Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-07-31

nod wings and ar least Iu, oycraee
/ power Of fight. They are OF an ashy
sray color with dark vayy band
across the fore wings, Ii small black
/ SPOT On the outer edge rear the tin. n
hiaclish stripe beyond ibis. and n min
ute white crescent near the hind angle.
The winss, when expanded. measure
about one and q fourth inches across.
The female has little OF the appear
nee OF moth. her Tfngs being re
duced 20 the merest rudimenys Her
thick. oblons-oyal body is of a light
gray color with rather long legs. and
is distended with eggs. When She
comes out she lays Der esq mass on
the cocoon from which she emerged
fact which makes ii plain that the
species can spread only by way of the
wandering caterpillars, or by the trans
portation of egg masses on young
trees, The eggs OF the last generation
are ordinarily produced in September
and the winter is passed in This con
dition
Many insect parasites intcst ne pu-
pa and do much towards holding he
species in check They are not u.s.
uaily abundant enough. however 10
control il completely In the fall of
1907 for example, one OF my assistants
reported that - per cent Of the co,
"oons of the tHssock-moih in the Chi
cago parks were parasitized. but the
caternllars were nevertheless very
numerous and destructive the follow
inc year Birds cat them. but not free
" enough in the larger cities to re-
aGce their numbers materially,
Three measures If destruction are
applicable to this pest and sufficient
for its control These are the destruc-
ton Of the egg masses in winter, band
ing trunks Of uninfested trees in the
spring, ana spraying infested trees in
summer The trunks and larger
branches of tree, rs wen as all OBJ
jects surrounding those infested the
season before, should he carefully ex,
ahmed in winter and spring for egg
masses, AMI all these within reach
should lie serapad or cut away and
burned Or otherwise de stroyed. Those
beyond convenient reach may be killed
in place or touch each esg mass with
a sponge or brush attached to the end
OF long pole and dipped in crude ere.
Csctc
AS Che insect spreads from tree to
tree only in he caterpillar stage, an
pnin.asied tree may usually be pre-
tectcd completely by banding the
trunk in such a way that the cater
pillars from adjacent trees can no,
climb beyond the band Sometimes.
however the branches OF trees inter.
mingle or touch in such q way that
the caterpillars may go from one tree
to the other without coming down to
the ground These bands should be
applied to the tree soon after the cat
erpillars begin to appear in spring,
and they should be renewed from time
to tme as they are made useless by.
exposure to the weather
Either one Of two kinds of bands
may be used The trunk may be sur
rounded at convenient height by a
belt nine inches wide Of what is known
as a tree tangleloot, applied with
brush on bands of cotton battins about
four inches wide may be- tied closely
about the tree by a string passed
around tho middle Of the band the up
per half Of which should then be turn.
ed down over IT,
Wherc the preceding measures have
been neglected and trees are being
dcfolated the injury may be stopped
by spraying with Paris green Or arson
ate O. lead This. however, is a diff
cult and somewhat expensive opera
lon with large trees ard may be rem
Hdered unnecessary by destroying the
egg masses and banding the trees as
above described
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