21 



Web Worm. 



The fall web worm is often mistaken for the brown-tail moth 

 caterpillar, but its webs are larger and much more conspicuous. 

 Eggs : laid by the moth in a small patch on the under side of the 

 leaf of various trees late in June. Larva : feeds within a web 

 which by late summer is often several feet in diameter. The full 

 grown caterpillar is about 1| inches long with yellowish, longi- 

 tudinal markings and clothed with slender grayish hairs. In 

 September the caterpillars pupate in the ground to emerge as 

 snow white moths in early summer. Remedy : spray with arse- 

 nate of lead, 3 pounds to 50 gallons of water, as soon as the first 

 webs are noticed. Trees of which the fruit is nearly ripe should 

 not be sprayed ; in this case the judicious use of the torch is 

 recommended. 



Fall Caterpillars. 



Several species of caterpillars appearing in August - September 

 are often mistaken for those of the gypsy moth, and may be 

 treated collectively. The red-humped apple worm occurs princi- 

 pally on the apple, is about 1^ inches long, and is characterized 

 by a conspicuous, transverse, red hump near the head. The 

 D at anas of several species are slightly larger than the preceding, 

 feed in clusters on the apple, hickory, etc., and have the habit of 

 raising both ends of the body when disturbed. The species most 

 common on fruit trees is dark yellow with numerous fine black 

 lines, while another often abundant on forest trees is black with 

 conspicuous white hairs. The characteristics mentioned dis- 

 tinguish them from the gypsy moth caterpillars. Remedy : 

 spray with arsenate of lead, 5 pounds to 50 gallons of water ; 

 recommended except on trees with fruit nearly ripe. In this 

 case the torch may be carefully used, or the caterpillars may be 

 jarred off and crushed under foot. 



A SUMMAKY OF THE LAW. 



In the suppression of the gypsy and brown-tail moths, certain 

 duties under the law devolve not only upon the Commonwealth 

 but also upon cities and towns and upon citizens as individuals. 

 Attention is hereby called to chapter 381, Acts of 1905, as amended 

 by chapter 268, Acts of 1906, which defines these duties at length 

 and which is printed in full at the end of this bulletin. 



The following summary of the law is designed to give its salient 

 points : 



