242 TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY REPORT. 
the latter part of July or first of August, they leave the plants to 
burrow into the soil where they spin their cocoons. The larvae 
remain over winter and do not change to pupe until a short time be- 
fore emerging in the spring. In the experiments on this pest to 
determine methods of control, insecticides proved of little value and 
were abandoned as useless. It was found that in small patches, cut- 
ting the borers out as soon as the vines show signs of injury is a 
practical and thorough remedy. If the wounded part of the vine 
is immediately covered with earth, no injury attends the operation. 
Covering the base of the vine as far as the third or fourth joint 
and capturing the sluggish moths late in the evening and early in 
the morning’ are commendable practices. Many farmers delay 
planting their late squashes as long as possible without endangering 
the crop and fertilize heavily to stimulate a vigorous growth of 
the vines. For extensive planting it was ascertained that frequent 
shallow cultivation in the fall, followed with deep plowing in the 
spring, are practices which are calculated to reduce the numbers of 
the moth and permit the growing of squashes with but a small part 
of the losses that formerly attended the growing of the crop. 
BOREAL LADY-BIRD BEETLE. 
(Epilachna borealis Fab.) 
In Bulletin 75, attention was called to the appearance of this 
species in great numbers on Long Island in 1893. They were espe- 
‘cially numerous in the vicinity of Glen Cove but were more or less 
abundant on the western part of the island. This insect belongs to 
a family of beetles which fed, both in larval and adult stages, on 
animal food, as plant lice and eggs of other insects. This particular 
species has taken to vegetable food, and preys upon some of our 
most important crops. At Glen Cove the beetle did considerable 
damage to squash and pumpkin vines. Treatment of the vine with 
an arsenical proved an efficient remedy. — 
MELON LOUSE. 
(Aphis gossypii Glov.) 
This species is discussed in Bulletin 75 as a pest on the under- 
side of the leaves and also upon the roots of muskmelons, cucum- 
bers, squashes and other cucurbitaceous plants, which causes the 
leaves to curl and to shrivel, and stunts the growth of the plant. At 
the time that the observations and experiments were being made on 
