320 rVKl'S MALUS. 



desfniction. lie watclifd tlit'in tVom time lo time, nntil many branches had been 

 si)()ili'd of their leaves, and ni tlie aiitunui were entirely deslitnte of linil ; while 

 the three trees, which had been cleared of the eggs, were Ihish with foliage, eacii 

 limb, without exception, ripening its fruit. In addition to a brief notice of the 

 American lackey caterpillar, [(J/isionijnjto aincrirdtift.) in our article on the Vir- 

 ginian cherry-trees, nntler the head of ' Insects,"' it may be projier here to state, 

 that, where proper attention lias not been paid to prevent its ravages, it prevails 

 to snch an extent as almost entirely to strip the apple orchards, as well as the 

 cherry-tree of their foliage. This insect, from its ahimdanco in all parts of the 

 conntry, and being known almost exclnsively in common langnage, by the name 

 of f/ie cnkrpilhir, requires no further description. Various methods have been 

 recommended to destroy this insect, such as burning and crushing the nests, 

 early in the morning or evening while the vermin arc at their repose, and the 

 collection and destruction of their eggs in the winter or early part of spring. If 

 a liberal bounty for the collection of the eggs were to be offered, as was suggested 

 by the late Judge Lowell, and continued for the space of ten years, this destruc- 

 tive caterpillar would be nearly exterminated at the end of that time. Another 

 insect, which may be called the tent-caterpillar of the forest, (^Cllsiocampa sylvat- 

 ica, Harris,) very much resembling the preceding in its habits, preys upon the 

 leaves of the oak, the hickory, and more rarely upon those of the apple-tree. Two 

 other species of gregarious caterpillars, Notodonta cotichma, and Pygara mlnis- 

 tra, of Harris, also swarm on the apple, cherry and plum-trees, towards the end 

 of summer, stripping whole branches of their leaves. The caterpillar of the 

 American lappet-moth, {Gastropac/ia americana, Harris,) appears in September, 

 and makes the leaves of the apple its food, which it only eats in the night. A 

 large green caterpillar, (^Attacus cecropia, Harris,) also makes its appearance on 

 the apple-tree in the mouths of July and August, as well as upon the currant, the 

 berberry, the cherry, and the plum.* 



Among the insects which create the greatest havock in orchards, in Europe, 

 are tlie larvae of the Tinea padella^ of Linnaeus, which congregate in such vast 

 numbers, that the leaves vanish before them, and by mid-summer, the trees arc 

 often completely defoliated by them. 



Apples often fall off prematurely, both in Europe and in America, from being 

 Avorm-eaten. The cause of this is a beautiful little insect, called the apple- worm 

 moth, T'/ea/)omo?;-e//a, of Linnaeus; P?//-a/'s /:>o;7iawa, of Fabricius ; and Cf/r/JO- 

 capsa pomonella^ of modern entomologists. The habits and economy of this moth 

 have been satisfactorily pointed out by a writer in the London "Entomological 

 Magazine,"' and a good account of it is also given by Dr. Harris, in his " Report on 

 the Insects of Massachusetts injurious to Vegetation," p. 353. The larvae of this 

 insect leave their chrysalides from the middle of June to the first of July, or at the 

 time the young apples become well set. The moth now lays her eggs in the eye 

 of the apple, one only in each, by introducing its long ovipositor between the leaves 

 of the calyx, which form a tent above it, that effectually shields it from the inclem- 

 ency of the weather, or other casualties. " As soon as the egg hatches," says the 

 writer above referred to, ' the little grub gnaws a hole in the crown of the apple, and 

 soon buries itself in its substance ; and it is worthy of remark, that the rind of the 

 apple, as if to afford every facility to the destroyer, is thinner here than in any 

 other part, and, consequently, more easily pierced. ***** The grub, controlled 

 by an unvarying instinct, eats into the apple obliquely downwards, and, by thus 

 avoiding the core and pips, in no way hinders its growth. At first, it makes but 

 slow progress, being little bigger than a thread ; but, after a fortnight, its size and 

 its operations have much increased. It has now eaten half-way down the apple : 

 and the position of the hole at the top, if the apple continue upi'ight. or nearly so, 



* See Hams' Report, pp. 261, 269, 273, 279, 307, 312, 332, et 348. 



