146 (iYPSY AND BKOWX-TAIL MOTHS. [Jan. 



Treating Orchard Trees. 



Orchard in- in ^Massachusetts for the last generation or two 

 has not received as much attention as formerly, notwith stand- 

 ing the ever-increasing demand for orchard products. It 

 results, therefore, that where we find one young, thrifty, well- 

 cared-for orchard, there are twenty, if not one hundred, 

 neglected orchards, full of scraggy, hollow, untrimmed and 

 uncared-for trees. Such trees afford excellent breeding places 

 for the gypsy moth; and to clear them of this insect is most 

 difficult, unless suitable preliminary work is done. One of the 

 principal preliminary operations in connection with clearing 

 the moths from old orchards is to decide first what trees are 

 worth preserving, and what should be cut and burned. Many 

 old apple trees have trunks that are but mere shells, hardly 

 able to support the stunted top growth of branches, but har- 

 boring gypsy moth egg clusters by the hundred. All such 

 should be treated with the axe close to the ground, and burned 

 on the spot. Trees standing too thickly may also be thinned, 

 to the great benefit of those that are spared. Full-grown apple 

 trees should be spaced at least forty feet apart, in order to 

 afford suitable feeding area and the proper exposure to light 

 and air necessary for ripening and coloring all the fruit. 



Trimming Operations. 



The trimming of orchard trees, particularly the many varie- 

 ties of the apple, might not at first sight seem to have a special 

 bearing on the work against the gypsy moth. An examination 

 of any old infested orchard, however, will show at a glance 

 that badly trimmed or neglected trees harbor the insect in 

 much greater numbers than those which have boon properly 

 cared for. In the first place, neglected trees have a dense, thick 

 growth, and beneath their numerous branches and rough bark 

 the moth finds ideal conditions for nesting. On the other hand. 

 a tree imperfectly trimmed soon develops cavities, which, de- 

 cnyiiiir deeper and deeper year by year, afford those dark holes 

 so iniich SMiiM-hl l,y the. caterpillars for transformation and by 

 the female ninths for egg deposition. It is, therefore, i 



