of the young vines as indicated above. 
Remedies .—Keep a very (dose watch of the vines 
early in the spring, and destroy the young worms 
Fig. 3.— MOTH OF HOP BORER. 
before they leave the heads of the vines. As the 
worms remain but a short time in the heads, it will 
be necessary to go over the yard several times dur¬ 
ing the latter part of April and the first half of 
May. If this is done thoroughly it may not be 
necessary to “worm” the vines in the usual way, 
i. e., by removing the earth from the roots, later in 
the season. This, however, depends upon whether 
all the eggs are laid in the heads of vines, or partly 
there and parity at the roots. Further observations 
aie needed to settle this point. All hop-growers 
-mite in saying that very many hop grubs are des¬ 
troyed by skunks. 
The following method of treating infested vines 
is recommended by Mr. J. F. Clark, of Otsego Co., 
N. Y. : When the vines are well up the pole, and at 
the first hoeing about the last of May or first of 
June, the earth should be carefully worked away 
from the vine by the hoe; all the earth remaining 
between the vines must be carefully worked out 
with a sharpened stick, so that all the vines will 
be left bare as low down as where they leave the 
bed root. Thus they become toughened by the 
weather and are not so attractive to the grub. Im¬ 
mediately after this operation, a good handful of 
the following compost should be applied directly 
around the root and vine: Take equal parts of 
salt, quick-lime, and hen-manure; place the lime 
on the floor first, and then throw on water enough 
Fig. 4.—MOTH WITH WINGS SPREAD. 
to thoroughly slake it; immediately spread the 
salt on top, following with the heu-manure. When 
the lime is well slaked, mix the whole thoroughly, 
and in a couple of weeks it will be ready for use as 
above. Do not hill up the hops until the latter 
part of July or the first of August. 
Sweet Apples. 
“ W. B.” writes: We do not property value sweet 
apples. They are healthful, very nutritious, and a 
luxury in their raw state. When baked, they are 
good as a desert, or eaten in milk. Nearly everybody 
is fond of them, children especially. Horses like 
them as well as they do sugar, and can be fed upon 
them several times a week, in place of grain or 
other feed, and sheep will fatten upon them. If 
fed regularly, they are one of the best feeds for 
cows and young stock, which of course must have 
other feed with the apples. Pigs will live and 
fatten upon them with very little other food ; boiled 
and mixed with meal, they are excellent for poul¬ 
try of all kinds. Nearly all orchards have a few 
“ sweet trees,” and many have some trees that 
bear poor fruit, while others bear little of any kind. 
Besides, in all of the older sections, we have volun¬ 
teer trees in the hedge rows, in pastures, and even 
in the woodlands. Now farmers should go to work 
and graft these useless trees I have described, and 
do it this spring. There is still time to cut cions ; 
they will grow, even if cut when the leaf bud 
is almost ready to burst, but are better cut earlier. 
Nearly every one who has read the American Agri¬ 
culturist for a few years, and can use a hand-saw r 
can graft trees successfully. Do not be afraid of 
having too many sweet apples, as they make the 
best of cider, and if vinegar is wanted, by adding 
as much water as cider, it will be strong enough. 
If you wish to boil it to make your apple sauce, or 
apple butter, it is much better and does not require 
near as long boiling down as other cider. We; 
have found for a summer drink in the field, noth¬ 
ing better than a cup full of boiled cider mixed 
with about a gallon of water. It is an agreeable 
drink, and without bad effects. 
Give Your Boys Land. 
I would suggest a means of keeping the boys on 
the farm, instead of allowing their place to be 
usurped by the farm laborers who are now filling 
the interstices of New England farm society. The 
average Yankee lad (I speak only of such because 
I am acquainted with no others) has a very active 
mind ; consequently, when sent into the field alone 
to pick stones or hoe corn, if he has no individual 
interest on the farm with which to busy his 
thoughts, he begins to count the years and months 
which must elapse before this bondage shall end. 
We see in colleges, factories, and shops, young 
men who were driven to a change of occupation by 
well-meaning fathers, who had not learned the 
complete difference between a boy and a machine. 
A college classmate of the writer is a good illus¬ 
tration of thousands of similar cases. He said that 
his father, though well-to-do as regard lands and 
bank accounts, expected him, after he was fourteen 
years old, to be as regularly in the field as the 
hired men. This conscientious parent was wont 
to reprimand him for laziness when found reading 
during working hours. As soon as he was free 
from his father’s authority he leffthe farm, the as¬ 
sociations of which suggested nothing pleasant,, 
and fitted himself for college. 
Another friend of about the same age, who is 
much attached to farming, and very enthusiastic in 
investigatfng agricultural subjects, tells me the fol¬ 
lowing facts about his early boyhood : My agri¬ 
cultural propensities began to develop very early. 
My first impressive experience was in planting 
beans. One morning finding that my beans had 
come up, and thinking that Nature had made a 
mistake, I proceeded to rectify it by inverting their 
natural position. I soou found, however, that 
Nature knew her own business better than I did. 
This bit of valuable knowledge gained by experi¬ 
ence, kindled a strong enthusiasm for experiment. 
My father allowed me a small patch of ground con¬ 
taining a few square rods, which I cultivated with 
an increasing interest, in the meanwhile asking my 
elders all kinds of questions. As I grew older he 
increased my small domain, and I began to make 
money, selling my potatoes and popcorn, and sav 
ing the proceeds until I could buy a sheep, and 
next a pair of steers. Plants and animals were 
friends in whom I took a lively interest, measuring 
them from time to time to see how much they had 
grown. This communion with plant and animal life 
wedded me to the farm, and kindled my curiosity 
to read all I could find on agricultural subjects. 
Of the two cases cited, it is easy to determine 
the kind of training that would keep the boy on 
the farm. An important lesson which all men 
must learn in youth, or suffer the consequences, 
in later life, is the value and use of money. This 
can be taught practically in no better way 
than by allowing a boy to manage his own cash ac¬ 
count, which implies that he has a means of earn¬ 
ing something. By the plan which has been sug¬ 
gested, he not only takes a greater interest in the 
farm, but also becomes discreet in the use of 
money. Let the boys have some land of their own, 
and they will not leave it. H. Q. W. 
