The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1892-01-09

west. In the west it is reported more
frequently from Illinois, Missouri,
Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas, in most
of which states the soft maple is in
~digenous, a TACT which accounts for the
excessive multiplication of the insect
there as compared with the more east
ern sections of the country. 1t feeds
on other mapl,s and presumably on all
species of the genus Acer, and when
forced to from necessity will feed on
oak, though nominally never found on
that genus of trees and probably in
capable of full development thereon.
The eggs are deposited by the parent
moth in patches of thirty and upwards
on the under side of leaves The egg
is about 0.O5 of an inch long, suboval,
slightly fattened, pal. greenish. be-
coming yellowish. and showing h
black head Of the inclosed Larvae just
before Matching. and is Matched in
eight or nine days after being depos-
tied.
The larvae undergo four molts and
reach full growth in about Il month,
when they enter the ground and trans
from to pupa. The worms (a) are long
%itudinally striped with pale and dark
green lines. and are chiefly distin-
guished by two anterior projecting
black horns on the second segment, and
by having segments 10 and IL a little
dilated and ~rose-colOred at the sides.
The pupa ~ is of a deep brown or
black color. very much roughened and
armed with curved horns IL points
about the anterior extremity and also
on the last joint, which terminates in a
long forkcd projection. The pupp of
the first brood give forth the perfect
insect in fourteen to sixteen days. those
of the second brood usually wintering
over in the ground. In the west there
are usually but two broods in the year.,
but three broods are occasionally pro-
duced. The pupa, before giving out
the image. works its way to the sur
face by the aid of its spines, allow
ing the ready escape of the moth. The
moth is of a pale yellowish color shaded
with pink, as in h figure trl which
represents the female. The male has
a smaller abdomen and broad comb-like
EnteUNa. IJllitEcHl SptCliutuS vary
greatly-the yellow pr~edominating in
western and the rose-color in eastern
specimens, while others again, cspeci-
ally from the west, are nearly white.
Parasitic insects very ~effectually aid
in the control of the worms, which in
fact seldom occur W. years in success
sion in injurious numbers Spraying
with paris green or London purple in
the proportion of n pound to 125 to $50
gallons of water, as 500 as the young
Larvae are noticed, Oh a week or ten days
after the moths appear in the spring,
is at once the simplest and most effect
i've remedy. If the larv;e have beer al
lowed to reach full growth so that
spraying will be of no use, great mum
bers of them can be cntrapped and
easily destroyed, by digging a trench
either around the individual trees or
around the groves or belt. The trench
should be at least a foot deep. with the
outer wall sloping under. The Larvae
usually wander from the trees before
entering the ground, and will collect
in numbers in the trench or bury them
selves in the bottom, and may then be
easily killed Their numbers may be
reduced also by keeping a sharp look
out for the moths and eggs during the
latter part of May, when both may be
destroyed in large quantities Orange
Judd Farmer.