The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1904-05-27
HABITS OF
COOLING MOTH
A Writer in the Denver Field and
Farm Explains AasnS of
ths Fruit Psst.

AAAhO AAAOSN NhNNA BAAAuAot NAO 1biiAhS
moth larva spius small quantity of silk
as it walks and this aids materially in
its progress by affording foothold for
the minute claws with which the feet
are provided. These claws are so
minute that the downy hairs of the
young fruit seem to aford even less
footing than is obtained on the smooth |
surface, Repeatedly in field observa-
tious young, freshly hatched worm
would suddenly loose its hold entirely
and fall from the tree. Doubtless
good many worms perish p this way,
The front legs are best able to hold on
so that usually the body simply swings
around and when the worm regalns it's
hold it then climbs upwards. Time
and again l have seen one start to go
around an apple and be brought back to
the upper side by slipping and finally
proceed to enter the apple on the upper
side. A rough surface seems to be pre-
ferred to a smooth one and blotches of
lime and poison are not avoided
In our breeding cage experiments,
which we're conducted in wax cell
covered by thin piece of glass, the
burrows we're invariably made either
under the edge of the wax ring or at
the point where the cover glass nearly
touched the surface o. the apple, 10
this latter case the worm could be OBJ
served under the microscope very salts
taCtorily. 1t first made silken car
pet and then spun series Of threade
connecting the glass to the apple, max
ing strong and almost inyisble eel
for itself. the silken threads being so
delicate as to be eeen only by the use OF
the microscope and the proper illumin-
alton. After accomplishing this pre-
liminary work the worm began the
process Of excayating a hole, the most
difficult part of the operation seeming
to be the first breaking of the skin
which would often require great many
attempts before the jaws would tear
through into the softer tissues beneath
AS soon as the first piece 10 removed
} from the surfeCe Of the ample theJvorp'
fastens it to the silken structure erected
about itself aud then another bite is
prel off and added to the first. This
is repeated until quite wall of apple
chips has been built around the burrUw
BY this time il has made hole nearly az
deep as its body and finds it nauegsaFy tc
| withdraw itself after each bite obtained
The hole is not dug straight down into
t the apple but somewhat obliquely and
, considerably larger than it's own diam
, eter. 1t is soon, therefore, able to TURF
itself about in the burrow and ther
only pushes its head out far enough t
| add to the chips already accumulated
on the sides and finally the mass entire
t ly covers the opening which it has made
Q 10 the fruit. Up to this tme the wor n
has worked necessarily and the stomach
has received none of the material re
t moved.
t Shortly after the completion OF th
= burrow, however, the digestive tract i
d seen to be well filled with chips OF th,
> same character, so far as can be ohserv
a ed. as those used in the construction o
the covering on the outside, 1t woulC
appear from this observation that by
far the larger per cent OF the worm
gain entrance to the inside OF the apple
IL before the poison can reach them. Ii
II spraying trees it Was observed that tn
majority of the worms died before going
IT deep into the fruit. This is in striking
II contrast with the history Of the worm
n in unsprayed trees adjoining, Their
u can be no doubt therefore that in som
Is manner the poison on the surface of tn
d apple reaches the worm after havin
i gained entrance to the fruit.