Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1905-04-12

which were Matched from eggs deposited
| last July, are huddled together some $50
| strong in the winter nests, swinging from
the twigs of fruit, wild cherry or forest
trees. At this time, by gathering and
burning the nests, much can be done to
stay their progress.
DESCRIPTION.
For the benefit of those who have not
seen the insects, the following-brief de-
scription is presented, taken from a special
bulletin from the experiment station.
The moths, not quite two inches from
tip to tip of wings, are white, except for
the abdomen, which is tinged with brown
and tipped with tuft of brown hairs,
small and dark in the male, but larger and
golden brown in the female, hence the
name. Both sexes are strong nocturnal
flyers, and'Hs lights have an attraction for
them, they sometimes fly long distance
towards lighted district.
In July the female usually selects leaf
near the tip Of a branch, where she de-
posits from $50 to 800 eggs. Some OF the
hairs IRON the abdominal tuft, adhering
to the egg mass give it the appearance OF a
brown felt lump. Pear trees are preferred,
but others will answer in their absence.
BY the middle OF August the eggs are
Matched, and a slight protection is spun
over the leaf by the young caterpfllars
They feed very slowly, do comparatively
little damage in the fall, and when
cold weather comes are only about a
quarter of an inch long.
Additional coverings OF silk are spun
over the nest, which looks like cluster
of dead leaves fastened to the branches
This is where they must be sought at the
present time. Up to this point compare
lively little damage has been done, but
| from now ON it will be a different story
With the first green buds of spring the
| caterpillsrs will emerge from their snug
quarters and feed greediiy upon the open
ing leaves, and whore they are numerous.
will completely strip the tree of its foliage.
FULL GROWN IN JUNE.
They attain their growth in June. The
caterpillars are about an inch or an inch
and a half long, dark brown, with
sprinkling OF orange. Long, fine, reddish
| brown hairs cover the body and row of
| conspicuous white hairs runs along each
side. Like the caterpillars of the tussook
and gypsy moths they bear bright red
tubercles on the top of the sixth and
seventh abdominal segments.
In loose cocoons they transpose into
| brown pupae about three fourths Of an
inch long. From these in July, the moths
with pure white wings and brown-tipped
sbdomens, emerge to deposit eggs for the
next generation of caterpillsrs.
Pictures are displayed in railroad sta
tions, postoffices and other places of the
winter nest of the brown-tail moth,
| underneath the black headline Danger
| These placards, with accompanying de-
scriptive bulletins, have been sent to every
grange in Maine, with the request that the
| documents will be read and re-read until
everyone within hearing has been made
familiar with the habits of this pest.
| HUNTING FOR NESTS.
! At the present time, Miss Patch, ento-
mologist to the station, is in the field and
on the warpath somewhere in the western
part of the State, where the pest is known
to have gained foothold to an alarming
extent Miss Patch is enthusiastic in her
work and determined opponent to their
inroads. She generally succeeds in arous-
ing the people whom she warns of their
danger, to greater activity in striving to
stamp out the dreaded moth. Occasion
ally she meets with those who are in
different.
Approaching gentleman not long
since she told him of the presence OF the
insects in his orchard, only to be met with
the apathetic response: ''Oh, well, IL /
owned the place l would soon clear them
out, but as l only rent am not partieu-
larly interested"
1t is safe to say that if this gentleman
should exchange places with some of the
extensive landowners in the town,
apathy would give place to indignation.
There is rule in France that if the own
ers of land are negligent in looking after
the nests of the browntail moth, the work
is done by someone else and the bill added
to the taxes. This pest has been known
in England and France for century.
''Fhese insects says one who Is in a
position to know. shave pained such q