Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-27

prematurely. In parts OF some fields
the crop was thus almost wholly de-
strCyed.
The chronological record of the
orchard and the fruit garden is not
less eventful than that of the farm.
In extreme southern Illinois the
forest tent caterpillar (Cislocampa
sytUdticG) made a frightful inroad.
upon the apple orchard, absolutely
defollatlng every tree in large districts
1t also did great mischief to many
forest trees. It's injuries to fruit might
have been almost wholly prevented,
either by destroying the eggs upon
the twigs of the. trees in autumn, as
was successfully done by many, or by
spraying the foliage of infested trees
is spring with Paris green. or similar
poison, as was done with the best eff
feet and at but slight expense by Mr..
David Ayres, of Villa Ridge. Great
numbers Of these caterpillars were kill
ed by a contagious disease, which
swept them off just as they were ready
to transform to the chrysalis; but vast
quantities of the eggs are now upon
the trees, ready to hatch in spring.
"a large apple orchard in Han
cock county dropped a great part of
its crop on account of the injuries
done to the fruit by the plum curculio
(COnOtracbeLUs Tenuph0Y). There
is little question that these insects
were forced to scatter through the
apple orchard by the destruction, the
previous autumn, of an old peach Or
chard which had been badlyinfest-
ed by them.
'In southern strawberry fields, very
serious loss was occasiOned by the
tarnished plant bug (Lygus UineOId-
ris), which l have demonstrated to
ne at least part of the cause of the
damage known as the 'buttoning' of
the berry. The dusky plant bug
(DeraeOcOdis rGpidats) worked upon
the strawberries in precisely the esame
manner and at the same time, in some
fields being scarcely less abundant
than the Otker. | have found that
both these species may be very
promptly and cheaply killed by py-
rethrum, either diluted with flour or
suspendedin water, and also by an
emulsion of kerosene, so diluted with
water that the mixture shall contain
about per cent. of kerosene.
1.-The so-called strawberry root
worm of southern Illinois proves to
be not one species merely, but three
the larvae of CoIdspis bru1ned, Pdrid
dteTrin1G and tScelOdOnt0 pt6escens.
The periods and life histories of these
three species are curiously different,
so that they succeed each other in
their attacks upon the awberry
roots, instead of competing for food at
the same time. The three together in
fest the plant during nearly all the
whole growing season-CoIdSpis first,
PGTiG next, and ScelodOntH last. The
beetles all feed upon the leaves in July
and August, and may then be poison
ed with Paris green.
'The season has been specially char
acterized by the occurrence of several
widespread and destructive contagious
diseases among insects. Elaborate
studies of these have demonstrated
that they are due to bacteria and 9th
or parasitic fungi, that these disease
germs may be artifcially cultivated
outside the bodies of the insects, and
that when sown or sprinkled upon the
food of healthy individuals, the dis
ease follows as a consequence. We
have in this the beginning of a new
method of combating insect injuries
which promises some useful results. !"