Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-05-30

This caterpillar is well known to all, vel
all do not understand its habits. The egg,
are laid by nighthying moth Gig. p.
Its color is dull yollowish brown, or some.
times inclined to the reddish tint; is I'M.
usually thick bodied and hairy Its wings
are characterized chiefly by the front wings
being divided into three nearly equal parts,
by two transverse whitish or pale yellow
ish lines, and by the middle space being
paler than the rest of the wing, in the
male, while it is often the same color as
the rest, or even darker, in the female.
Riley says the color is very variable in
the western states. DR.. Fitch also no.
tees great variations, but in this section
do not find the variations very great, and
think all will readily recognize the moth
from the foregoing description.
The moth here described lays its eggs in
the night, when it may be found lowering
about the tree in August, or in the south
ern part of the state, doubtless in the last
part of July, in oval rings, round the
smaller twigs, as seen in Fig. &c. These
egg rings contain some three hundred eggs
each, and are covered over with a mucil-
aginous coating which answers the double
purpose of keeping out the water, and food
for the young when they hatch, to give
them sufficient strength 10 crawl down the
limb to the first fork, where, by crawling
back and forth, they weave from n spin
neret in their mouth the tent in which they
live. From this tent they sally forth twice
n day for food, eating voraciously. On an
average, each caterpillar will eat two APP
pie leaves day. and no tree can long
live under such II vital drain. As the
weather gets warm, when they return
from meal, instead Of going into their
tent they will 60 to rest upon the outside,
as and b. Those coming in later and
finding no room, will crawl over the Sleep
crs, spinning all the time until they are
covered, and another story is added to
their tent. Thus from time 10 time it is |
increased with their growth, until their
food gives out, or their caterpillar life is
spent they lose their social habits, and |
wander off to find other food, which they
are seldom able to do, or find suitable places
in which to spin their coooons( sced). These
are light colored, with tinge of yellow,
and may generally be found attached hori-
to the under side of fence rails,
d. other protected places. They remain
IN these about three weeks, when such rs
nave not fallen prey TO the ichneumon
ly, as many do, come forth to lay their
,ggS as before described. The question so
'ften asked is: " How TO destroy them?"
will first tell you how you ought not.
some flash gunpowder on their nests;
'thers burn them with torch; while somel
tut on kerosene and burn. and others sat
rate with oil to kill them. All these
ncthods are destructive to the trees, and |
hould never be employed Upon mo-
nents reelection it will be seen that the
asiest and quickest way is to cut off the s
wig containing the eggs. S
As they are lain in July or August there '
n long period in which the farmer may !
esroy them, and as they are found upon y
nall twigs, near the end of Il branch, they b
IN be found with little careful looking. il
ftcr the leaves have fallen, on II frosty u
orning, the eggs may be readily seen us Il
dark band ON the twigs, as tho frost h
Des not so readily adhere to them. When IL
III cut them off always burn them. If a
is method is neglected, watch your trees n 4,
hen they first hatch, and with stick re- 4