Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-06-21
cATeRP,llARS.

CATeRPillARS.
"Up and at them" that's what read
recently In one Of the agricultural jour
mails Of the state. How easy to write
such sentence; just ~ easy as rolling
of log, but how little the one who
wrote IL realized the amount Of work In
volved.
In ordinary years when We have only
the common tent caterpillar to contend
with, the work Is comparatively light
but in q season like the present, wher
bers the case IL very different. Ii is nc
boys play but hard and tiresome work
IL has cost me good deal OF time and
money TO do what have done but an
thankful 10 say thst we have accomplish
ed something; destroyed thousands OF
eggs and slso thousands Of csterpillars
since being hstched. Early In March ws
commenced gathering the clusters OF
eggs and went over some 600 trees large
and small, pretty thoroughly. IL was
trying TO the eyes and painful to the
back OF the neck but we had the salts
faction OF knowing when we came to
spray these same tres later on that the
forces OF the enemy had been greatly re-
duced.
When We first commenced TO spray we
used but ounces Of Paris green to 80
gallons Of water, but soon increased the
amount To ounces, finding that amount
much more effective In destroying them
and not Injurious to the foli,ge as we
used the same amount Of lime; five
pounds 10 each 80 gallon cask OF water,
We also used at the same time the regu.
la Bordeaux mixture for the fungous
disease called apple scab. After We
commenced spraying we kept at Il for
nearly = week, using 1000 gallons Of
water on nearly 1000 trees.
We had TO do this work just when we
wanted 10 be planting and sowing but II
WAS 'up and at EN-" as the editor said.
or let them have IL all their own way
and to that we could not agree. so we
adjourned planting for while aud have,
consequently, got considerable TO do 10
that line now. We have quite power
ful force pump and AN extension rod at
tsched 10 IS feet OF hose, so that We cau
sprsy on one or both sides of q tree OF
reach any tree where We cannot drive
the team very near.
THE RESULT.
On the trees where We used but
ounces 81 green Il took much longer to
Kill them and At this date they are sll
gone on the small trees and but very few
left on the large trees. Where We used
; ounces Of green, they are, with few ex-
ceptions, all dead or have disappeared
and the folisge Of all the sprayed trees
looks much better than those not spray
ed. understood Mr.. Chss. Pope TO
say thst after spraying about 400 trees
he stopped because the trees were bios
soming. At first We hesitated about
spraying sitter the trees were In partial
bloom. Greetings, bellfowers and early
varieties were much more forward than
other sorts, but we kept right on and |
have seen no injury therefrom, either TO
the fruit trees or TO my bees. noticed
thst nv bees-six colonies-were gather
ing their honey from other sources the
pollen Of apple tree blossoms not being
forward enough for them At that time
Had we commenced spraying three 10
four days earlier than we did, IL would
have been better. We could then have
annihilsted the whole tribe 10 very
short time. The facts our spraying sp-
parStus WAS not In readiness ss soon IS
IL should have been and We did some
planting when We ought 10 have been
spraying. There Is nothing better than
experience 10 teach person just what To
do aud when 10 do it.-w. =. A. Ia Maine
Farmer.