The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-02-28
Government Bureau Advo-
Gates Use of Creosote
on Trees
CUT OFF THE WEBS
BEFORE APRIL l
Burlap Bands Should Not Be
Applied Too Early in
the Season

Washington, d. G., Feb. 2S.-Tht
depredations of the gypsy and the brown
tail moths on the fruit and shade trees
of New England have not been so Sc
rious during the past season as in pre-
| yious years. Diseases and introduced
parasites have attacked the caterpillars
of these moths and have caused at least
temporary check on two most danger
GUS pests. However, certain new terri.
tory has been infested and the depart
ment of agriculture still considers it OF
vital Importance that aggressive meas
ures be continued to control these dam
gerous insects. 1t is therefore now is
suing farmers bulletin No. 564, entitled
"The Gypsy Moth and the Brown Tail
Moth, With Suggestions for Their Con-
troll.
The gypsy moth is capable of causing
enormous injury to tree growers. In
the area in New England which has
suffered most, thousands of trees are
dead as result of being deprived Of
their leaves by this pest. Apple and
oak trees have been injured most; pines
have also suffered severely. 1t spreads
rapidly and in Europe where it has been
longer in evidence it has become serious
ly injurious to many sections. The dam
age it causes is ordinarily not SO severe
as is that resulting from gypsy moth in
festation because the brown-tail moth
does not have so wide range of food
plants and, because the bulk of this
feeding is done early in the season so
that the trees have an opportunity to
recover before midsummer. In the terri
tory where both insects exist the cater
pillars of the gypsy moth supplement
brown-tail moth and the injury is there
fore greatly increased.
How To Destroy Gypsy Moth Egg
Clusters.
One of the best methods of controlling
the gypsy moth is to treat the egg clus-
tiers of the insect, between August and
April /, with creosote. A small amount
of lamp black is added to diseolor the
treated eggs, and it is sold in the gypsy
moth infested district under the name
of "gipsy moth creosote." 1t is applied
with q brush and penetrates the cluster
rapidly, destroying the eggs. Creosote
may be obtained in small quantities from
nearly all the large hardware or seed
stores in the infested district, where it
usually sells for about IS cents gallon.
If secured in larger quantities much
lower price can be obtained.
Cut and Burn Winter Webs of
Brown-Tail Moth.
The brown-tail moth can be controlled |
by cutting off its winter webs and burn |
ing them before the caterpillars begin |
TO emerge in April. These webs should
be destroyed by fire, for if they are sim
ply cut from the tree and left on the /
ground the caterpillars viii emerge and
no benefit will result from the work |
which has been done.
In orchard practice it is sometimes
nadvisable to cut the winter webs, for
where an infestation is bad it is likely
20 leave a poorly shaped tree. Spray
ng in the spring is not a satisfactory 4
-emedy unless the infestation is very
light, because the caterpillars, when they
,ccur in large numbers, do not allow
he tree to put out sufficient foliage to
lold the spray material. The most eff
ective method is to spray the trees be-
ore the middle of August, using from
TX to 10 pounds of arsenate of lead to
90 gallons of water. Before spraying
operations of this sort are attempted
are should be taken to determine wheth-
II the trees are well infested with egg
masses of the brown-tail moth, for If
he infestation is very slight it will be
more satisfactory to cut and destroy the
webs.
Burlap Bands Should Not Be Applied
Too Early in the Season.
Burlap bands, if not attached to the
rec too early in the season, are an eff ]
ective method of control for the gypsy {
moth. If attached too early, however,
efore the brown-tail caterpillars have |
made their cocoons, the bands afford an [
xcellent place for the cocoons. These [
aterpillars are poisonous and severe {
has resulted to workmen be- [
ause the caterpillars accumulate under 7
he burlap bands attached too early in 8
he season. {