Litchfield enquirer., 1864-08-18
rom the New HavensPalIadiur ur
 Canker Worms,

The plague of the canker worm is upon us, and perhaps. therefore, few words on the best mode of avertlng the evil in the future will re- ceive attention.
 The use of whale oil in lead troug ghs may be made perfect prevention j; we propose to explain the reason why and the precautions ] necessary for success. The canker worm, as it is called is the caterpillar or young of a kind of miller. The eggs are laid upon the trunk and tue branches of the trees, mainly in autumn before the ground is frozen and in the spring after it has begun.to thaw. The laying com mences early in October and becomes most active in the course of November and early December. Through the winter it is sparingly continued,. some females coming out of the ground and climing the trees even when the ground is frozen, and many whenever there is a thaw. In the spring the females are again numerous, though far less so than in November
 The male of the: insect is grayish winged miller, about two thirds of an inch in length, and much like an ordinary moth in general form. The female is little shorter and much stouter than the male, and tithout aoings.- Being thus wingless, they have to crawl up the trees in order to lay their eggs on it's branches. In the proper season the females may be seen on their march up the trunk, though so like the bark in color as to require some little attention to find them. The males at the same time, especially just at dark, are fitting about near, the trees in great numbers. Some of the .fe. males blunderingly ascend posts and fences and the sides of houses, and in such places lay their patches of eggs. But in general they succeed in finding the trunk of tree, and es- pecially their favorite, the elm; and when once on the ascent, they continue upward until they have reached the extrenities of the branches, or else until the laying time, which usually comes from few hours to a few days after the ascent is commenced. The eggs are thus dis tributed every where over the tree from the lower part of the trunk to the top. They are consequently placed for the most part where the young as soon as matched (in May) will find food near at hand The eggs laid on the fences, and sides of houses hatch like others, but the young from these generally die for want Of food.
 The young from the eggs are the canker aoorn,s, ,and the canker worm is hence the young state of the miller, just as the caterpillar is the young of an. ordinary butterfly. These worms when they leave the trees in June (generally before or by the lOth) bury themselves in the ground where each becomes chrysalis, and in this state they remain, without locomotion or feeding until ready to emerge as perfect insects in October and the following months A single female lays on an average 75 eggs, and if each canker worm in a season eats 70 leaves the brood of one single female may consume 750 leaves. -s..---
 Now the fact that the females are wingless renders the troughs of oil around the tree sure means of destroying them; for the slightest besmearing of the body closes up the breathing holes arrayed along its sides, (cal1ed in science spiracles) .-........ .,....-...: f ....s... .
 But to make the method of prevention sure the oil must be kept in the troughs throughout the season of the ascent of the females It is hence to be noted :- e-rss. -
 l. That the oil may be blown out by the winds. t @'
 g. That the rains may fill the troughs with water so that the oil (which always floats on waterJ may be f1oated out. "-- -s e
 3. The troughs as put up are often not hori- zontal, so that all the oil goes to one side and flows out at the first rain storm,
 4. The troughs are often too shallow and the cover of lead above is too narrow to serve as any protection against the rain.
 5. The oil, when not altogether neglected, is generally'not put in early enough in the autumn and spring nor continued long enough.
 6. The insects sometimes fill up the troughs by their dead bodies before the season of as- cent is passed, and thus form bridge for af. tercomers.
 The following then are the rules to regard ed.
 1. Have the lead, troughs we'll put up and of good size. s-- .f.rz.z-e y
 2. In the autumn, put in oil as early as 0c- tober, and keep it in until the ground is fro, zen solid or covered with snow. l .---s
 3. In the winter, fill up again when the frost is out of the ground, even for few inch hs. -- 'la .s..- ...-. .r... .... ......
 4. In the spring, put in oil, as whenever the frost begins to leave the ground, and keep it in until the canker-worms appear. As the females lay their eggs on the trunk of the tree belo,0 the lead-trough as we'll as above on the branches, if the oil is not kept in until after the matching in May, the young which then appear may crawl up to their feeding place, 5. Examine the troughs once fortnight after the oil has been put in for the season and fill up whenever needed, clearing out the dead moths that have accumulated. 4s a; 5is6. Examine the troughs after every heavy storm. aqa st4@ #aE *lE 1slg5a !
 T. Fill tHe ttoughs each time from one- third to one half their depth, more oil is a waste, as it is so liable to be thrown ont by