The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-06-01
Habits of the Insect and How its Destruc-
ticn May Be Accomplished.

Habits Of the Insect and How its Destruc-
ticn May Be Accomplished.
The following bulletin, issued by the
Department of Agriculture at Harrisburg.
gives information regarding the apple
worm or coddling moth which will be Of
interest to those of our readers who are
fruit growers;
This insect does an enormous amount
of damage each year in Pennsylvania.
Figures showing just how much the loss
in the state is are not available, but the
Cornell Experiment Station has made the
estimate that the average crop of apples
in New York is 100000 barrels. which,
at Sl.j0 barrel, would be s., 500, 600. They
estimate that wormy apples form about
one-third of the crop, making the loss to
that state, each year, S2,5O0,0O0. To this
should be added apples so badly injur-
ed by the worms that they fall off before
being gathered. AS three quarters Of this
loss can be prevented at little cost it is
certainly worth while for each farmer to
save his share Of this sum, and the time
to attend 20 the insect is now.
The worm which eats the apple comes
from an egg laid either on the little apple,
the stem, or the leaves near by. These
eggs are laid by little moth ("Miller'')
called the Codling Moth, whose wings
spread about three-quarters Of an inch
and which flies mostly at night. The
eggs are Toundish white specks, little
smaller than a pin head. When they
hatch, the little worm (which is really
caterpillar) crawls around on the apple,
but after a short time begins to eat its way
into the fruit. About three quarters of
the worms enter the apple at the blossom
end. The caterpillar works into the core,
where il feeds till it is full grow n, after
which it leaves the apple to find hiding
place, either under the bark of the tree,
ur, if the apple has fallen of, under rub
bish on the ground; here it changes its
form, spins a ease ofwhite silk around
itself and is quiet for a time, AFTER which
it leaves the case as a little moth, to re-
peat this history.
The moth comes out OF its resting stage,
as just described. in the spring, about the
time the blossoms fall and the fruit "sets,"
and begins to lay its eggs. These hatch
in abOnt a week and then is the time to
kill the caterpillar. The apple at this time
has its blossom end pointing up, and the
little projections there (calyx lobes), are
separate; a week or ten days later they
draw together. Before they have done
this, but several days after the blossoms
have fallen, the trees should be sprayed
with Paris green. This is made by mix
ing one pound with from l6O to 200 gal
Ions of water. and one or two pounds of
fresh slaked lime. This spray, thrown
upon the tree, will fall upon the upturn-
ed blossom ends of the apples and be
caught and held in the space between the
calyX lobes. and when the worm begins
to eat in there, he is poisoned. After the
calyx lobes draw together it is too late to
spray. II, after spraying, much rain falls
before the calyx lobes close, the tree
should be sprayed again. The mixture
should be kept well stirred while it is be-
ing sprayed on the trees.
The moths from the eggs laid in the
spring appear during the last of July and
first of August, to lay eggs for second
brood Many of the worms of the first
brood that escaped being killed by the
spring spraying can be caught after they
leave the apples aud are hunting for a
hiding place, by taking of all the loose,
dead bark from the tree and wrapping an
old cloth around the trunk near the lower
crotehes. The caterpillars will hide I'M
der this and can be crushed by hand
those which fall to the ground in the fruit
can be stopped from becoming moths and
laying more eggs by picking up the wind
falls and feeding them out to stock or by
letting sheep or hogs run in the orchard.
Every caterpillar left to turn into moth
means more caterpillars later. There
need be no fear of poisoning from poison
left on the apples by the spray. 1t will all
be washed of by the rains long before the
apples are ripe.
The cost Of spraying should not be moro
than five or ten cents a tree, while the
apples thus saved will be worth many
times this amount.
This insect also often works in pears
and it would be wise to spray these trees
also.