STATE irORTICULTl'RAI. SOCIETY. 2T 



the vegetable eaters do most of their feeding, and hence their injuries, 

 while in the larva state ; that the habits of the species of a group are 

 usually iiiore or less similar ; that those which feed upon leaves seldom 

 attack the fruit, or bore into the stem, etc. But, unfortunately, these do 

 not afford us any means of generalizing practical remedies. 



For instance, the fact that tiie attacks of insects upon vegetation are 

 chiefly made in the larva state, although warning us that we must make 

 war upon them while at work, or seek them elsewhere in other states, does 

 not suggest any general method of counteracting them ; that is to say, a 

 remedy which reaches the leaf-eaters or leaf-crumplers, can have no pos- 

 sible reference to the borers, etc. It is true that a remedy applicable to 

 one borer is usually more or less applicable to another; but when we come 

 to apply this to the fruit and leaf destroyers, we find the principle will 

 not hold good. It is evident, therefore, that if any thing is to be accom- 

 j)lished in the way of systematizing, horticultural operations must betaken 

 as the basis. Another reason why this is best is, that labor may be sim- 

 plified and time economized. 



• Take up our very best works, essays, reports, etc., relating to injuri- 

 ous insects, and run over the list of remedies, and you will find work 

 enough to occupy your entire time, and applications and remedies suffi- 

 cient to destroy the stoutest tree, if the whole series should become 

 necessary in one season. 



For this species, infested leaves must be plucked and destroyed ; for 

 that, injured fruit must be plucked and destroyed ; for another, a webby 

 branch must be clipped; for a fourth, a punctured twig must be removed; 

 for a fifth, an egg-encircled branchlet must be severed and consigned to 

 the flames ; then lime must be sprinkled over it ; then the syringe must 

 flood it with soap-suds, quassia water, whale oil mixture, carbolic soap- 

 suds, etc., etc.; then the long-handled brush must sweep the boughs and 

 foliage for webs and their spinners ; the swab must be used upon the 

 limbs, and the fire-brand among the congregated larvae ; the roots must 

 be laid bare and scraped and rubbed, and batlied in hot water or satur- 

 ated with soap-suds, brine or some other offensive mixture, or gouged 

 and punctured for the borer; the trunk must be scraped, and rubbed, and 

 curried ; next soaped, greased, white-washed or painted ; then tarred, 

 bandaged with paper, straw, rags or tin ; iiere one gouged for a borer, 

 l)lugged with campiior or perforated with a wire ; thumped for curculios, 

 hammered for the cater[Mllars, and finally, the weary orchardist must 

 gather injured fruit with one hand and pick caterpillars with the other. 

 If he should unfortunately be a farmer also, then this will only constitute 

 his extra work. 



It is true this picture is drawn in somewhat high colors, and can not 

 be applicable to any one orchard in a single season ; nor would 1 imply 

 that each or any of these remedies arc not appropriate or useful at certain 

 times; yet this list does show the effect of considering remedies sepa- 

 rately, no matter how efficient each may be with reference to the particu- 

 lar species it is intended to ( ounteract. 



It alsu indicates, in a clear and distinct manner, the necessity oi 



