Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1881-05-27
fhe Apple Worm.

The apple-Norm is among the worst
enemies with which the fruit-grower
has to contend; llvingas it does, hidden
from view, IL is not very often de-
stroycd by either birds or insects. II
docs not coniine It's attacks to the apple,
but also infests crab4apples, pears,
peaches, and even plums. The last
brood of worms spin their cocoons in
the autumn and remain in them un-
changed until the following spring,
when they are changed to chrysalides,
and about two weeks later TO moths;
the latter are commonly called "codling-
moths" About the middle of May
these moths deposit their eggs singly
upon the young fruit, usually placing
them upon the blossom end, but some
times also upon the opposite end, and
rarely npon the sides. AS soon as
Matched the young worm burrows into
the fruit, casting its excrements and
other refuse matter out of the hole by
which 1t had entered the fruit. II
reaches its full growth in about one
month, and then measures about one
half an inch in length. Its body is pro-
vided with sixteen feet, is of yellow
ish color, usually tinged with pink, and
dark-colored spots; the head and spot
on top OF the first segment are polished
brown. When about to assume the
chrysalis form the worm deserts the
fruit and crawls beneath piece of
loose bark, or any other object which
offers it shelter, and after gnawing
out an oval cavity spins therein thin
whitish cocoon. There are two broods
of these worms produced in one year,
but these broods overlap each other, so
that worms of all sizes may be found at
almost any season of the year, The
fruit infested by the worms of the first
brood usually falls to the ground
before the worms have deserted
it, but that infested by those of
the second brood usually remains upon
the trees until harvested, and the
worms are thus carried to the store
house or cellar.
In our warfare upon this insect our
first work in the spring should be to
carefully examine the bins and barrels
in which the apples have been stored
and destroy all of the worms and CO.
coons that can be found; this can
probably be done the easiest by the use
of hot water. Later in the season the
ground beneath the infested trees
Should be examined daily, and the
fallen apples gathered and either fed to
the hogs, or such use made of them as
will destroy the worms which they con-
tain; or, If the hogs are allowed to run
in the orchard, they will devour the
fallen fruit, and thus saveus the trouble
of gathering it.
Prof A. j. Cook, of the Michigan
Agricultural College, recommends thor
with solution of Paris-green, or Lon
don-purple and water, using two table,
spoonfuls of the former, or one of the
latter, to two gallons of water. He
states that on the 25th of May, and
again on the Goth of June, he thor
oughly sprayed the same Siberian crab
apple trees with this liquid; the fruit
of the trees had been seriously injured
whenever they had borne in previous
years, yet a careful search made on the
10Th of the following August failed to
discover single injured apple, al.
though the fruit on other trees only q
few yards off, but not treated with this
liquid, were very much infested with
the worms, one-fourth to one-half be-
ing wormy. To ascertain whether the
fruit had retained any of the poison, he
cut off pieces from some that grew il
places that had been sprayed so much
as to destroy the foliage, and sent then
TO chemist; the latter could find nj
traces of the poison, it having been ap
piled so early in the season that the
rains had washed it all off before the
fruit matured. A safer plan is to place
around the trunk of the infested trees
bandages of paper, beneath which
many of the worms will crawl and spin
their cocoons. For this purpose com
mon straw wrapping paper may be used
it is usually sold in sheets 1Sx20 inches
and each sheet folded thrice upon itsel
gives eight layers, between two ant
three inches wide, and long enough t.
reach around most ordinary trees
Pass one of these around the trunk o
each infested tree and fasten with {
tack. This should be done about tn,
first week in June; about two week
J afterward they should be carefully re
) moved, and the larvae and pupe fount
beneath them destroyed, and, as th
larvs are sometimes hidden within tn
; folds of the bandages, some methot
must be adopted that will destroy these
AS the bandages Rre so cheap, the
may be burned aid replaced with ney
: ones; or quantity of them may be col
lected in basket and taken to som
convenient place and be run through
clothes-wringer, and then be replace
upon the trees. The great drawbacI
to this method is that the worms ar
not destroyed until they have done a
the damage they are capable of doing
Although much safer in its application
than Prof. Cooks method, it is not nea
so effective, since the latter not onl
destroys the worms before they hav
!. had time to injure the fruit very muc
: but also destroys the canker-worms an
:. other leaf-eating insects. w. Ct
:. qutllette, in Germantown Telegraph.