The Advocate and news., 1899-03-08
Spring Canker-wOrm

| IL Will not De long Der0re LnlS ueSCruC-
tive insect will make its appearance in
our orchard and shade trees. A descrip-
tion Of the pest and the best means of
combating it will at this time be timely,
and will undoubtedly assist many in re-
sisting the insect and preventing eXten-
sive losses from the same.
The canker-worm attacks large num-
Der Of our fruit, shade and forest trees.
In the records of the department it has
been recorded attacking apple, apricot,
cherry, peach, plum, oak, ash, catalpa,
and elm trees
1t is the larvae or caterpillars that in
jure the trees. Often the trees are en-
tirely defoliated by them. In slight at
tacks, the leaves are perforated with
small holes. But II the larvae or cater
pillars are allowed to continue their
destructive work. they soon devour the
pulpy parts of the leaves, leaving moth
ing of the leaves but the midribs, veins
and stems. When the damage has gone
this far, 1t Is then that the orchard has
the appearance of having been scorched
by fire.
The adults Of the canker-worms are
A4fOShos AO AAo4AGO dAAu LlO AOhAgAACo uAA-
fer greatly in appearance. 1t is impor-
tant that one be able to distinguish them.
The male has two pairs of wings; the
front wings are of brownlsh-gray color,
while the hind wings are Of light gray
color On the other hand, the female is
without wings, and Is Of brOwnish-gray
color, with black band along the middle
Of the back Of the abdomen. She might
easily be taken for spider.
In early spring the adult moths
emerge from their cOcoons in the ground.
During the day the males may be found
resting on the bark Of the trees. At the
approach Of evening they are often seen
flying about the trees in large numbers.
In some seasons they have been observed
about the electric lights in swarms. The
female moths are not so active. AS they
are without wings, they do not travel
very far. Upon emerging from the ground
they make their way to the base Of some
tree, up which they make their ascent to
deposit eggs.
The eggs Of the moth are oval-shaped,
yellowish, with pearly luster, and are
deposited in irregular masses or clusters
in fruit spurs or at the base Of the large
branches. The brown leaf masses Of the
leaf-crumpler are favorite places for the
depositing Of eggs. The moths seem to
prefer to deposit their eggs in concealed
or protected places.
Upon Matching out from the eggs, the
young larvae or caterpillars commence
to feed on the young expanding leaves.
The small caterpillars are ravenous eat
ers, and as they increase In size their
destructive work becomes more notice
able. The newly-hatched caterpillar is
of an olive-green color. The mature
caterpillar is about one inch in length,
and varies In color from greenish yell
low to dark brown.
When full grown the caterpillars aban-
don the trees, either by crawling down
the trunk or by letting themselves drop
by means Of silken threads. Upon reach
ing the ground, they work their way into
lt for few inches, where they construct
cocOons, in which they pass into the pupa
state. They remain in this state till the
following spring, when they emerge as
adult moths.
To combat the canker worm, spray the
infested trees with arsenical poisOns,
such as Paris green or London purple,
at the rate Of one pound Of the poison to
$50 to 200 gallons Of water. The mixture
should be thoroughly stirred while the
application is being made All the leaves
Of the trees should be reached by the
poison. II rains should follow soon after
the application has been made, spray
the trees over again. Do not delay the
spraying till the caterpillars are fully
grown; for by this time the damage has
been done. Spray as soon as the cater
pillars make their appearance
About the middle of March and from
that time ON, examine the trees occa-
sionally. The presence of the caterpll-
lars can soon be dected by iarring the
branches OF the trees, when the cater
pillars will drop and hang suspended by
silken threads. If the poisOns are pure.
and the spraying is done thoroughly and