THE BULLETIN

of the

UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION GREEN SECTION

Vol. 10 

Washington. D. C., October, 1930 

No. 10

Contents

Page

Searching in the Orient for New Turf Grasses...................................................... 178

Plant Patents.................................................................................................................. 183

A New Elm for the Plains States. By Jay C. Painter........................................ 184

Asiatic Beetles as Turf Pests...................................................................................... 185

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

W. D. Vanderpool, Chairman, P. O. Box 77, 

Newark, N. J.

Ganson Depew, Vice-Chairman, Buffalo, N. Y.
Harvey L. Westover, Washington, D. C.
H. Kendall Read, Philadelphia, Pa.
Walter S. Harran, Washington, D. C.

H. Y. Barrow, New York, N. Y.
John Monteith, Jr., Washington, D. C. 
Cornelius S. Lee, New York, N. Y.
Robert M. Cutting, Chicago, Ill.
Robert F. Arnott, Upper Montclair, N. J.

RESEARCH

COMMITTEE

United States Department of Agriculture
K. F. Kellerman, Acting Chairman
A. J. Pieters
Harvey L. Westover
Russell A. Oakley

United States Golf Association 

John Monteith, Jr.
Kenneth Welton

ADVISORY

COMMITTEE

W. A. Alexander, Chicago, Ill.
Eberhard Anheuser, St. Louis, Mo.
N. S. Campbell, Providence, R. I.
Wm. C. Fownes, Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa.
F. H. Hillman, Washington, D. C.
Thos. P. Hinman, Atlanta. Ga.
Frederic C. Hood, Marion, Mass.
K. F. Kellerman, Washington, D. C.
Norman Macbeth, Los Angeles, Calif.

George V. Rotan, Houston, Tex. 
Sherrill Sherman, Utica, N. Y. 
FR'JDErick Snare, Havana, Cuba 
James D. Standish, Jr., Detroit, Mich. 
Charles E. Van Nest, Minneapolis, Minn. 
W. R. Walton, Washington, D. C. 
Alan D. Wilson, Philadelphia, Pa. 
M. H. Wilson, Jr., Cleveland, Ohio 
Frank L. Woodward, Denver, Colo.

The Bulletin is published monthly by the United States Golf Association Green Section. 

At Room 7207, Building F, 7th and B Streets, N. W., Washington, D. C.

Address all MAIL to P. O. Box 313, Pennsylvania Avenue Station, Washington, D. C.
Send TELEGRAMS to Room 7207, Building F, 7th and B Streets, N. W., Washington. D. C.
Subscription Price: In United States of America, Mexico, and West Indies, $4.00 per year; in 

*11 other countries, $5.00 per year.

Entered as second-class matter, April 21, 1926, at the post office at Washington, D. C., under the 

Act of March 3, 1879. Copyrighted, 1931, by the United States Golf Association Green Section.

178

Vol. 10, No. 10

Searching in the Orient for New Turf Grasses

Practically all of the important grasses used on golf courses in 
the United States have been introduced into the country from some 
foreign continent. Most of them were introduced in early colonial 
days and have become so generally distributed throughout the coun­
try as to give the general impression that they are native grasses. 
There is actually only a small proportion of golf course turf in the 
United States which represents the growth of strictly native species 
of grass. Early colonial introductions were no doubt accidental, since 
the seed came with bedding, packing material, as weed seeds in farm 
crop seeds, and through similar agencies. For centuries wild plants 
have been transferred from their native lands to other sections of the

Korean youngsters are eager to assist in gathering seed of a grass which may possess special 
value on golf courses in the northern half of the United States, particularly on fairways and tees

globe and have occasionally been developed as very valuable crops in 
their new surroundings. In recent years there has been increased 
interest in the introduction of new plants from foreign countries. As 
a result there has been a systematic search of different parts of the 
globe by agricultural explorers in the hope of finding some plant that 
would serve a useful purpose in a new home. As is to be expected, 
a large proportion of the plants that are so introduced prove to be of 
no value. However, the occasional introduced plant that proves to 
be of value may much more than repay the cost of finding and caring 
for the large number of unsuccessful introductions. In golf course 
work the most recent introduction which has some promise for golf 
course turf is centipede grass for the South.

October, 1930

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180

Vol. 10, No. 10

In the past two years P. H. Dorsett and W. J. Morse, of the United 
States Department of Agriculture, have been searching in different 
sections of the Orient for new plants of possible agricultural im­
portance. In recent letters written by these agricultural explorers to 
the Department of Agriculture there is a report of collections of seed 
of a variety of grass of the genus Zoysia which is said to have some 
promise for the production of turf. The seed which they are harvest­
ing in the Orient is being shipped to this country in small lots for 
experimental purposes. None of this will be immediately available 
to golf clubs, since it will be necessary to test the grass under a va­
riety of conditions in several parts of the country before it will be 
advisable for any golf club to use it.

The grass on this Korean golf course is mostly Zoysia. Part of the course extends over a burying 
ground; the mounds seen in the illustration are graves. Heijo Golf Club, Jidori, Chosen (Korea)

Many of our readers who closely follow the most recent develop­
ments and possibilities of turf production will no doubt be interested 
in reading some of the observations reported by Messrs. Dorsett and 
Morse. We are therefore quoting from their letter of July 14, 1930, 
from Dairen, Manchuria, and printing some of their photographs. 
Our readers will have an opportunity to see the grass to which they 
refer growing in some of the Green Section turf gardens during the 
next few years, but none of the seed will be available for distribution 
to clubs in the near future. Under the present system the large Green 
Section experimental gardens and the many demonstration turf gar­
dens scattered throughout the country provide an excellent oppor­
tunity for putting such new grasses immediately to test in the pro­
duction of golf course turf. Without such a system of turf gardens 
it would be extremely difficult to give such importations an adequate 
trial in a short period of time. Some Zoysia grasses have already 
been tested in this country, but have not been hardy enough to with­

October, 1930

181

stand the winters even in our southern States. The particular strain 
of Zoysia reported in their letter is supposed to have greater possi­
bilities for winter hardiness due to the fact that it thrives in a climate 
with severe winters.

They write from Dairen:
“The Kokai region of northern Korea has been visited and infor­
mation, seed, plants, and pictures secured of Zoysia, pungens nsly, 
Japonica. This grass was observed by Dr. Mills during a visit to 
Kokai and he thought it might have possibilities in the United States 
for airports, golf fairways, and possibly lawns. Our visit to Korea 
last fall was so late that we did not think it advisable at that time to 
make the journey, as there was no possibility of securing seed or 
making any observations that would be of value. We thought that 
during our stay in Manchuria one of us would find opportunity to visit 
Kokai at the proper time to secure data and seed of this grass.

“Mr. Suyetake, our interpreter, and Mr. Morse left Dairen, Man­
churia, at 9 o’clock in the morning on Tuesday, and arrived at Shi- 
nanshu, Korea, shortly after noon the following day. They left Shi- 
nanshu at once by bus and reached Kisen, Korea, at about 6 o’clock in 
the evening (a distance of 66 miles), where they had to remain over 
night. They left Kisen at 9 in the morning and arrived at Kokai 
about 3.30 that afternoon (100 miles from Kisen). The 166-mile trip 
over rough mountain roads, mostly in old Ford cars, was by no means 
a very pleasant one, but in our opinion the results obtained were well 
worth the trouble.

“Kokai was found to be a rather large Korean village snuggled 
in a very mountainous country along the right bank of the Seinonko 
River, which flows into the Yalu River, the boundary between Chosen 
and Manchuria. The village is in 41 degrees north latitude. Its tem­
perature during December and January goes as low as 40 degrees 
below zero. The ground is said to freeze to a depth of 21/4 to 3 feet. 
There is a considerable snowfall during the winter months. The field 
crops are planted the first week in May, and consist mostly of corn, 
soy beans, sorghum, and millet. Most of the farms have one or two 
small fields of white potatoes.

“A general survey was made of the range of this variety of Zoysia 
about Kokai, the grass being found in abundance on both banks of 
the Seinonko River both up and down the stream for considerable 
distances from Kokai. It is growing on a rather sandy soil and forms 
a rather compact sod. The blades grow to an average length of about 
3 inches and the spikes to a height of about 5 inches; it is therefore 
a rather short or low-growing grass.

“As to the effect of trampling or pasturing on Zoysia sod, little 
information could be obtained. Here and there a horse or an ox was 
tethered, but the animal apparently had not been left long enough 
in one place to give any idea as to the possible effect of hard usage. 
As the grass grows quite thickly it has possibilities for pasture, and 
with its compact sod on rather sandy soil may have possibilities for 
airports and as a grass for sand binding and for embankments.

“A visit was made to the village agricultural society, and two of 
their agricultural experts went with us to look over the possibilities 
of collecting seed. The seed was just beginning to mature and would 
be fully mature within the next 10 days. Arrangements were made 
with the agricultural society to collect 50 pounds of seed when it 

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reached full maturity. The seed is to be furnished to us at 35 cents 
a pound, which is the price quoted us also by a seed house in Dairen. 
The director of the village seed and nursery experiment farm also 
promised to send us some plants of the grass in the fall.

“With the aid of some Korean boys we were able to collect a fair­
sized sample of mature seed, and we also obtained some plants. The 
seed and plants were sent to Washington. As to the germination of 
Zoysia seed, we have received more or less conflicting statements. In 
Japan one authority stated that the seed would not germinate and 
that for propagating the grass plants should be used. Another ad­
vised that the seed would germinate, but that it should be sown at 
once, as it would lose its viability after a few months and should 
never be held over from one year to another. Still another authority 
informed us that a friend of his in Tokyo had sown seed more than 
a year old and had obtained over 80 per cent germination. With these 
various statements there is need for experimental work on the longev­
ity of Zoysia seed. We thought that by sending both plants and seed 
you would have a better chance of obtaining a start with this grass.

Sod of Zoysia pungens var. Japonica on the bank of the Seinonko River in northern Korea, where 
the grass forms a rather compact sod on a sandy soil. It has possibilities as a soil-binding grass
“While on our return to Shinanshu we made observations along 
the way. Zoysia was found growing along the roadsides to some ex­
tent, but was most abundant along the sandy river banks. At some 
places we saw several cattle pasturing on good-sized areas on the 
river banks; it is therefore apparent that the Koreans use it more 
or less for pasture. From Shinanshu to Shingishu, Korea (on the 
Yalu River across from Antung, Manchuria), large areas of Zoysia 
were noticed along the river banks. It was also observed that the 
grass is used quite extensively for binding railroad embankments. As 
we journeyed from Antung, Manchuria, we saw some Zoysia well 
towards Mukden. At Kungchuling, Manchuria, we found no Zoysia, 
and the forage-crop expert at the experiment station advised that 
it did not occur that far north. In our stop at Kaiyuan we were 
unable to find Zoysia, and we did not observe it again until we were 
a short distance south of Liaoyang, below Munkden.

“Another interesting thing we have observed is that there is a 
white-flowered form of the grass and also a purple-flowered form. 

October, 1930

183

The first has a lighter green foliage and light straw-colored seed, 
while the latter has a purple-tinged foliage and a brown seed tinged 
with purple. These forms were found near Chinchou and seed of 
both has been collected. Professor Matsushima, of the South Man­
churia railway agricultural bureau, has advised us that there are sev­
eral strains of Zoysia pungens var. Japonica in South Manchuria. We 
have been collecting seed at various places and shall try to obtain seed 
from as many sources as possible.

“To sum up briefly our general and specific observations on the 
grass, we have seen it in northern Korea and in southern Manchuria, 
and we find it a hardy grass, forming a compact sod and of possible 
value in the United States as a grass for airports, athletic fields, golf 
fairways, and embankments requiring a binder. In nearly all cases 
the grass has been found on rather sandy soil; experimental work is 
therefore necessary to determine its adaptability to the heavier types 
of soil.”

Plant Patents

One of the dreams of the late Luther Burbank has finally come 
true with the passage of an act to provide for plant patents, passed 
by the 71st Congress and approved May 23,1930. Many are familiar 
with Burbank’s extensive work in obtaining new varieties of plants, 
but remunerations for such contributions were comparatively small. 
Other than what personal interest an individual had in regard to 
breeding new types and varieties of plants there was little stimulus, 
especially of a monetary nature, for intensive or extensive investi­
gation; consequently “plant inventors” were comparatively few. 
This directly affected the number of desirable plant varieties intro­
duced on the market, because there was no incentive to procure new 
varieties and even if they were procured there was no protection or 
rights guaranteed to those responsible for the breeding or propaga­
tion of these new varieties.

Congress has at last recognized that discoveries in the plant world 
justify as much protection to the plant inventor as discoveries in the 
industrial world justify protection to the mechanical inventor. This 
recognition is clearly set forth in Section 4886, which reads, “Any 
person who has invented or discovered any new and useful art, ma­
chine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful 
improvements thereof, or who has invented or discovered and asexu- 
ally reproduced any distinct and new variety of plant, other than a 
tuber-propagated plant, not known or used by others in this country, 
before his invention or discovery thereof, and not patented or de­
scribed in any printed publication in this or any foreign country, 
before his invention or discovery thereof, or more than two years 
prior to his application, and not in public use or on sale in this coun­
try for more than two years prior to his application, unless the same 
is proved to have been abandoned, may, upon payment of the fees 
required by law, and other due proceeding had, obtain a patent 
therefor.”

The protection afforded by this act should stimulate a greater 
interest in the reproduction of newer and finer varieties of plants. 
The procedure of having new plants patented promises to be rather 
complicated at first because of the necessity of differentiating be­
tween the established varieties and the new varieties. In the botan­

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ical classification of plants there are frequently no definite dividing 
lines between varieties, and considerable overlapping of their char­
acteristics occurs. Just how these obstacles are to be overcome seems 
to be a problem for the United States Department of Agriculture to 
solve, since the act also provides that “The President may by Execu­
tive order direct the Secretary of Agriculture (1) to furnish the 
Commissioner of Patents such available information of the Depart­
ment of Agriculture, or (2) to conduct through the appropriate bu­
reau or division of the Department such research upon special prob­
lems, or (3) to detail to the Commissioner of Patents such officers and 
employees of the Department, as the Commissioner may request for 
the purposes of carrying this act into effect.”

Despite the many complications that are certain to arise from the 
practical application of such an act, there is little doubt that it will 
have a valuable influence in the field of plant industry. Apparently 
this act would make it possible for one to patent a strain of bent 
grass for golf course use.

A New Elm for the Plains States
By Jay C. Painter
Oklahoma State Golf Association

Late in the winter of 1925 information reached me concerning a 
superior variety of elm tree that had recently been introduced into 
the United States from China. This is the Chinese elm (Ulmus 
pumila). The trees were scarce at that time, but after some corre-

Oklahoma’s fastest growing tree, the new Chinese elm. These trees, which were raised from seed, 
are only four years old. Some of them are 6 inches in diameter and 20 to 30 feet tall.

spondence I succeeded in obtaining 24 of the trees from the United 
States Department of Agriculture. Since that time I have received 
seed imported from China, from which I have raised several thou­
sand trees. During the last couple of years I have obtained seeds of 

October, 1930 

185

this tree from my own plantings, thus making it unnecessary to obtain 
imported seed.

The Chinese elm is the most rapidly growing tree we have ever 
had in Oklahoma and has proved to be admirably adaptable to local 
conditions on the several golf courses where it has been planted in 
thjs state. In good soil the seedlings will reach a height of 4 to 
5 feet in one season. The trees which I obtained from Washington 
were 14 meh in diameter and about 4 feet high. They were set out 
April 1, 1926, and in 1930 one of the trees was 10 inches in diameter 
and about 30 feet high. Several of the trees grown from seed im­
ported from China in July, 1926, may be seen in the accompanying 
illustration. When this photograph was taken, in July, 1930, some of 
the trees were 6 inches in diameter and 20 to 30 feet tall. The trees 
seem to be immune to disease and unmolested by insects that attack 
our native trees. They require very little water, and on very poor 
soil have lived through our hot and dry Oklahoma summers without 
any attention whatever. They are reported to thrive from northern 
Minnesota to southern Texas, and it is probable that they can be 
grown successfully anywhere in the United States.

The leaf of the Chinese elm is similar to the leaf of our native 
elms but is only about one-fourth as large. Because of their small 
leaves the trees are particularly desirable on golf courses, since they 
do not litter up the fairways and greens in the late fall. The trees 
leaf out very early in the spring and retain their foliage long after 
other deciduous trees are bare. Several of the nurseries in the West 
are now producing seedlings of the Chinese elm in large quantities.

Asiatic Beetles as Turf Pests

In relatively recent years there have been three destructive beetles 
introduced into the eastern part of the United States from Asia. 
These three beetles are commonly referred to as the Japanese beetle, 
the Asiatic beetle, and the Asiatic garden beetle. The destruction 
caused by the Japanese beetle on many eastern golf courses is only 
too well known. Its damage and methods for its control have been 
referred to in the Bulletin from time to time. The Asiatic beetle and 
the Asiatic garden beetle cause damage in many respects resembling 
that caused by the Japanese beetle; however, they have not yet spread 
to many golf courses and it is to be earnestly hoped that their spread 
will be no more rapid than it has been in the few years since the 
beetles have been introduced into this country. It is well, however, 
for golf clubs to be on the lookout for these insects throughout the 
regions adjoining the areas where the insects are known to exist. 
The grubs of all of these beetles cause similar injury to grass by 
feeding on the roots. Recently three publications have been written 
by state and Federal agricultural entomologists which give detailed 
descriptions of these insects and suggestions for their control. For 
the convenience of our readers we are printing abstracts of these 
publications. If further information is desired it may be obtained 
by consulting these publications referred to or by writing to the 
authors.

Bulletin 304, issued by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment 
Station, New Haven, Conn., entitled “The Asiatic Beetle in Connecti­

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Vol. 10, No. 10

cut,” was written by Roger B. Friend, assistant entomologist of the 
Connecticut station.

This 76-page bulletin is chiefly technical but contains much that 
will be of interest to those who are connected with golf clubs in the 
vicinity where this beetle is present or in adjacent regions to which 
the insect in all probability will spread in the near future. The work 
reported in the bulletin was a cooperative project between the Japa­
nese Beetle Laboratory of the United States Department of Agricul­
ture and the New Jersey State Experiment Station.

The bulletin states that the Asiatic beetle (Anomala orientals, 
Waterh.) was presumably imported into Connecticut directly from 
Japan. It has become a serious pest in lawns of New Haven. It is 
pointed out that as yet the insect has not become abundant over any 
large area in the United States and its status as an enemy to agricul­
ture is not known. However, it has done considerable damage in the 
lawns of the residential district of New Haven. It is probable that 
golf clubs in the vicinity have become interested in this pest and they 
are likely to hear more of it in the near future. The bulletin esti­
mates that over $30,000 had been spent from State and Federal funds 
in a territory about one mile square, and that the inhabitants of that 
territory had probably spent at least an equal sum in an effort to pre­
vent the spread of the insect. This damage was as of March, 1929; 
so much more has been spent since that estimate was made.

The bulletin includes the results of investigations carried on by 
the writer in New Haven during the years 1926, 1927, and 1928, and 
a brief discussion is given of the climatic and soil conditions of the 
infested region. The observations on the life history and habits of 
the insect cover a period of three seasons, but most of the control 
work described in the bulletin was carried out in 1928. The first 
recorded observation of the insect was in 1875 from specimens col­
lected in Japan. Some time before 1908 it was imported into Hawaii 
and became established in cane fields in the island of Oahu. In 1920 
it was first found in the United States, in a nursery in New Haven, 
Conn. In 1922 complaints were received of severe injury to lawns 
by its larvae. Since the nursery where the insect was first found 
had in 1911, 1912, and 1916 imported plants from Japan, some of 
them with earth about the roots, it was thought that the insect prob­
ably came directly from Japan on this imported nursery stock. At 
the time the bulletin was written the insect had been found in Con­
necticut only in the vicinity of New Haven and West Hayen. In 1926 
the beetle was discovered in Jericho, Long Island, and since has been 
found in large numbers in neighboring towns. The writer was unable 
to determine whether the beetles on Long Island came directly from 
Japan or were the results of a spread from New Haven. He sug­
gests the remote possibility that the beetles might even have spread 
from Long Island to New Haven. Since 1925 a few beetles have been 
found in several towns of Westchester County, N. Y. They have 
also been found in Elizabeth and Rutherford, N. J. The damage 
caused by the pests in all cases was found to be only on lawns, and 
the writer points out the possibility of its becoming injurious to grain 
and forage crops sometime in the future unless its increase of spread 
is checked.

In lawns in New Haven the writer found many instances where 
there were 1,000 grubs to the square yard of turf. This the writer 

October, 1930

187

concludes is an indication that the insect was present in New Haven 
several years prior to its discovery in 1920, since the rate of repro­
duction is not high when compared with the other insects nor is the 
natural spread very rapid.

Some encouragement is offered in the writer’s statement that “in 
Hawaii, where there are at least two generations a year and perhaps 
three, the known distribution in 1918, at least ten years after intro­
duction, extended over an area of but six square miles. . . . The 
adults do not fly far nor much of the time, and they are difficult to 
discover. In 1926, twelve scouts secured 2,402 adults in two months, 
which is a small number compared with the number of larvae present 
in any one infested lawn.” The larvae are easily confused with other 
grubs of the same family of insects. No injury to grass is apparent 
when the infestation is below 150 larvae to the square yard. The 
writer points out that it is quite possible that this insect occurs in 
localities where it is at present unknown.

A detailed technical description is given of the various stages of 
the life history of the insect. The various characteristics that dis­
tinguish it from related insects are also described. In his summary 
the writer states:

“The Asiatic beetle, first described in 1875 from Japan, was dis­
covered in Connecticut in 1920 and has since been found in parts of 
New York and New Jersey. The natural spread of this insect is 
very slow.

“A brief review of natural conditions in New Haven is given.
“The genus Anomala belongs to the Ruteline Scarabaeidae, and 
the structural characters distinguishing the larva from other related 
larvae are described. A brief morphological description is given of 
all stages of the insect.

“In New Haven the great majority of individuals of this species 
go through a complete life cycle in one year, but a few require two 
years for the completion of development. The adults emerge from 
the pupal stage late in June and during July and August, and oviposit 
in the soil at a depth of about six inches. The eggs hatch in three or 
four weeks, and the young larvae move up close to the surface of the 
soil where they feed on grass roots and decayed organic matter. In 
September and October the lawns in heavily infested areas are 
severely injured and the grass in spots completely killed. Late in 
October and during November the larvae descend into the soil to a 
depth of about one foot to hibernate, most of them being at this time 
in the third larval instar. The last of April the larvae come up close 
to the surface and resume feeding, and the first of June they go down 
again to a depth of about six inches to pupate. After a prepupal 
period of about six days they molt and the pupal stage begins. This 
lasts about two weeks.

“There is at present no effective natural control of this insect in 
New Haven, and reliance must be placed on insecticides. Lead arse­
nate and carbon bisulphide have given good control in lawns where 
properly applied. The latter is used in the form of an emulsion con­
taining 70 per cent carbon bisulphide diluted 200 times with water 
and applied at the rate of three pints of diluted material to the square 
foot of surface. This insecticide is effective for a short time only, 
however, and lead arsenate gives a more permanent control. This 
may be applied to the surface of the lawn at the rate of two pounds 

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Vol. 10, No. 10

to 100 square feet of surface and worked into the soil to a depth of 
one inch. It may be used in a top-dressing of loam at the same rate, 
or it may be applied as a suspension in water at the rate of three 
pounds to 100 square feet of surface.”

Circular 178, issued by the bureau of statistics and inspection of 
the New Jersey State Department of Agriculture, Trenton, N. J., 
entitled “The Asiatic Beetles in New Jersey,” was prepared by Edgar 
G. Rex, director of the office of Japanese beetle suppression.

The author calls attention to the fact that “three species of beetles 
of Asiatic origin are now known to be existent within the State of 
New Jersey. Their rate of increase in numbers, in this state, has 
been relatively unimpeded because of the general absence of their 
natural parasitic enemies. Thriving under such conditions, the popu­
lation of the beetles of these three species has grown to the extent 
that their status, as insects of the damaging type, is well established.” 
These three Asiatic beetles are the Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica, 
Newm.), the Asiatic beetle (Anomala orientalis, Waterh.), and 
the Asiatic garden beetle (Autoserica castanea, Arr.).

The circular contains colored plates and drawings executed by 
Robert J. Sim, of the United States Bureau of Entomology’s research 
laboratories at Moorestown, N. J., which enable the layman to get a 
clear conception of the differences between these three destructive 
beetles.

The Japanese beetle is well known to the readers of our Bulletin, 
since the Green Section gave financial support for some of the experi­
mental work on the control of this insect. Reports of this work have 
been made from time to time in previous issues of the Bulletin.

The Asiatic beetle and the Asiatic garden beetle are not as well 
known to our readers, and we suggest that those who are in the region 
where these insects are likely to occur secure a copy of this circular 
in order that they may recognize the three species if they occur in 
new districts. The circular contains maps of New Jersey showing 
the areas in which these three species of insects are known to occur. 
The circular briefly summarizes the information available on the dis­
tribution and life history of the beetle, which is given in greater detail 
in Bulletin 304 of the Connecticut Station, reviewed above. The cir­
cular recommends a lighter application of arsenate of lead than is 
recommended in the Connecticut bulletin. It states:

“The application of dry commercial lead arsenate to lawns at the 
rate of five pounds to 1,000 square feet should provide larval control 
for a period of three to four years. This material may be applied any 
time during the growing season. The use of moist soil or sand may 
be found advantageous in adding bulk to the lead arsenate, thereby 
facilitating spreading.

“The beetle or adult stage appears about June 25 and persists until 
the latter part of August. The beetle is extremely inactive, flies for 
very short distances, and does very little feeding. It therefore seldom 
becomes necessary to protect vegetation against the beetle feedings.”
The Asiatic garden beetle was first found in this country in a 
nursery near Rutherford, N. J., in 1921. The spread of the beetle has 
been slow, but the multiplication of its number in a restricted area 
has indicated that it is an insect of minor destructive capabilities. 
Observations in New Jersey have failed to establish the fact that the 
larvae of this insect are responsible for extensive lawn damage. 

October, 1930

189

Feeding of these larvae at different levels from 1 to 2 inches below the 
surface usually enables the grasses, the roots of which have been 
damaged, to establish themselves. The adults emerge from the 
ground about July 1 and persist until about September 1. They fly 
about only during dusk and night time when the air temperature is 
70 degrees Fahrenheit or above. In warm evenings and nights the 
beetles are very active and feed on the leaves of a variety of orna­
mental plants. They respond readily to the attraction of light and 
are found in large numbers around street lamps. The spraying of 
ornamental foliage with coated arsenate of lead at the rate of 2 
pounds to 25 gallons of water may provide the necessary protection.

“A fourth Scarabaeidae beetle of Asiatic origin (Serica, similis, 
Lew.) is known to occur in this country. Although having been found 
on Long Island, it has not yet been reported in New Jersey.”

Circular 117, issued in June, 1930, by the United States Depart­
ment of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., entitled “The Asiatic Beetle, 
a Serious Pest in Lawns,” was written by H. C. Hallock, associate 
entomologist of the Bureau of Entomology. This circular, like the 
two publications abstracted above, refers to the early reports of the 
Asiatic beetle in Japan and Hawaii and tells of the spread of the in­
sect in the United States. It describes the feeding habits of the adult 
insects and of the larvae or grubs which live in the soil. The author 
reports that as many as 550 grubs of this insect have been found in 
one square foot of turf. Concerning the extent of the damage caused 
by this insect, he writes:

“The total area of turf injured in New York State in 1928 was 
approximately 15 acres of lawn at widely separated points on Long 
Island and the lawns on about 12 blocks in Westchester County cities. 
During 1929 the area in the eastern part of the United States known 
to be infested with the Asiatic beetle suffered from a drought un­
usually severe for this section of the country. The lawns in this area 
were burned brown, and large patches on these lawns were perma­
nently injured. Many eggs and young larvae of the Asiatic beetle 
died during the dry summer. As a result of these weather condi­
tions of 1929 only about 5 per cent as much injury to lawns by the 
grub of this beetle was apparent in that year as during the preced­
ing year.

“The damage on the estate of the late Elbert Gary, at Jericho, on 
Long Island, illustrates the destructiveness of this insect. Here 5,000 
pounds of arsenate of lead was used to secure grub-proof turf on ap­
proximately 3’4 acres of lawn during the years 1926, 1927, and 1928, 
and there still remained about 2 acres of untreated lawn where the 
turf was ruined. The infested area at New Haven, Conn., covered 
about 1 square mile.

“The larvae prefer unshaded lawns where the grass is kept short 
by frequent mowing. They also appear to avoid plants that have 
coarse roots when grasses with fine, fibrous roots are abundant.”

The circular contains a brief description of the insect and also an 
account of its development from the egg stage to the adult. This 
account is similar to the one given in Connecticut Bulletin 304, as 
described above.

Concerning the adult beetles it is stated:
“The flight is rather swift and short, usually but a few feet, al­
though occasionally individuals have been observed to rise to a height 
of from 8 to 15 feet and to fly several hundred yards. On a few hot 

190

Vol. 10, No. 10

days, about the middle of July, adults have been observed swarming 
like bees over lawns. The flights were then short, and only about 
1 foot above the ground. When flying to a food plant the beetles 
generally alight on or near a blossom and soon bury themselves among 
the petals.”

The damage caused by the grub is due to its feeding in the top 
layer of soil. The author continues: “The grass roots are cut off 
about half an inch below the surface, and as a result large patches 
of detached dead turf can be lifted. When the weather is warm and 
the grubs are active a considerable number can often be found feed­
ing at a depth of from 4 to 8 inches. Feeding continues until freez­
ing. About October 10 a downward migration of the larvae begins.”
The author reports promising progress in the control of this in­
sect by the use of insect parasites. He calls attention to the remark­
able success which was obtained by introducing the Scolia wasp into 
Hawaii for the control of the Japanese beetle, which indicates the 
importance of parasite enemies. This particular wasp was intro­
duced into New Jersey in 1922, but was unable to withstand that 
climate. Concerning other parasites Mr. Hallock makes the follow­
ing encouraging report:

“Experimental work has shown that some of the natural enemies 
of the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, are also enemies 
of the closely related Asiatic beetle. Small colonies of three of these 
natural enemies have been released in the locality infested by the 
Asiatic beetle on Long Island. It is still too early to predict what 
success may be expected from the introduction of these parasites.

“In June and July, 1927, a black wasp, Tipilia vemalis 
Rohwer, which had been collected at Suigen, Chosen (Korea), by 
T. R. Gardner, of the Bureau of Entomology, was released near 
Jericho, on Long Island, N. Y. During the season 267 adult female 
wasps and 500 parasitized Asiatic-beetle grubs were placed in the 
field at the Jericho infestation of the Asiatic beetle, which is one of 
the largest infestations on Long Island. About one week after the 
wasps had been released, Asiatic-beetle larvae bearing eggs, appar­
ently of this parasite, were collected in the field.

“In August, 1927, another wasp, Tipilia popilliavora Rohwer, a 
natural parasite of Japanese-beetle grubs, which is now established 
near Riverton, N. J., was found to attack the larvae of the Asiatic 
beetle readily. One hundred and twenty-five adult females of this 
wasp were collected in New Jersey and shipped to Long Island. From 
this shipment 110 wasps, along with 266 Asiatic-beetle grubs which 
had been parasitized by these wasps under insectary conditions, were 
placed in the infested territory near Jericho. In the summer of 1928 
this colony was further strengthened by releasing 200 adult female 
wasps.

“A dexiid parasite, Dexia ventrails Aldrich, was found attack­
ing the grubs of several closely related scarabaeid beetles in Chosen 
in 1922. Nine hundred adults of this species were released in 1927 
near Jericho, where grubs of the Asiatic beetle were numerous.”

For artificial control, carbon-bisulphide emulsion is recommended 
for a temporary check of the insect. However, for a more lasting 
effect the arsenate of lead treatment of turf is recommended, based 
on the work which was reported in the Bulletin of the Green Section 
in 1928.

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The one serviceable, safe, certain, remunerative, 

attainable quality in every study and pursuit is that 

of attention. My own imagination would never 

have served me as it did but for the habit of humble, 

daily, toiling attention.

Charles Dickens