The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-06-27
Insect Enemies Of the Apple

eNdpOTaJeu.
Insect Enemies Of the Apple.
At a recent meeting of the Yves
tern New York Farmers Club Mr.
Greeman, of Lockport, whose de-
vices for entrapping insect enemies
of the apple have attracted atten-
ton and favor, was called upon and
related his experience as follows,
according TO a report III the "Ru-
raj Home
Mr.. Greeman had followed
fruit raising many years and had
come to the conclusion that he
must DESTROY the insects or they
would destroy his fruit. The cod
ling worm had damaged his apples
this veal to the amount of $4,000.
Had experimental to learn the ma
ture and habits of the insects. EX-
posed the maggot to a temperature
of two degrees below zero, and upon
taking it in Il warm room 1t soon
revived, but wet was disastrous to
him. Last fall carefully scraped
his trees, but it did not rid him Of
the pests, for they appeared in great
numbers the past summer. Hatch
ed out the eggs in boxes and watch
ed the worms to see what they pre-
ferred to hide IN to enter the pupa
state. First put in paper, and af-
forwards cotton, and observed that
they left the paper for the cotton,
and spoon their cocoons therein.
He then made bands Of paste
board three inches wide and a yard
long, which he lined with cotton
flannel two inches wide, lacking
the bands around the trees with a
small carpet tack. He first tried
them to zee where the worms come
from, putting three bands around
the trunk of the trees. He found
a number of worms in both the
upper and lower bands, bat none in
the middle, showing that some
leave the apple on the tree, and
others after they fall to the ground.
He watched the apples after they
dropped from the tree to see when
the worms moved, and learned that
they invariably move in the night,
so that poultry would be of little
use in destroying them. When
they leave the apple they would
crawl from their hole, raise their
heads and look around and then
make straight for the nearest tree,
roaming over it in search of a
proper hiding place. VIII not
crawl under loose bark unless some
part Of it is fast to the tree SO as to
shelter them from the rain. In
the autumn they will go to the
fences, crawling into very small
creyices, and seek various other
hiding places.
/. There are other enemies of the
fruit crop. The canker worm and
the winter moth, an insect very
much resembling the canker worm,
but a trihe larger, and the creep
ing crickets have troubled Mr..
Greenman. The latter eats into
the ripe apple, making holes which
attract ants and bees, which cause
the fruit to decay. He made a
trough around the base, filling it
with cold tar, and caught many
crickets and canker worms. Filled
with crude petroleum it destroys
the moths and otherinsects quicker
and they cannot bridge it over SC
readily. He invented cast iron
troughs, cast in two sections, which
work well. The joints are ce.
mented together, and the space be.
tween the trough and tree is filled
In with clay or mortar. They cosl
twenty-five cents each, but it i
thought they could be made of pot.
ters' clay for half that price. The
bands should be left around the
tree until late in autumn, and he
examined every week from middle
of June till apples are grown.