Oxford Democrat., 1909-03-02

from the seeds of the apples used for
the manufacture of champagne. The
limportations from France to the New
York nurseries, for the month OF Jan
| nary alone, so be had been informed by
the New York authorities, contained
1900 nests of the brown-tail moth, which
New York does not now have.
After describing some orchards which
he bad visited, which were under high
state of cultivation, Professor Hitchings
took up the principal topic of his ad.
dress, referring to the severe winter
killing of two years ago. Last year he
inspected over sixty orchards, and in
all cases they were more or less diSeas-
ed. Following that winter-killing there
| is diseased condition, canker, fun
gous growth, which attacks the trees in
their weakened condition, as any in
fec ious disease attacks human beings
in au enfeebled condition.
The germs of this canker are in the
air, and in the fall they blow with the
wind and lodge on the buds of the next
years growth. We Can cure this dis
ease. On every orchard / visited we
had a practical demonstration of that
fact. Every particle of the canker
should be carefully removed from the
tree with scraper. Then use strong
solution of copper sulphate. When 1t
dries, give the place two coats of lead
and oil. Do not use ready mixed paint,
as the turpentine it contains Is an irri-
tant. The canker works quickly. Have
seen good, apparently thrifty tree, in
full bloom, dead in two months.
Professor Hitchings described the
proper methods of trimming trees and
protecting the stumps against infection
by fungus, also the stopping OF knot
holes, and mentioned an instance found
in their gypsy moth work, where in
hole in large tree were found 8OO0 clus-
ters of eggs, containing an average of
500 eggs each. Numerous questions
were asked him by those present, and
fully answered.
Dinner was served by Paris Grange in
the dining room, and the afternoon
session began early 80 that those in at
tendance might get home in good sea-
son. Professor Hitchings' afternoon
talk was on the insect enemies of the
orchard. Before beginning upon that
he mentioned the possibility of large
New England fruit show In Boston next
fall, and urged that If that is to be
New England show, Maine should not be
at the end of the tail. He also request
ed the assistance of the association in
making a fruit census such as the de-
partment desires, and for which 1t now
has no data.
1t il Just as essential, said he, that we
know our insect friends as our insect
foes. There are many of both. When
you are spraying for the codling moth,
you may be killing thousands of insects
that you did not even know had an ex-
istence.
After outlining the general life history
of a perfect insect In its four stages,
Professor Hitchings took up the brown
tail moth, and gave its life history, diff
ferent from that of any other moth we
know. The small caterpillars stay In
their nest all winter, protected by the
silk of the nest from the cold weather
Contrary to the impression of some, the
cold rarely kills more than few of the
outside ones in nest, and the brown
tail is serious menace to this section OF
the state. There is, however, disease
of the brown-tail that is even more con.
tagious than smallpox in humans, and
this is our only hope for eradication of
the brown-tail. He related inoculatiDg
1000 caterpillars with this disease two
years ago, and releasing them in badly
infested wood. In few days there was
not live caterpillar in that piece of
woods. Last year 10000 were inoc.
ulated with the disease, and this year If
everything is favorable larger number
will be treated.
Question from the audience: "Does
this affect the gypsyp'
"Not at ALL" was Professor Hitchiugs'
reply. "The gypsy is another customer.
have seen gypsies covered with the
spores of the brown-tail disease, but
they could not penetrate the thick skin
of the caterpillars. We have to spray
for the gypsy now with arsenate of lead.
He has got 80 that Paris green is just a
good salad for him"
There was a laugh at this, but the
speaker practically reiterated his state
ment, and mentioned instances where he
had seen gypsies eating Paris green with
apparent relish.
/
which work upon caterpillars. Some
parasites have been seen upon the
brown-tail, and on the forest tree cater
pillars which did so much damage to the
hard wood growth last year they were
very thick, 80 that don't think We shall
be troubled another year. In October
made some examination, and In my
opinion not over one per cent OF the
caterpillars were then alive.
The question was here asked II the
hard wood trees stripped by this cater.
pillar were going to be killed, and
Professor Hitchings replied in the mega
tive. Deciduous trees will stand three
successive strippings. Evergreen trees,
on the contrary, are killed by one strip
ping. That is why we dread the gypsy:
Once let it get away from US, and it will
be goodbye to Maine pine and spruce.
OF the perhaps 200 varieties of orchard
insects, we are seriously concerned with
only few, and there are many OF which
you have probably never suspected the
existence. OF the common, long known
ones, the speaker mentioned few.
The railroad worm, or trypeta, there
is no known way of combating except
by keeping the apples picked up and
fed to sheep or hogs, or keeping the
animals in the orchard to eat the fruit
Spraying does not reach them. When !
moved back to the farm, / found the or.
chard badly infested with trypeta. ]
set the children to picking up the ap.
pies, and In three years time the trypeta
had practically disappeared.
The codling moth Is one of the best
known of our enemies. 1t can not be
caught by pstens traps or such devices,
which are delusion.
The apple borer can only be fought
by watching for the signs Of his work al
the foot of the tree, and killing the
borer the 6rst year of his life, before be
has done any really serious damage.
Few orchardi4ts perhaps know thai
there Is such pest as the bud moth
He works by night, cutting of the buds
and going back into the ground by day
The climbing cutworm works the same
way, and Is not seen by day at all.
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