Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-06-01
The Cooling Moth.
TU,.o,., A. Mo. Iga.,..

The Cooling Moth.
From the Maine Farmerl
am inclined to believe, that at the east the
moth is less violent in its attacks than in middle
| New York. where | reside After my agricultu-
raj address in one of the best counties in Penn
| sylvania, few years ago, Mr.. Schauber, well
| known pomolo9ist there, said che who preceded
| me has not half represented the evils of the cod
| ling moth" | had said that were the potato
corn or other crop injured to the extent the moth
does the apple, there would be a cry of coming
| famine; for often a third of the apples fall
pierced by the larvae of the moth. He said we
are reaching the average of two-thirdS loss by
this pest. Little did think then, so soon in this
| lake and GeneSSee country, that | should esti-
mate the injury at greater figures than he; yet
| estimate the damage done last fall in all this
great fruit region OF central New York, at the
| following figures. Total loss by the first brood
| of worms Matched from the eggs of the moth,
two-thirds of the whole crop. They fell in
August mainly, and were worthless. The dam
age done by the second brood, or the August
| laying of eggs, nearly the whole of the remain
ing apples. This damage caused the fall of
| large per centage of those left, but was mainly
| to be seen in the fact that hardly sound apple
was picked last fall. They shrank, were discol-
| ored, pierced by the worm of the moth and
though sold at high prices, had hardly sound
|. apple in a bushel. So that | am safe in saying
that ninety-one hundredths OF all the fruit set
/ IN the blossom IN the spring, was either total
| loss or greatly damaged.
| Now as TO remedies OF this; we have one great
| natural remedy, the stated and usual recur-
| renee of alternate years Of frutage of our APP
pie trees, with the absence of fruit alternately.
| And if this were an absolute law of the apple
| tree the cure of the moth would be perfect. The
moth cannot survive, so far as we know, year
without renewing itself by larvae, that is, it, at
the latitude of central New York. is being a
moth is laying its eggs on the forming apples
| in early June, which apples contain the Larvae
| of worms in July, and which apples fall from
July 10th to August 10Th. The second brood
are laid as eggs on the apple in August, and the
worms are in the apples in September, and on to
| January or March, Now if there are no apples the
| next June there can be no food for the Larvae,
and our savage, relentless pest dies for want of
apples to live on. A few will survive on other
| fruits, but the main crop of worms dies because
| it has nothing to feed on, and the second brood
1 also Hence it is desirable as remedies for
| this that we seek to aid by art the causes that
make one year fruitful and the next barren Of
| fruit
But what is the effect of the moth on this al
| ternate bearings. Why, plainly this; that the
| apple tree relieved by August list of much of
its burden of fruit, sets its buds, perhaps not
with full crop of apple blossoms buds, but
with more than it would, had not so much fruit
fallen. The next spring not full, but fuller
set Ofapples is had, and thus the alternate years
are broken up, and the apple tree bears more
nearly alike each year. And thus the codling
moth finds itself able to do, year after year, its
mischief more completely.
| At last the apple tree, as for ten or more years
past in New York There is no such place, as you
Yankees say so often, in your vulgar slang as
York state, or even what is as bad, "New
| York state), bear nearly alike, year after year
and the codling moth regels in our apples ap-
| parently, at WILL and is at its utmost deYasta-
ton. said apparently, because there is depth
| ofcodlng moth sin, even worse than this have
| just named. 1t is when the moth by this year
after year bearing, reaches such an even balance
OF the fruitage as now with us, and then the total
| loss, and the damage has become as said in 1871
from ninety to ninety-fve per cent of all our APP
pies.
1t is hence apparent that could we restore the
| alternate bearing years, then we could begin the
stoppage of the ruin, ana almost cause it to
cease. And it is 10 this point that have written
this article for yon at the east, and Others more
or less like it, elsewhere, for the middle states
and west that is, | recommend that, in all years
in which there are but few apples SET there be q
total destruction of those that do set, that the
moths be deprived of food Let then the bushel,
| or even bushel or two on a tree-the forty or
| fifty bushel in an orchard be-as early in June
| as possible, knocked off the trees these alternate
| years. This may seem TO many great loss, the
| whole apple crop OF year, especially as no APP
| pies containing larv@ can be brought from
| other places that year. And that mean selfish
ness that makes a man drink and be intemper-
| ate, that meaner littleness of selfishneSS that
/ makes him smoke, that care naught that bro
| kers, and merchants, and others, occasionally
have, will lead some, miserable men, to get their
apples, even If thousands OF Others lose theirs,
| and even he himself, in the end, too For the
present gain of few dollars, hundreds of such
| men will everywhere spare their apples, and
| thus perpetuate the codling moth.
The next best remedy is that like Mr.. Chaplin
of East Bloomfield, New York, our owners of
mi tor cvct ,nfI
of the moth, founded on good principles, and
/ with prospect of reasonable success; the main
| facts Of which have just stated. Long obser-
walton has taught Mr.. Chaplin that early in July
| the worms of the moth show themselves by the
discOlored spots on the apple, and hence hangs
| downward. And in his orchard of one hundred
acres, be sends at the proportion, two men, one
| or two boys, and collecting wagon. The men
have poles to jar the limbs of the trees, so that
| the apples bearing laryp in them shall fall. The
| boys then pick them up and put them in the
| wagon, and then they are put in hot water,
| steamed, or otherwise destroyed. 1t is essential
TO this plan that 1t be done.thoroughy and at
the right time. That time is as soon as the
| larvae are fairly at work in the apples, but not
| ready to leave the apples. If one waits till the
| latter part Of July or the first of August, when
the apples fall of themselves it is too late, for
| the worms come out of the apples at once, and
| enter the earth or grass before they are picked
| up. So July 10th and goth is about the times
| WING the worms YET are not mature, ana cllng
| to the apples. 1t costs the labor of two men
and one or Two boys for three acres a day In
| very bad years they cannot go over two acres a
| day. But this is small in cost for such orchards
as there are in western New York. And as it
| cuts off the second brood of the year almost
completely, Mr. Chapn's apples are remarkably
1 fair and sell well.
Such very briefly are the thoughts and two of
the remedies for the moth. The bands, traps
and other appliances may be good, but they are
not founded on as broad principles as these
| plans.
have but little faith in the power of man TO
| destroy insects. 1t is misfortune that we are
in the United States getting all there are in the
| world, and getting rid ofnone of them. 1t may
well be doubted if commerce by sea is any bene-
fit, if it curses by the introduction of evils we
are intolerant Of or cannot prevent or exclude
| These ways, and such as these, are the only
| ones that know to resist the terrible loss by
the codling moth of our apple, loss year by
| year worse and greater.
| z Ithaca, N. Y J. S. PARKER, MD.