INSECTS INJURIOUS TO VEGETATION. 447 



establishments and seed stores. My friend, Hon. Simon Brown, 

 informs me that he makes use of an old hand or dust brush, with 

 good success in destroying caterpillars. Should there be any 

 objection to one's using his bare hand, in crushing the Lackeys 

 when small, as recommended by Col. Pickering, he can use a 

 woollen mitten to cover his fingers. It is important to their 

 complete destruction, that their nests should be broken up when 

 they are small, for when suflered to become large the brush fails 

 to bring them down entire, and the caterpillars are only dis- 

 turbed, and drop and scatter themselves upon the tree. When 

 taken in hand seasonably, and with proper and skilful applica- 

 tion of the brush, several times repeated if need be, they may be 

 destroyed without explosion of gunpowder, or the fumes of burn- 

 ing brimstone. 



The fall caterpillars, or web worms, that are conspicuous in 

 our orchards in the latter part of summer, are produced from 

 the eggs of a moth, named by the late Dr. T. W. Harris, (^Hy- 

 phantria tcxtor^ or the weaver. The worms, when first hatched, 

 are confined to a single leaf, and can then easily be picked off 

 and crushed under foot. If they are suffered to remain on the 

 trees until their webs appear, they can be destroyed by stripping 

 the leaves inclosed with their nest, and containing the worms, 

 at one grasp of the hand. The Pickering brush can also be used 

 with some success. 



The Palmer worm, an insect resembling the canker worm, a 

 few years since appeared suddenly, in many of our orchards in 

 Essex county, and caused some apprehensions among the culti- 

 vators of fruit, for fear it might continue to increase, and 

 become troublesome ; but nothing was seen of them the follow- 

 ing year. I think we have but little to apprehend from them, 

 as their ravages are usually confined to one season. The 

 account given of this insect by Dr. Deane in the year 1791, is 

 as follows : — 



" The Palmer worm, or wanderer, as its name implies, is a 

 small worm, about half an inch in length, with many legs, and 

 extremely nimble. It appears at different times, in different 

 parts of the country." 



I have seen them only on apple trees and oak trees, in any 

 great abundance. They give trees the same appearance, that 

 the canker worm does. They appeared in the county of Cam- 



