St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-05-12
The CANkER WORM
no" TO EStcrminate the Pes. with y p,,
Green solution.

| Green solution.
"A correspondent SAYS: Il am IN
search of information conccrHi0r the
apple canker worm. Ny orch1rI hos
been infested with this worm for two
seasons. The orchard consist, Of f,nr
hundred trees. and | would like 70
ma out how to combat Them Can
they be destroyed by Il sc'u ion Of
Paris green? If 50, how i ,he BEST
way to apply it, and what is nc cost
OF the apparatus, and what Wi, !. cost
to keep them off Of an orchard of this
kind for one season, and how is the
solution made?"
There are really two species Of
canker worms, known as fall and
spring, but they resemble each other
very much. and, as both feed upon the
leaves, they are to be treated rracti-
cally alike. AS the female is destitute
of wings. their distribution is NOT
rapid, depending upon their lodging
upon men and animals for transporta-
tlo2 from one locality to another.
We have known them to dcfoliatc m
orchard for several successive Years
without reaching orchards on neirh-
boring farms, and we have known
them to dcfoliate portions of an or
chard for two or three years before
reaching ssother portions of the same
orchard
For many years attacks on the ver-
MN were confined to efforts TO pre-
vent the female from as cendino the
body OF the tree. Bands were tackled
around the trunks of the tree in the
spring, and these were smeared with
printers ink, coal tar or other sticky
compositions, and frequently renewed
when dry, but occasionally the female
would crawl over the mixture when
dry and hard, and so propagate the
species. 1t was even believed by some
that the male took the female upon his,
back and flew over the sticky barrier,
but that theory lacks confirmation,
Finally, man with a hundred-acre
orchard. fifty acres of which were
badly infested, resolved to try Paris
green. The effect was to clear the
pests from the orchard.
An infusion (not solution, for the
poison is insoluble) of Paris geen in
water IS the weapon now generally
resorted to by our best-informed or.
chardists, not only to destroy the
cank er-worm that eats the foliage of
our apple trees, but also to XII the
which picrces the fruit
with holes. One pound of Paris green,
mixed with one hundred gallons of
water and thrown in a fine SPRAY
over the leaves. will generally destroy
the lives of all worms that eat the
leaves moistened with the mixture.
In spraying an orchard of 400 trees
our correspondent needs to have every
thing as handy as possible Provide
! watertight tank or cask, holding 100
or 200 gallons of the mixture, and
mount it on two-horse wagon. Pro-
cure good force pump, which will
cost from So to $12 with short hose
having nozzle attached that will dis
ribute fine spray. To every 100 gal.
ons of water add l pound of the
poison. and when pumping keep the
mixture we'll stirred to prevent the
poison from settling to the bottom.
With two men in the wagon to drive
he team slowly, stir the mixture, work
he pump and hold the h ose, small
tream can be directed above each tree
o as to fall in fine spray. While it
5 essential that every leaf shall be
vetted, it is not safe to direct the
tream long against one spot. as toe
luch of 1.-THE poison will iniure the
oliage. But one side of row OF
rees can be sprayed to advantage at
me, but man. after becoming handy
t it, ought to spray that about as fast
s team would naturally walk. With
very thing working favorably, two
len ought to treat an orchard of 40C
'ees in day.
At Lockport, in this State, they have
vented machine which, operated
Y the hub of the wagon wheel. works
lie pump and stirs the liquid. With
lch an arrangement one man could
rive and hold the hose As there
ay be some worms not Matched at
lie first spraying, it may be neces sary
repeat it in the course of ten days
two weeks. especially if a rain
lould intervene and wash off the
bison. Be careful not to allow a
ind to drive the spray in your face.
-a 0 b