The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1904-06-23
TIE COOLING MOTH.
1t Causes More Loss of Money Than
All Other Fruit Insects Combined.
BY D. F. SMITHSON.

by IL. ONIl I1toON
Every one is familiar with the inju-
ries caused by the codling moth, which
makes an irregular cavity in apples
and renders them unfit for use. 1t will
surprise many people, however, to be
told that good horticultural authorities
estimate the loss in the apple crop Of
the country on account of this insect at
from one-fourth to one-half the crop Ell
Their totally ruined or materially dam
aged, or, classifying injurious insects
according to the monetary loss they
cause, the codling moth would un-
doubtedly rank first among them as
causing more loss than all other fruit
insects combined.
At the last meeting of the Associa-
ton Of Economic Entomologists the
method of controlling the codling moth
by spraying with arsenate of lead was
very thoroughly discuSad. Mr.. Bur
CESS of Ohio told of spraying an or
chard Of about LOO trees, principally
Ben Davis, Minkler, Stark, Rome
Beauty, Jonathan, Rambo, Grimes,
Golden and Baldwin. The dates of
spraying were May and 8, May %
and July IL. With the exception Of the
May % treatment, which was followed
by much rain, the weather was favor
able for spraying, the days warm and
the wind light. The results of spraying
showed a favorable increase in the
amount of marketable fruit. Where, as
in some cases, bordeaux mixture was
added to the arsenate application, the
per cent of wormy fruit was consid
erably increased, which seems to sug
gest that bordeaux added to the other
spray diminisheS its effectiveness.
Mr.. Gillette of Colorado, who has
studied the insect for years, stated
that arsenate Of lead is coming into
very general use in his state. He has
used it recently with good results. He
fruit growers in Colorado were using
too large an amount Of lime. He had
been able to recognize only two broods
of this insect in Colorado. Where he
had made three sprayings he had in
one case reduced the number Of wOrmy
apples to 1.6 per cent, while the check
block had 31.6 per cent wormy.
DR.. Fletcher of Canada advised con-
sideration before dispensing with bor-
deaux mixture when spraying for the
codling moth. In his experience 1t has
been exceedingly beneficial in holding
several diseases of the apple in check.
The "black spot of the apple causes
70 IN, do
and has been effectually controlled by
adding bordeaux mixture to the spray
when treatment is made for the cod
ling moth. It's addition usually de-
creases the effectiveness of the poison
little, but he would not favor leaving
1t out even if a considerably larger per
cent of fruit than is the case were
found wormy.
Mr.. French told that a fruit grower
near Carbonate, ILL.,, who has been in
the habit of spraying his apple trees
eight times during the season with
white arsenic and soda carbonate Of
soda, has found for the past four
years only an occasional wormy apple.
Some Winesap trees were sprayed last
summer eight times with arsenate Of
lead, using three pounds to fifty gal
Ions Of water, and the fruit on these
trees was one-fourth to One-half small
er than that on the trees treated with
the other material.
Mr.. Sanderson thought the latter fact
might be due to arsenate of lead adj
herring better to the fruit and that the
trees were oversprayed.
Mr.. Cody stated that in Montana the
problem of controlling the codling
moth was to- keep it from spreading
into the large commercial orchards.
Mr.. Piper of the state Of Washington
advised four or five sprayings and said
Mr.. Aldrich believes there are three
broods of moths in some parts Of the
state.
Mr.. Sanderson has been able to dem
onstrate that in some cases in Della
ware only one brood existed. He sug-
gested that a second spraying, a little
later in the season, might give better
results. Mr.. Gillette reports having
found second brood Of moths at
Grand Junction, Colo, as early as
July II. 1t was referred to as a fact
by one of the speakers that the larvae
Of the codling moth are able to devel-
op on the leaves of apple trees and that
this would give the insect chance to
be carried over in case the fruit crop
was a failure.
Altitude and Temperature.
Commenting upon the fruit prospects
in eastern New York, the Country
Gentleman says lesson taught again
by the experience Of this exceptional
winter is the desirability of placing