Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-15

Codling moth. Fig. shows the worm in
various stages, and the perfect moth. Soon
i after the blossoms of apple trees have fallen
the moth, which is night-fyer, lays one OF
two eggs upon the flower end of the little
fruit The minute caterpillars Matching
from these eggs burrow down toward the
core of the young apple and feed there for
several weeks. They gnaw their way out
when full grown and crawl down the
branches to the trunk of the tree. There,
in the crevices of the bark, they spin their
delicate grayish white cocoons and trans
form to pupa.
In late July and early August the moths
issue from their cocoons and Law the eggs
for fresh crop of worms upon the now
comparatively large apples The new
worm passes the winter in its cocoon, and
the moth issues the latter part of April or
the first of May ready for its mischief
This is one of the most injurious orchard
insects in this country. 1t is not confined
to America; it occurs also in Europe, South
America, Australia, South Africa, and in
fact is fast finding its way wherever apples
are grown.
Feeding Them on Paris Green.
Some years ago apple grow ers used to tie
bands of old cloth or paper about the trunks
of the trees, and these afforded the worms
convenient shelter In which to spin their
cocoons Here they were readily found
upon frequent examination and destroyed.
Of late years, however, better remedy has
come into use. It consists in spraying the
| apple trees, soon after the blossoms fall,
with paris green or London purple in the
proportion of one pound of the poison te
| 200 gallons of water. This results in the
| depositing of a small amount of poison on
each apple, SO that when the eggs hatch and
the young Larvae start to eat their way
through the skin, they receive a poisonous
dose and are killed.
The results of this remedy are astonish.
| ing, and millions of dollars have been
saved by its use. A Virginia friend last
year sprayed one-third of his large orchard
and gathered 1000 barrels of frst-class
fruit; from the remaining two-thirds which
be did not spray he gathered only 1888 bar
| rels, which, moreover, were not of as good
| quality as those from the sprayed trees.
The Codling moth has several interesting
parasites, and the student need not be sur
prised if there should Issue from the cocoon
which he has under observation q slender,
four-winged fly instead of the expected
Codling moth. These parasites, however,
are not numerous enough to keep the Cod
ling moth in check.
The Beetles Under the Stones.
1t will be difficult to turn over an old log
or large stone in the fields without noticing
certain active black or green beetles, which
will skurry frantically away from the light
and endeavor to hide themselves again.
These are the so-called ground beetles, an d
they are among the most active friends of
the farmer. They constitute one large fam
lily of the order Coleoptera, known as the
Carabida, and they are as ferocious as the
tiger beetles mentioned in previous ar
ticle. Their Larvae do not live in holes in
the ground like those of the tiger beetles,
but crawl actively about, looking for cater
pillars and other sott-bodied insects, upon
which they feed. The beetles themselves
also feed upon other insects, usually upon
injurious kinds, so that the amount of good
which they do is very great.
The common species can readily be
found, and if kept in confinement will feed
for some time. have known one of these
voracious creatures under these circum-
stances to devour Is full-grown army
worms in less than two hours.
1t is difficult to rear the ground beetles
from the Larvae, but with care and persist
ence it can be accomplished
C. V. RILEY.