^•^■^ STATE BOARD OF AGKICULTURE. 



o i ' 



abundance of fruit, thin freely, perhaps in some cases take off all the fruit ; as 

 a consequence the tree will be likely to remain vigorous and the next year bear 

 well, just when a good crop will be worth something. It is not much work to 

 thin apples when they get the size of your thumb. Till one gets used to it he 

 will not thin enough. Small apples make less show than large ones. To those 

 wishing to make money out of their apples, and to those wishing to have enough 

 good fruit every year I will say, give this subject careful attention, give it a fair 

 trial. No one was ever known to abandon the practice who had given it a fair 

 trial. 



DESTROYING ORCHAED INSECTS. 



For a full discussion of this subject, in which are names, descriptions, details 

 as to habits, etc., see Professor Cook's excellent pamphlet included in the report 

 of the State Board of Agriculture, p. 123, 1874. 



In this connection I will only give a brief summary of the best known methods 

 of destroying orchard insects. 



THE CODLING MOTH, OR APPLE WORM, 



is unquestionably the worst insect in the apjile orchard the people of our State 

 have to contend with. At present these insects are in the worm or larva condi- 

 tion, and are tucked away in a small web under the scales of rough bark, in old 

 stumjis or chunks, or birds' nests ; in our cellars, under the barrel hoojis, about 

 apple bins, in all sorts of cracks and corners. From May to the last of June, 

 and earlier if the weather is not too cold, they will appear in the winged state. 

 They fly in the night and arc rarely seen in the orchard when in the winged 

 condition. 



The female will lay an egg in the blossom end of each of about fifty early 

 apples, beginning as soon as the apples arc set. The eggs hatch in about a week 

 and eat their way into the young fruit. The larva grow to full size in about 

 four weeks and leave the apple for some place to hide and go through further 

 transformations. In some cases the apple falls, carrying the worm Avitli it, but 

 in half the apples or more the worm leaves before the fruit falls. A succession 

 of worms keep hiding away and then coming out as perfect insects till about 

 the last week in August. They at once lay eggs in the blossom end of the late 

 and winter apples. So there are two broods or two crops of apple worms in a 

 year, the early crop and the late crop. Those of the second or last crop remain 

 as worms till the following winter or spring. 



Hogs are a good remedy, as far as eating worms in the apples is concerned. 

 But frequent and extended experiments show that half the worms or more never 

 go to the ground at all — that they leave the apple before it falls. Of those 

 which fall to the ground in apples, many leave at once and crawl up the tree. 

 We must keep wire screens on our cellar Avindows to prevent moths escaping in 

 spring. We must hunt the nests about sheds and barns where apples are stored 

 in autumn. We must destroy old birds' nests and all sorts of rubbish about 

 apple trees. We should scrape ojff the rough bark. I am suspicious about coarse 

 mulch, as it may harbor insects. As soon as the apples are the size of robin's 

 eggs or sooner, tie bands of thick stout paper about the trunk of each tree. A 

 woolen cloth four to six inches wide is the best. This cloth or paper Avill be 

 handier if only of one thickness, because otherwise the moths Avill crawl into all 

 the folds and tlius make it more difficult to kill them. If the material is tough 

 enough it may bo held in place with one carpet tack ]-)Ushed half way in with the , 



