Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-05-19
TREATMENT OF INSECTS.
The Apple Worm or Cooling Moth and
How to E~xterminate 1t.


The worm which eats the apple
comes from an egg laid either on the
little apple, on the stem, or even on
the leaves near by. These eggs are
laid 10y a it'll, moth miller" called
the Cooling Moth, whose wings
spread about thrcc-quartcrs of an inch,
and which flies mostly at night. The
eggs are roundish white specks, a little
smaller than Il pin head. When they
hatch, the little worm (which is really
n catcrpillar) crawls around on the
! apple. but after IL short time begins
to eat its way into the fruit. About
thrcc-quartcrs of the worms enter the
apple at the blossom end. The cater
pillar works into the core. where it
feeds till it is full-grown. after which
1t leaves the apple to find n hiding
place, either under the bark of the
tree, or, if the apple has fallen off,
under rubbish on the ground; here it
changes its form. spins Il case of white
silk around itself and is quiet for a
time. after which it leaves the case as
a little moth, 10 repeat this history.
The moth comes out of us resting
stage. rs just described, in the spring
about the time the blossoms fall and
NV - bib Hl'1 II DtEillO W lay
its eggs. These hatch in about a week
and then is the time to kill the cater
pillar. The apple AT this time has its
blossom end pointing up. and the little
projections there (calyX lobcs). 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 mixing one pound with from
100 TO o gallons of water. and add
ing one or two pounds of Stacked lime.
This spray, thrown upon the tree. will
fall on the upturncd blossom ends of
the apples and be caught and held in
the space between the calyX lobcs
close, and when the worm begins to
eat in there, he is poisoned. After
the calyX lobes draw together it is
too late to spray. If. after spraying
much rain falls before the calyX lObcS
close, the trees should be sprayed
again. The mixture should be kept
well stirred willie it is being 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
a 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 anC
are hunting for u hiding place, by tax
ing off I'll tur loose. dead bark from
the tree and wrapping an old clotl
around til" trunk neal the lower
crothchcS. Ihc catcrpillars will hid,
under this and can be crushed by
hand; those which fall to the grOuno
in the fruit can be stopped from be
coming moths and laying more eggs
by picking up the windfalls and feed
ing them out to stock or by letting
sheep or hogs run into the orchard
Every caterpillar left to turn into ;
mOu. means more CaterpillarS.
There need be no fear of poisonin:
from poison left on the apples by th'
spray, it will be all washed off by tn,
rains before the apples are ripe.
The cost of spraying should not be
more than five or ten cents a tree
while the apples thus saved will b,
worth many times this amount.
This insect often works in pears anC
it would be wise to spray these trees
also.