76 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



things in the world to take care of the tent caterpillar ; it only 

 requires a little attention. We all know that the eggs of this 

 caterpillar are laid, several hundred of them, in a little ring on the 

 ends of the twigs. They hatch out just as the leaves are forming 

 and grow two or three weeks before they become large enough to 

 scatter about. While they are feeding upon the leaves their 

 habits are very regular. Unless the weather is bad, they come 

 out of their nests about eight or nine o'clock in the morning to 

 feed ; return in the heat of the day and lie idle ; then in the after- 

 noon they come out again. You can destroy them very easily 

 when they are in their nests with your hand, or in many other 

 ways. 



The aphides or plant-lice are a very serious damage to young 

 trees. Sometimes, when you think your trees. are all nice and 

 healthy, you will find the ends of the twigs covered with those 

 little greenish lice, and wonder where so many came from. They 

 live upon the juices of the tree, and unless removed, are very 

 injurious. In regard to the rapidity with which they multiply, 

 Reaumur says that six thousand millions may be produced in five 

 days. They not only lay eggs, but as soon as they are hatched, 

 he says they begin to produce without copulation. They are a 

 most wonderful insect. They can be easily destroyed by dipping 

 the twigs into whale oil soap, diluted, or anything that will des- 

 troy them and not destroy the foliage of the tree. 



The bark lice are a serious injury under some circumstances. 

 These can be best taken care of by washing ; it requires some- 

 times pretty thorough scraping ; you may even be obliged to put 

 a little sand in. The curculio, which is so very destructive to the 

 plum, is also an enemy to the apple. Our most tender skinned 

 varieties, as for instance the Nodhead, are frequently stung by 

 the curculio, and the value of the fruit very much diminished. 

 But the worst enemy of the apple in the State of Maine is the 

 codling moth, or apple worm. Dr. Trimble of New Jersey, has 

 studied the habits of that insect and gives us his method of des- 

 troying it, which he thinks will prove effectual. It is to wind 

 hay bands around the tree, and let the insect, when it comes to 

 form the cocoon, make it in the hay and then take the band off 

 and burn it. It is a good deal of work ; but when we come to 

 harvest our apples in the fall, and out of five barrels find three of 

 them so wormy as to be unfit for market, we begin to see the 

 necessity of spending a few minutes in taking care of that enemy. 



