204 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 



Careful investigations were also made on this insect at Maitland, Ont., by Mr. 

 Harold Jones, who has kindly supplied me with much valuable definite information on 

 its life history. Mr. Jones called upon me on August 24th, and spoke of the case- 

 bearer as having been very abundant in his orchard this year. He first noticed it early 

 in the spring, attacking the buds and the stems of the flowers and leaves. He sprayed 

 at once before the flowers opened. Directly the flowers dropped, he sprayed again with 

 Bordeaux mixture and thinks that 25 per cent of the larvae were destroyed. 

 He sprayed a third time about three weeks later when the apples were about as large 

 as a pigeon's egg. He observed that, about the third week in June, the larvae ceased 

 feeding and went to the upper surface of the leaves to pupate. On September, Mr. 

 Jones sent me a supply of the young larvae with the following letter : — 



"Maitland, Ont., September 1. — Referring to our conversation of a week ago, I 

 send you by this mail twigs of apple, with the case-bearers attached. You will note 

 that, whereas three weeks ago the young caterpillars were on the underside of the 

 leaves, now you will find them clustered about the buds, attached to the bark of the 

 present year's growth in every case. They are now about double the size they were 

 on the 10th August when I first observed them. I picked out the worst affected 

 twigs that I could find, for I thought you would be glad to note their habit of cluster- 

 ing." 



Later Mr. Jones sent the following interesting resume of his observations : — 



" November 6. — Referring to our conversation of August last and our correspond- 

 ence during the early part of September, relating to the actions and life of the Cigar-shaped 

 Case-bearer ; I now give you the result of my observations during the season, hoping 

 that there may be some point that may aid you in finding the best time of the season 

 to most effectually destroy this serious pest to our apple orchards. 



" During the early part of May, just as the buds were opening, I sprayed my 

 trees with Bordeaux mixture ; and a short time after, when the blossoms opened, I 

 noticed that the half-opened leaves and flowers withered and died. I had no idea of 

 the cause at first, but on examination, I found large numbers of a strange insect (since 

 known as the Case-bearer), had punctured the stems of the leaves and flowers and were 

 working so rapidly that, when the blossoms fell and I was able to spray again, some of 

 the trees had very little set fruit left. 



" This second spraying was done with Bordeaux mixture and Paris green in the 

 proportion of one pound to 200 galls, of mixture. The results of this application were hard 

 to determine, but I noticed that all further attacks on the young fruit were stopped and 

 the caterpillars were working on the underside of the leaf, whereas before they worked 

 on both sides. 



" I think T am safe in estimating 20 or 25 per cent destroyed. I sprayed again 

 with the same mixture and Paris green added, about two weeks afterwards when 

 the apples were about the size of the top of my thumb or larger, this making three ap- 

 plications in all. The last application did not affect them perceptibly, as at that time 

 they had permanently attached themselves to the leaf to go into the pupal state. 



" About the 10th of August I first noticed the young brood feeding, they were 

 then so small as to be hardly noticeable, and were less numerous, there being only 

 about one-fifth of their numbers in the spring. During the next 20 or 25 days, they 

 fed and grew to a length of about —^ of an inch or more. At that time, the first 

 week in September, the weather turned quite cool and they left the leaves and clustered 

 in rings about the base of the present year's wood growth. 



" From that date until the middle of October, they could be found either on the leaf 

 feeding, or attached to the twig according as the weather was warm or cold. After 

 the middle of October, they left the foliage and twigs and are now attached to the larger 

 parts of the tree, in some cases down on the trunk, but mostly on the under side of the 

 branches at their junction with the trunk or larger branches, and I also find clusters 

 of them in the shelter formed by a partly healed wound where a limb has been severed. 



" THs winter during the most severe weather, I intend taking a stiff brush and 

 brushing some of the trees in all the crotches and larger branches and letting the in- 

 fects fall on the snow, where I am in hopes they will perish. 



