The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-08-18
the CATERPILLAR PEST.
The Insects Are Making Havoc In
Many Gardens.

In Thursdays PRESS Mr.. Everett Smith
published an admirable paper on the cater
pillar cocoons that are spreading about our
gardens and shade trees, and urged that care
full attention should be paid to their extermi-
nation. The damage the caterpillar can do
was well exempllfed some fourteen years ago
in this city, At that time the worms were
spinning down from every branch of every
tree. and lying on sidewalks and door steps.
TO be crushed under foot by the pedestrians.
or brushed from the face and clothing nv
disguised men and women. They ate I'M ALI
the tender leaves and made ragged holes in
the larger and coarser ones.
At that time Rev. DR.. Hill cAledI attention
to the subject and recommended that sheets
of brown paper. covered with printers ink.
be fastened around the trunks of trees. The
great object was to prevent the worms crawl
ing up into the branches of the trees and
leaving their eggs under the leaves, upon
which, when Matched, the young could feed.
Many citizens followed this suggestion and
the most Of the foliage saved was the res ult
Oh following the doctors advice.
rs certain that the same condition of
things Will prevail soon il householders do
not adopt some such plan to get rid of the
caterpillars as the Doctor then. and Mr.. Smith
now. suggests. In passing Hon. w. L. Put
MANS residence on State street, the care was
noticeable that had been bestowed on the
noble trees in front Of the handsome man
sion. Broad bands of some kind Of paper en-.
circled each Of them, and this was covered
with thick pitch, tar, or printers ink Mr..
Bracket, on; Munjoy Hill, reports the
caterpillars swarming all over his steps and
under the projections Of the house. He looked
behind the steps and found the cocoons
packed in solid. The case of Mr.. Bracket
is the case Of many others on the hill. Mr..
Charles Mccarthy, on Danforth street, has a
very productive grape vine. The caterpillars
have eaten not only the tender part of the
leaves but actually attacked the fine stems
In the case of Towering grape, on another
part of the house, that still remains intact.
Mr.. Samuel Rolfe, the well known treasurer
of the horticultural Society, who lives on
State street, says he has not yet suffered, be-
cause he always looks sharply after
his garden. He, however, refers to the former
incursions of the caterpillars as a terrible
injury to Portland, which would have been
fatal If the people had not adopted such
prompt measures to exterminate the pests,
and hopes they will not fail to work with
will now. Mr.. George A. Harmon, the Jew
eller, says at his house the family spend
good part of the time burning up the cocoons.
A bunch of cotton, or excelsior, is tied around
the end of long stick, saturated with kero-
sene, set fire to, and applied to the cocoons
wherever seems. This treatment is sure as
far as it goes,-that is, wherever the cocoons
are visible and can be reached.
In the country districts 1t is harder to get
rid of the caterpillars than in the cities, be-
cause there are so many trees and so much
shrubbery to be treated. Gen. John Mar
shall Brown says he has them at Thornhurst
and they have to work their sweet will In
many cases. because there are SO many trees
to support them.