The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-05-25
TREATMENT Of INSECTS.
The Apple Worm OF Cooling Moth and
How to Exte rminate 1t.

The Apple Worm OF Cooling Moth and
How to Exte rminate 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 by little moth miller" called
the Cooling Moth, whose wings
spread about three-quarters of an inch,
and which flies mostly at night. The
eggs are roundish white specks, little
smaller than a pin head. When they
hatch, the little worm (Which is really
a caterpillar) crawls around ON the
apple, but after short time begins
to eat its way into the fruit. About
three-quarters of the worms enter the
apple at Inc 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 a 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 a case of white
silk around itself and is quiet for a
time, after which it leaves the case as
little moth, to repeat 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 Law
its eggs. These hatch in about a week
and then is the time to kill the cater
pillar The apple ut this time has its
blossom end pointing up. and the little
projections there (calyX lobesJ. 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
160 to 200 gallons of water. and add
ing one or two pounds of Stacked lime.
This spray, thrown upon the tree will
fall on the upturned blossom ends of
the apples and be caught and held in
the space between the calyX lobes
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 lobes
close, the trees should be sprayed
again. The mixture should be kept
well stirred while 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 and
are hunting for hiding place, by tax.
ing off all the loose, dead bark from
the tree and wrapping an old cloth
around the trunk near the lower
crothches. The caterpillars will hide
under this and can be crushed by
hand; those which fall to the ground
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 poisoning
from poison left on the apples by the
spray, it will be all washed off by the
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 be
worth many times this amount.
This insect often works in pears and
1t would be wise to spray these trees
also.