Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-10-15
For'the Freeman.
A Chat with Farmers.
BY AGRICOLA
ABOUT NoXIoUs INSECTS.

The striped bugs or cucumber beetles
are noxious insects. Their bodies are o
light yellow color, their head is black
and their wing covers are striped Early
in the spring they devour the tender
leaves of various plants, such rs the Gu
cumber. squash and melon vines. They
appear the last of May or first of June
and several new broods take the place o
the old during the same season. Hence
the evil is perpetuated.
Later in the season they attack the flow
ers of the squash and pumpkin vines
whose pollen and germs serve them fol
food. The eggs are laid in the ground ant
the larva feed on the roots of plants.
How to get rid of these beetles is the
question for the gardener. One remedy
that has been named is sprinkling the
vines with mixture of red pepper and
tobacco. This seems TO us very hopeful
and must kill the bugs and cure the evil
Indeed, the only appropriate use for TO-
bacco ever yet discovered is to Kill uermin
They say red pepper is also good fol
chickens. 1t is useful to water the vines
with solution of one ounce of Glauber's
salts in a quart of water, or toblcco wa.
ter. An infusion of elder, of walnut
leaves or of hops is recommended. Plaster
of Paris and charcoal dust have, ut leas,
checked the ravages of these beetles
when sprinkled upon the leaves. Powder.
ed SCOT, sulphur and Scotch snuff sifted
upon the plants when wet with morning
dew have been found useful, And garden.
ers have sometimes resorted to stratagem
Knowing that these beetles fly in the night
as well us by day, and that they are at.
tracted by lights, they have stuck in the
ground near the vines burning splinters
of pine knots or slaves of tar barrels. At.
tracted to these the beetles are destroyed
After all, the only sure method of pro,
tecting our vines is to cover them with
thin cloth of some description stretched
over wooden frames.
The cucumber flea beetle is Il small
black, jumping insect that is very de-
structive to the vines. They have a
smooth, polished body, often brilliantly
colored. Their claws are very thick al
one end and deeply notched at the other
The terminus is curved and sharp, exactly
fitted to enable the insect to lay firmly
hold of the leaves of the plant on which
they live. These beetles are fond of cab
bage, turnips, mustard, radish and the
like, and to these plants they are exceed
ingly injurious.
One of this species lays waste turniE
fields, and hence is called the turniL
| beetle; another attacks the grape vines.
In the winter the flea beetles hide them
selves in dry places, under stones, in TUFTS
of withered grass and moss, and in walls
In the spring they leave their eggs on the
leaves of the plant upon which they feed
The larva eat the soft, pulpy substance
under the skin of the leaves, where they
complete their transformation. The larva
are rs destructive rs the beetles them
selves, The larger kind of larva quit the
leaves upon which they have fed and &C
into the ground where they are transform
ed first into pupa and then into beetles
the whole process requiring but a few
months. A constant succession of these
insects hold the ground during the entire
summer.
The most destructive flea beetles arc
those which attack the cucumber us soor
as it appears above the ground. They
also eat various other plants which have
succuent leaves, such as beans, beets, to-
matoes and potatoes. They injure al
these plants by cutting holes through theil
leaves. This Aea-beetle has been charged
with the sin of causing the potato,rot
Other insects are also suspected of sharing
in the same work of destruction. But i
is doubtful whether insects cause this dis
ease ut all.