Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-07-03
Cooling Moth or Apple worm,


Ina recent bulletin Of the Ohio Ag-
ricultural Experiment Station, Mr..
Clarence NJ. Weed discussed the insect
as follows:
Professors. A. Forbes, the State En-
tomologist Of Illinois, estimates that
for the state alone there may fairly be
attributed to the depredations OF this
insect an annual loss Of four and three
quarters millions Of dollars "a, ,750, ,0O0);
and probably the loss In Ohio Is equally
as great, II not greater. Fortunately,
however, II has been concluslvely
proven that large proportion Of this
may be saved by the simple process Of
spraying the trees early In the season
with q mixture Of London purple or
Paris green and water. in q manner
presently to be described.
The life history Of the codling moth
Is too well known to need more than
the briefest recapitulation. The small
chocolate moth deposits its eggs in the
spring in the blossom end of the young
apple, before the latter has turned
down on Its stem. From this egg there
matches a small worm or caterpiller,
which nibbles at the skin of the fruit
and eats Its way toward the core. Here
1t continues feeding as the apple devel-
opes, increasing in size until at the end
of three or four weeks 1t Is about three
fourths of an inch long. 1t has now
finished Its caterpiller growth, and
leaving the apple finds some crevice in
the bark where 1t spins rather slight
silken cocoon in which 1t changes to
pupa. 1t remains in this condition for
about q fortnight, when 1t emerges
as moth like the one by which the
original egg was laid. Thus the life
cycle Is completed. There are at least
two broods In season.
THE REMEDY.
There is now known but one success
ful practical means Of preventing the
injuries Of the codling moth, and that
is the method Of spraying with the ar
senities mentioned above. That this
is a successful preventive the sister
sciences Of entomology and horticul-
ture both attest; and there is now no
good reason why the fruit growers of
Ohio should permit the destruction OF
a large proportion of their fruit by this
little pest. e.
This remedy has been in use for
years by A. r. Whitney Esq, one Of
the leading fruit growers of northern
Illinois, and also in the large orchard
regions of western New York. More
recently it has been brought into prom
inent notice by Professor A. J. Cook,
of the Michigan Agricultural college,
Professor A. s. Forbes, of Illinois, and
score of other scientific and practical
men.
The essential point in this method of
treatment is to have small quantity
of poison lodge in the depression Of the
blossom end of the apple before it turns
down on its stem, the supposition being
that the newly Matched caterpiller
gnaws the skin preparatory to entering
the fruit, it will eat sufficient poison
to be killed. This end is best accom-
plished by applying the poison in wa
ter spray by means of force pump
and spray nozzle, throwing the liquid
| above the tree so that it will settle in q
| fine mist. This should be done after
the blossoms have fallen, when the ap-
pies are about as large as peas. l be-
lieve that generally speaking one appli-
cation will answer the purpose very
we'll. unless there is washing rain
soon afterwards, in which case the ap-
plication should to repeated.
I prefer London purple to Paris
green, as 1t is cheaper, more easily seen
and in finer powder, and hence is more
readily kept in suspension. A safe and
effective proportion is three-fourths of
a pound to eighty or one hundred gal
Ions of water. Paris green may safely
be used In the proportion of one pound
to one hundred gallons of water. The
poison should be formed into q paste
with little water, before stirring into
the larger receptacle.
OF course it must be remembered
that these substances are deadly poi
sons, and all reasonable care should be
taken that no accidents occur through
their use. Protect the hands of the OPP
orator with close fitting gloves, and ap-
ply the spray so that it will not be
breathed by men or horses. Keep
stock out of the orchard for some time
after the application is made, and do
not spill the poison In quantity on the
ground where it will be accessible to
animals of any kind. Always keep the
poison itself in tight vessels, plainly Ia
beled poison, and out of the reach OF
children. . ..s e..
No danger need be feared from eat
ing mature apples that were poisoned
when the size of peas, for chemical an
alysis has shown that the extremely
small amount of poison that lodges on
the fruit is dissipated long before 1t
natures.