The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1866-08-04
The CanlAer Worm and its Ekav.
ages. -


We clip the following from the last mum
Der Of the Rockford LEICESTER. 1t is OF a natur,
well calculated to startle fruit growers, ant
we hope ours will be aroused in time. W,
have not heard of single tree or orchard il
this county which has been attacked by the
canker worm, but if any of our readers know
of an instance. we hope they will immediately
report the fact to US, and We will take steps to
wake up the community to u sense ofthe
danger that, would threaten. 1t is TO lie hop
ed that rs yet the canker worm has not made
its appearance in this section:
This dreadful sccurge, which Cor five
| years has maintained lodyment in one OF
our Rockford nurseries, aud which has been
| steadily multiplying its forces apd sending
| out its skirmishers, has now the whole coun>
ty of Winnebago under its occupation, and
every fruitful and promising orchard is now
threatened with immediate destruction. Every
effort has been put forth for the past few years
to suppress the fact that such deao-
ly enemy was in our midst and was being
distributed over this fair nOrthw west in the
yearly sale Of nursery stock. But now that
orchard after orchard is being killed outright
and every apple tree is.ihick hung with webs
Of the ravaging fCa, people begin to wake up
and feel alarmed at the devastation that has
come upon them. NJ. ShearSrd Leach has
cut down his once thrifty r-chard, DESTROYED
as it has been by the canker worm. The old
That cher Bake orchard is as dead as if blast
ed by furnace heat. The iOIv acre orci ard of
John Il. Herring, Of Darai:,.. warl., thousands
of dollars, has fallen pr, 10 This enemy.
The orchards of ). L. Crawford, u Winue-
bago, Simeon Harmon, JAS. aylor, aud forty
others We coaLi mention, whose owners, amaz-
cd and ccnlounded at this Wholesale des,ruc-
1f hay al tp-
dies and preyentives, have received fearful
yi.it:.,ion.
The fact is indisputable that hundreds of
orchards, that appear perfectly free from the
1anher worm hccaCse iLCy are not detOliated,
have the enemy lurking in the leaves Dc pos
:iing his eggs tor next sfring's campaigu-
mark the prophecy. The spring OF 1851 will
act show an orchard exempt ia Winuebaro
i unity. Consider then III: worth O!
THIS property that is threatened with speedy
destruction Farmers have plaatei orchards
very extensively, they have nussed N and
to,tercd ;lcm a. tLey have their chilirea
they have waited long years for the fruit
thereof, and now jus, or the eve &C their ex-
pcctei harvest. scOurge tina; might have
been ,uppre ssei and erad;cated had not pri,
vIte, individual interest oyerru'ed all consid-
e=ation fer the public good, threatens tc
annihiate them.
Dir. hnorlton, ih. nnrseryman at By:cr,
surrOundSI as he sees by the canker worm
neighboring orchards, wisely proposes TO
move his entire nursery stock to a region un-
visited by them. He declares he had rather
be ln.,rurnerta' il: spreading infected clothing
through the country, than scatter trees whose
b; rk Is covered with thousands of the eggs o.
this formidable worm. We commend his
honesty. The prospect l. a sickeniny one
for trut growers III WiEnebaEo county for
wears 10 como. We contend TIA: the lper,
yi>ors have Jurisdiction oyrr cases wae-a
There is d4H-e- -a.; C.aadn this'.s. c..l.er
worms or ANY destructive an3 foul pcst c,'..n-
hshes tee I ia q .oc4ii,T-aui theT hare ,he
ri-h. 6. il power - compel nurseryulIr 90
s:ap $ sales, If hy them be j. 'p-eadlug an
@Vi. worse than contagion. Bot the calam-
Ity IS upon as, aud The little that human
agency can do 10 Mitigate The damages we
will consider in "A future article.