Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-01-01

very often before the grub leaves
the apple The moth is a night
moth have seen them in an empty room
in which there were apples the previous
year, and in which empty cases remained,
showing clearly that the grubs will live
and come to maturity in any sheltered
place. Then the moth does its work of de-
struction by night. | have seen the egg
when recently laid, and have marked it by
sticking a gooseberry thorn in the apple
near the egg, and watched it until | cut
the grub out full grown. | have not seen
any recent traces OF the moth after about
the middle of March, at which time we
had little cold rain, which rain, | be-
lieve, destroyed the grub in the apple by
filling the holes with water. Pears and
plums are also affected by the grub. here
beg leave to make few suggestions. | be-
lieve the present is very good time for
destroying the grub as in many gardens
they can be found in great numbers under
the old bark that is on the trees. / have
taken as many as twenty-seven from under
the old bark of one tree, and | believe
there were many other such trees in the
garden. The old bark (every crack and
crevice) should be searched for the grubs.
As soon as the apples are seen affected
on the trees they should be taken off
and destroyed. A good large hay band
should be tied around the trunk
of the tree while the apples are
growing at the hight of about one foot
from the ground the grubs will shelter in
the bands, which should be taken off every
two or three weeks and burned. ] believe
10 bo IL,
this means, as they certainly make for the
tree for shelter. l believe it would be a
good way to burn naked lights on fine
! night in the garden-see how many moths
are destroyed by rushing into the glare of
a candle. | know from visiting many
gardens about Hobart Town that some
men have lost one-h half, and many have
lost one-third of their crop of fruit this
year by the grub. l know one man who l
believe had fully one hundred bushels of
apples destroyed by the grub one half of
these or more he gathered off the trees or
the ground and threw them in the street,
the remainder he put in heap in an adj
joining paddock. Now, this is not the
way to keep the grub under. l asked an
other man why he did not get those grubby
apples off the trees? He said: Il don't
| keep them as a source of revenue. An
other man, IN answer to similar question,
said Il cannot bother with them-if they
leave me enough for my use | don't care.
| Now these are the kind of men that the
industrious fruit-grower seeks protection
against. If the grub gets to the Huon, it
is my opinion the Huon people will never
rid themselves of it.
| Thomas johnson also writes to the Com
mission, giving a description of the larva,
| and concludes sc With regard to the means
of destroying it can offer no suggestion.
| My attempt to catch the moths with Ian
tern, etc., was failure, although there
were hundreds of moths flying about.
| They have extended their circle very fast
this last two years. do not think eight
miles would inclose them about Hobart
| Town"
What remedies have been tried in Cali
| fornia? In cur pamphlet dated January
6, 1879, we recommended as the most con-
venient a solution of sulphur and lime to
wash the trees with. On application it
was not as effectual as we could wish. 1t
would clean the tree; washed off all insect
life excepting the larva we wanted to de-
stroy. 1t would not kill the larva OF the
codling moth, but would possibly prevent
it from assuming the pupa.
REMEDY FOUND.
With the assistance of David NJ Dunno,
of the firm of Messrs. Hutchings & Co.,
Phoenix Oil Works, San Francisco, con-
centrated wash was produced, consisting
of whale oil soap, sulphur, etc., which
will destroy the larva or chrysalids of this
pest. 1t has been practically tested on an
extensive scale. Result easily described.
1t kills the larya, improves tie tree, and
the cost is only nominal.
| We will mention here that we are under
obligation to John Cox of Sutterville and
T. B. Flint of Riverside, both places in
Sacramento county, and also to George d.
Kellogg, OF Newcastle, Placer county, for
assisting us in every manner they could in
making the experiments, which have
proved successful
We will say frankly to fruit-growers,
where orchards are affected by this pest,
| to clean your orchard will take time and