56 State Horticultural Society. 



\ng for several years before that time unnoticed, for that spring the 

 worms completely defoliated a large section of the orchard as they also 

 •did the two following years. No preventive measures have been used 

 except that the orchard was sprayed late in ]May of 1896. I was en- 

 gaged to do that work and used London purple as recommended by Ex- 

 periment Stations. ]\Iost of the worms had attained full size before 

 treatment was begun and no beneficial results were noticed. The hard 

 winter of 1898-99 seemed to check them, for they did but little damage 

 the spring of 1899. They seem now to have fully recovered, for they 

 liave completely stripped the trees this season, and have a pretty good 

 foot-hold in the surrounding orchards for several miles. I am quite 

 «ure this orchard was the starting point for the infestation of a large 

 scope of country. There are, however, man}'^ infested orchards in this 

 and adjoining counties that probably did not become infested by this 

 orchard. My own orchard of 25 acres on the opposite side of town from 

 the orchard in question has been showing increased signs of canker worms 

 for several years. As the time had arrived when, in my judgment, some- 

 thing had to be done, I made preparations to begin the application of 

 poison on the first opening of the leaf buds. Four ounces Paris green 

 was used in 50 gallons Bordeaux mixture, being applied by means of a 

 Toarrel spray pump. This treatment was begun April 25th. We began 

 the second spraying ]\Iay loth, using this time 5 1-3 ounces green arsen- 

 oid in 50 gallons Bordeaux mixture just as the blossoms dropped. The 

 worms did considerable damage after the first spraying and I began to 

 doubt the efficac}' of the poison, but on closer examination I found some 

 of the dried skins of the worms that ha^ died. After the second spray- 

 ing some of the worms still remained, but by May 25th it was only by 

 very close searching that I could find a worm. I do not say they were 

 -all poisoned, because at the last date named many of them may have 

 already entered the ground preparatory to emerging as a moth. While 

 I am well satisfied with the results of spraying in this experiment, I 

 do not think it would be best to depend on this means of combatting the 

 canker worm. 



The weather this spring has been exceptionably favorable for spray- 

 ing. With the exception of a few light showers there has been no rain to 

 wash ofif the poison. With an excessively wet season the results might 

 Inave been far different. Destroying the female moth that deposits the 

 ■eggs on the tree, I believe to be a most eft'ective way of combatting the 

 pest. By the information sent out by our worthy State Entomologist I 

 was enabled to identify the female moth, which is wingless, of a grayish 

 color and varying in size between a house fly and a green fly. I discov- 

 ered the insect while pruning the orchard during the mild weather of 



