Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-05-24
Destroy the Oaterpillars.

If dogs are nuisance, if drunkenness,
small pox, and other kindred scourges, are
fit subjects of regulation by legislatures,
plague of no ordinary character We be-
lieve the annual loss in Massachusetts oc-
casioned by caterpillars is fifty times as
much as that caused by dogs And yet
the fathers of the commonwealth have new
er put line upon the statute book in rela-
tion to them have suggested no remedy,
passed no resolution, interdicted no man
from raising and scattering through the
land as many legions as he pleases each
coming year Horn pouts and pouts and
pickerel Shad and alewiVes Robins and
woodcocks Crows and wild cats what can
they all do to harm or benefit mankind, com
pared with the widespread destruction
caused by caterpillars.
In August when the nests of the vermin
are old and filled with their debris, thous-
ands of orchards of New England are OBJ
.ccts of disgust and loathing rather than
one of the most beautiful features of our
unrivalled landscapes. Tattered nests dan
gle from the branches Of the trees filled
with the cast off-skins and exuviae of mil
lions of worms, and, mOistened by rain, are
rotting in the atmosphere and shedding
their foul contents upon what little fruit is
permitted to grow, and poisoning the grass
beneath the trees.
In assisting in gathering several humid
red barrels of apples within few years.
where we had ample opportunity of MOTTO
ing their quality we do not believe that
more than one barrel of them in twenty
were sound. This mischief, and great loss,
is occasioned by our fruit growers neglect
ing to destroy caterpillars, of one kind and
another, as fast as their nests appear We
speak now of one kind only-of those that
have obtained such notoriety that they are
almost exclusively known among us by
the name of the caterpillar, and they are
the worst enemies of the orchard Harris
says: Where proper attention had not been
paid to the destruction of them they pre-
vail to such an extent as almost entirely to
strip the apple and cherry trees of their fo-
liage, by their attack continued during the
seven weeks of their life in the caterpillar
form.
The trees in those gardens where they
have been suffered to breed for a success.
sion of years become prematurely old, in
consequence of the efforts they are obliged
to make to repair, at an unreasonable time,
the loss of their foliage and are rendered
unfruitful, and consequently Improbable
But this is not all these pernicious in
sects spread in every direction, from the
trees of the careless and indolent to those
of their more careful and industrious neigh
bors, whose labOrs are thereby greatly in
creased, and have to be followed up year
after year, without any prospect of perma-
nent relief.
Use pole with brush, sponge, or rag
on the end of it. Dip in a bucket of strong
soap suds and poke it into the midst of the
oest, turning it round so as to wet them
all, and rub the branches about the nest
Wherever the suds touches it will kill
them.
We wish there was law fixing a pen
atty upon any person upon whose premises
dozen nests could be found in the month
of July, and that it was made imperative
upon the selectmen or assessors of everv
town to see that the law was enforced, Ev-
cry farmer knows that the destruction
caused by caterpillars is a serious annoy
ance and evil to the community, and yet
there are some--alas, too many-who takes
little or no pains to do their duty in this
particular. 1t is mistake to say that they
have no time to destroy them They have
all the time there is for any of us, and they
cannot afford to incur the cost of raising
trees and then suffer them to die before
their time, through the agency of caterpil-
lars
This thing ought to be a matter of duty
ana conscience. Some persons complain of
the enroachments of neighbor's dogs, or
cattle and very justly, too, perhaps, while
they allow their apple or wild cherry trees
to be covered with caterpillars enough de- |
stroy half the orchards in the land. "Con-
sistency is jewel" We suggest to such
story about mote and a beam in the
eye.-Ne1C England Farmer.
CRISP GINGER CAKEs-Take three pounds
of flour, one pound of sugar, three table.
spoonfuls of ginger, wet with molasses,
roll thin, cut in small cakes, and bake them
quick