Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-02-23

tdmorphosis is unlike that of most insects,
and amounts to what he calls metdgenesis,
the frail things appearing in some of their
stages provided with wings, and oviparous,
and, in others, without wings and bringing
forth their young alive. The swelling buds
upon the shrubs and fruit trees, no sooner
began to exhibit shade Of green, than they
were blackened by myriads Of these little
pests, and nearly at the same time, swarms
of tiny caterpilars began to emerge from
those bands of eggs, which the stupid moths,
the previous fall, had so nicely agglutinated
around the small limbs of the apple trees,
and these voracious new corners were not
long in entering into n dispute with the
Aphides for possession of the buds.
At length, in spite of the ravagcs of these
foes of our Society, the leaves upon the
fruit trees, uniolded, the blossoms opened
and fell, and the swelling drupes gave pro-
mise of a plentcous harvest. But the pune.
lures which appeared in the surface of the
fruit, soon gave intimation that an enemy
was there-that the silent and sly curculios
had commenced their work And it was only
by shaking these pests from the trees in the
cool of tho morning, upon blankets, (where
the deceitful things assumed the appearance
of dry buds, fcigning themselves dead,) and
then committing them to the flames, or en-
tombing them in the drawers of my cabinet
that was able to save even n scanty rem
nant of my plums and chcrrie, from destruc-
| ton,
While these and many other species pre-
,ented Themselves, to my notice upon my trees
and shrubs, many Others manifested them
selves upon my vines and other vegetables. -
Among them was the Steel-blue Flea beetle,
Hdit'ca chdIybed. These appeared upon a
portion ofmy grape vines, early in the spring
Of two successive years, eating into the buds
and thus retarding tho leafing and, when
they disappeared, they were succeeded by
their little caterpillar-larv@, by which the
leaves were soon riddled, and the vines there
by nearly deprived of their vitality. But,
while | was thus cut short of the fruit OF
the vine, was furnished with an excellent
opportunity, (which | did not fail to i'm.
prove) of tracing the history of an insect
which was not fully known even to natural.
lists, through all the stages of its metamor-
phos'.
But it would be too great tax upon the
time and patience Of this Society to present
on this occasion, the details of my investiga-
tions, or even to mention all the throngs OF
insects, which have honored and injured me
by their attentions, since my appointment. -
Among these latter | might speak of the
striped Cucumber bug, Galeruca r,ttata-the
Squash bug, Coreu, tri,tis-the Onion ny,
Anthomyin ecpurun'-and the Apple tree
borer, Sdperda b,ritatd; but | will only add
respecting the last mentioned, that i, = the
most arrant rascal of the whole brotherhood
of rascally deprcdators. 1t deposits its eggs
by stealth in the night, and as soon as hatch
ed, the larve bury themselves in the wood
and remain there, eating out the life of the
tree, till their metamorphosis is complete -
and then emerge in the night, in their beetle
form, to deposit new batch of eggs upon
the same, or other trees. The opinion of this
insect, here expressed, i. founded on my oh.
servations Of his doings among my own ap'
pletrees, during the past two years.
1t is not impossible that other members o
the Society, who are not honored with the
Office hold, have had the attention of the
insects have mentioned, to their annoyance
and may A-rA"t mo to suggest means of pro
lection. All can now say to such is that
when shall find out an easier and surer wa,
to save our young trees and shrubs from the
Aphides, than washing them with .oap-sud.
our plums from the curculIos, 4'.,-.-
ing them off and killing them-our grape
vines, cucumber and squash-vines, from the
beetle and striped bug, than crushing
them between the fingers in the cool of thu
morning, when they begin to appear-an'
our apple-trec- from tho borer than Iuttini
them out or killing them with probes ma,
perhaps inhict upon the Society the pain o
listening to another Report.
q. THOMPSON.
Feb 90, 1855