Rocky Ford enterprise., 1895-03-21
INSECTS AND INSECTICIDES.
Lecture Before the Farmers Institute
by Prof. c. r. Gillette.
REroRrEp BY FRANK CROWLEY.

| by Prof. {. L. Gillette.
REpoHrED BY PRANK CROWLEY.
Il wish TO congratulate the people of
Otero C unity upon the freedom of your
section from injurious insects. Such
pests arc bound in time to find their way
into every farming or fruit growing
community unless very rigid measures
are taken to prevent their introduction.
You must take warning from the older
fruit growing sections and begin to battle
in time. In order to find means OF de-
stroying or preventing the attacks OF an
insect it is just as essential to know some.
thing OF its nature and habits as it would
be when you going on hunt after an
telope, deer or rabbit. So with these
charts 1 will point out the characteristics
Of the various insects Of general import
ance as they are taken up. First We will
consider the Coddling Moth or Apple
Worm, as it has already gained foot
hold in some OF the older orchards in this
locality and threatens to prove great en-
emy in the near future unless it is i'm.
mediately looked after. This is small
inch in length and when the wings are
spread will measure about ive-eighths of
an inch from tip to tip. It is Of grayish
brown color. The moth begins to fly
about the time the apple trees are in
bloom, and by the time that the petals
have all fallen they begin to deposit their
eggs, one in place,in the calyx end Of
the small apple. The work OF depositing
the eggs is done after dark, and this &C.
counts for the moths being so seldom
seen by orchardists. Probably not one
the coddling moth when he sees it. In
about four or five days after the eggs are
laid, they begin to hatch il the weather
has been warm. The little worm feeds
for time within the calyx, and then be-
gins to burrow toward the core OF the
the apple, in and about which he feeds
until nearly grown. 1t then eats hole
to the exterior and, il the apple does not
fall to the ground, it crowds out and goes
down the tree in search OF suitable
place in which to spin it's cocoon and
undergo its transformations, first to the
chrysalis and then to the moth or mature
with the worm in it, the latter will usu-
ally find its way back to the body Of the
tree in its search for place to pupate,
which ordinarily, is under the scale Of
the bark.
The worms from the earliest deposited
eggs produce moths about July 4th, and
these begin in few days to deposit the
eggs to produce the second, and by
| far the more abundant aud destructive
brood Of the worms. The habits Of the
second brood are identical with the first,
except that many OF the worms are not
fully grown when the apples are gathered
in the fall, and hence are carried into
our cellars or are packed in barrels and
shipped to market. This second brood
Of worms seek their places for pupation
in the fall, spin n slight cocoon about
themselves, and in this state, at least, re-
main as larvB or worms until spring,
when they change to the chrysalis state
and then come forth as moths about the
time the apple trees are in full bloom.
A great many moths can be kept out
the cellar windows to prevent the escape
Of those coming from the worms that
were in the apples when stored.
London purple and Paris green, a.
remedies for the coddling moth, have
passed the experimental stage and are
known to be most effective when properly
applied. They are best applied by mix.
ing in water in the proportion Of about
one pound Of the poison TO 40 gallons oi
water, and then throwing the mixture
over the trees by the use Of force
pump and spraying-nozzle. The first ap'
plication should be made as soon as the
blossoms have all fallen from the apple
trees, and it is advisable to make second
application in about week or ten days
after the first. If heavy rains come soon
after the application to wash the poison
from the trees, third application should
be made, but otherwise, the two applica.
tions arc sufficient. Applications aftel
the first should not be stronger than one
pound of poison to $50 or 800 gallons oi
water. II stronger than this, the poison
10 liable to injure the foliage. This in
jury, however may be prevented by the
the water look milky.
On account Of the habit the worml
have Of crawling under some object TO,
protection while undergoing the trans
formations and OF going up and down the
; trunks Of the trees in search of such 9
hiding place, they may be largely de.
stroyed by placing hands Of gunny sacks
or burlap about the trunks Of the trees
and visiting these once week to kill the
worms that collect beneath them. This
il tedious job, however, and must b<
result.
OF the scale insects the most important
!, is the San Jose Scale, which was brought
from Chill to California in the year 1870
and which has spread clear scross the
continent. There are none in Colorado
at present, however, and the nearest
where they are known to exist is Miss our
There is scale insect at Canon City that
very much resembles the San Jose scale
and may prove equally destructive. The
San Jose or pernicious scale attacks all
parts Of the tree, even to the fruit, and
works on all kinds of decidious fruit
trees. It comes on the pears from Cali
fornia and the way to get it into the apple
orchard from these is to throw the peel
ings under the trees, however the easiest
way to get this terrible enemy is by ship
ping in nursery stock from infested re-
gions. And here was given word for
the Inspector. The females give birth to
great numbers of the living insects during
the growing season, no eggs being laid
until late in the season when one genera
tions Of eggs are deposited to continue
the species the following spring. The
young insects have legs and move about
until suitable place is found when the
long beak il inserted and it becomes
stationary until fully grown covering IL
self, in the mean time, with secretion.
The males have wings but the females
have none and are blown from tree to
tree or are carried by the birds or other
insects. It is fiat, pressed close to the
bark, and resembles the bark Of the