Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-04-08

tree borer." In some parts of tn 9
country this insect is very abundant
and large patches of dead, shrunken
bark mark their presence in the trees.
The only preventative with which we
are acquainted is painting the trees at
least twice each summer with strono
soap. Of course the application, to be
efectual, must extend from the ground
up to and among the larger branches.
| Frequent examinations are also neces-
sary, and every grub should be dug out
and the wounds made by it covered
with some kind of wax to prevent decay
of the exposed wood.
The Tent Caterpillar. -This isone Of
our most destructive as well as common
insects. The large web-like nests of
these caterpillars, located among the
branches Of apple trees, are objects far
too common in all parts of the country
to require any further desert ption. The
caterpillars are the larvm of a small
rusty or reddish-b brown moth known AS
the CIlsiOcan1pd americana. The cat
erplllars leave their nests during pleas
ant weather to feed upon the leaves and
return to them at night. The stripping
OF the leaves checks the growth of the
trees, If it does not kill them outright
The nests with their contents are read
lily gathered and destroyed; consequent
ly there is no escape for allowing this
pest to increase or even do any consid-
cradle I'M to apple or other trees.
During winter, the eggs deposited by
the moth can be found in clusters
glued to the small twigs of the trees
and If taken off and DESTROYED there
will be proportionately fewer caterpil-
lars the following summer.
Cooling Moth.-Wormy apples are
common enough everybody viii admit,
but how the worms get into the apples
is not so clear, except to a few who may
have studied their history. The worms
so common IN apples are the Larvae of a
beautiful little moth (Carp0capsa 30
na0neltd) which was introduced from
the Old World many years ago. Soon
after the young apples are formed in
the spring, the female moth deposits
an egg In the blossom, where it matches.
and the grub eats its way into the fruit.
causing 1t after few weeks to drop off.
The grub crawls out of the fruit, and
Immediately proceeds to climb I'D
the stem of the nearest tree,
and after finding suitable hiding
place under some piece of rough bark or
IN the crotch of the tree, spins itself
into a thin, silken cocoon in which it
passes the pupa state, finishing it's
transformation by the last Of July or
August, when it comes forth ready for
an attack upon the apples which es-
capped the first brood of the season.
The fruit is SO far advanced when this
second brood attacks 1t, that COMPARE
| lively few specimens are caused to drop.
| but what the farmer calls "wintl-falls''
among apples are occasionally quite
abundant. Ii the autumn happens to
be fine, and the apples are not gathered
until quite late, a greater part of the
worms will have left them before they
are stored; but their cocoons may
sometimes be found in abundance ia
the barrels received in our markets,
showing that they were wormy when
shipped from the orchard.
| Of course the first and most imDor-
tant operation to be performed in order
to reduce the number of moths, is to
gather every wormy apple as soon as it
can be shaken from the tree, feeding
them to hogs or otherwise making away
with both the fruit and their contents.
Ii so simple preventive as this one
was vigorously followed, these insects
would rapidly decrease in numbers
but farmers, as rule, are Negligent in
such matters, until forced to do some
thing to prevent total failure of their
crop. A more certain method of de-
stroylng them, is to put hay bands
loosely around the stems of the trees
and keep them there during the entire
summer. The worms as they leave the
fallen fruit and crawl up the trees find
these hay bands most inviting retreat,
and will generally rest underneath and
there spin their caccoons. All that is
necessary to do in order to kill them is
to go through the orchard occasionally.
and move these bands upand down suf-
ficlently to crush the worms or cocoons
underneath. The above are the most
destructive insects infesting our apple
orchards, but there are others recurring
attention, and of which we may have
something to say at another time.
/ Useful Household Hints