•'^1»0 Bureau of Farmers' Institutes. 



Of course they may be destroyed by spraying or by hunting out 

 and crushing their cocoons, but that is out of the question in the 

 forests. We can kill the apple tree worm, easily, but that is 

 another worm. The apple tree caterpillar has a tent, the forest 

 tree does not. 



Is the maple tree catterplllar likely to kill our trees? Which is the best 

 way to get rid of them? 



Mr. Cook. — That question comes up at every meeting, but I 

 don't know what to say. We can kill the apple tree worm, but 

 the forest tree worm is another fellow. If we can reach them, 

 paris green will do it, and I think the best way will be for the vil- 

 lage board to take hold of it, and employ men to spray the trees 

 in the village. When it comes to spraying the forest trees, how- 

 ever, it cannot be done. But some of the cocoons may be hunted 

 out and mashed. We ought, I think, to give more protection to 

 our song birds, which are our best friends. The women ought to 

 make a stampede against wearing any more dead birds on their 

 hats, and, instead of encouraging their slaughter, to protect them. 

 We make too much fuss because the birds take a few berries. 



A Farmer. — I have known men here to shoot a half dozen 

 robins because they took a quart or two of cherries. 



What is the best way to prevent or destroy the San Jos6 scale? 



Mr. Cook. — Spraying with kerosene emulsion is said to hold the 

 scale in check somewhat; but, to be sure of eradicating it, fumiga- 

 tion with hydrocyanic gas is the only cure so far known. But it 

 cannot be applied to large trees. 



Mr. Van Alstyne. — The scale is here in great numbers in some 

 places. Long Island is filled with it, and it is in the Hudson 

 river valley. A neighbor of mine has been fighting it in his 

 orchards during the last ten years, and doing it intelligently, but 

 he told me that it made greater headway last year than ever be- 

 fore. I have it on my currants, plums and peaches, and it may 

 be on my pears, but I da not think there is any in my apple 

 orchards; but it is in others in my vicinity, (Kinderhook), and I 

 have come to believe that it is here to stay, and it is our duty 



