The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1877-12-22
The Cooling Moth.

This insect is the most formidable enc.
my of the apple, and the loss from its
ravages amount yearly to millions of
dollars. 1t has for long time eluded
the efforts of orchardist, or most of the
remedies have been imperfect and unsuc-
cessful. Every season, however, throws
additional light on the subject, and tits
probable that in few years intelligent
fruit growers generally will know what
to do to save their fruit. The two lead
ing remedies in their hand at present are
the use of the paper-band trap and the
| free range of swine and sheep under the
trees. The former are more particularly
adapted to the younger and smooth
barked trees in the smaller orchards the
latter to larger orchards, after the bark
becomes rough and out of the way of in
jury from the sheep. In some instances
the two combined have rendered useful
service.
The easiest way to use the paper bands
is first to procure a quantity of cheap
| coarse wrapping paper, and fold it few
times into band about five inches wide,
and then to tie this with cord around
the tree at the middle of the paper. In
sects coming down from above viii hide
under the loose paper above the cord,
and those coming up from below will re-
sort to the lower part. The usual mode
of destroying the insects under these
bands is to remove the bands, crush the
Insects, and then replace them-perform-
ing this operation every ten days. An
easier and more expeditions mode is to
provide a soft-wOod mallet, made nearly
or about cOncave enough to fit the aver
age size of the trees, and to pound gently
with this on the outside of the paper. 1t
requires some practice to learn to do this
work effectively.
Sheep and swine have been employed
occasionally for the destruction of the
insects, but the success has been quite
imperfect in most instances, because the
remedy has not been thorough and con-
tinued. There are two important req
uisites for success, namely: l. To have
animals enough to keep the fallen and in
tested young fruit promptly and thor
oughly cleared away as fast as it appears.
For orchards of much size, the number
of swine usually kept is quite INSULT
cient, and when sheep have been turned
in they have not remained long enough.
AS a general rule there should be one
sheep to two apple trees, or correspond
ing number of swine, varying with their
size. These animals should be kept con-
stantly in the orchard from the time the
trees are in blossom till near the end of
summer. An occasionallturning in will
be of little use. 2. They must be kept
in continuously year after year. A sin
gle years operations will not be fair
test, as an orchard once infested cannot
be cleared in one year. If the trees are
young and the bark smooth, the trunks
may require protection from the sheep;
there is little or no danger during the
summer season of their attacking old and
rough bark; we have never known them
to do it.
There is another reason why the the
sheep remedy should be more especially
employed in the older orchards When
the trees are young they must be kept
cultivated, and there is then less grazing
for the sheep. When older, their shade
and the depth of the roots render cult
walton less essential, as the close grazing,
the droppings of the sheep, and moder-
ate top-dressing of manure once in two
years, if the orchard is naturally rich,
will be sufficient to keep the trees in Wig
orous condition. Where this thorough
treatment has been well kept up year
after year, the fruit has been fair, and
free from the codling moth, while other
orchards in the neighborhood have been
numerousiy infested.