EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 129 



■'Forewings almost black with rich purplish gloss sjjarsely sprinkled with white 

 scales. On the costa back of the apex is a small irregularly triangular cream white 

 spot and a few scattered scales of the same color form an obscure outer border. In 

 the cell near the upper margin are two somewhat indefinite, cream-colored dots in 

 line with a third below and slightly back of the one nearest the base. Cilia concolorous 

 with the general surface, shading outwardly to gray. Lower wings shining, silky 

 cinerous almost silvery. Alar exjjanse from 16 to 17 millimeters. Abdomen pale 

 brown, terminal segment banded with buff at posterior edge; lateral tufts buff and 

 conspicuous; under surface speckled with brown and cream; anal tuft pale reddish 

 brown. 



"Legs brown, annulate with cream white at the joints and middle of tibiae." 



The following description of the larva was written by the author from the living 

 insect: 



Description of Larra. — The larva, wlien full grown, is three-eighths of an inch in 

 length and quite slender. Its color is dirty yellowish-white, with back and sides marked 

 by six reddish-brown longitudinal stripes, all of which extend the entire length from 

 tiie thoracic shield to the caudal extremity except the pair on the dorsuiu, which unite 

 on the last segment and terTuinate there. Last segment bordered caudally with 

 fuscous and base of anal pro-legs colored the same. Venter marked along the middle 

 with a stripe like those on dorsum and sides, which are about equidistant from each 

 other and of about the same width as the spaces between them, color reddish-brown. 

 Some of the spaces (yellowish-white) have dark points in them. Head and thoracic 

 shield yellowish-brown, feet fuscous and dirty yellow. Four pairs of pro-legs beside 

 anal pair which are of the same color as the ground color of the body. Base of anal 

 pair black. 



REMEDIES. 



The two methods which probably will prove of most use in fighting this trouble are 

 cutting out. and spraying with Paris green. The nests become quite conspicuous and 

 in many instances can be cut out and burned without doing too much harm to the 

 tree. A spray of Paris green will kill the worms if applied so as to penetrate the 

 nests. Of course lime must be vised with the poison, and neither peach trees nor any 

 other fruit trees should be sprayed with Paris green after the fruit becomes of any 

 size. 



(5. FOREST TENT-CATERPILLAR. 



(Clisiocampa disstria Hub.) 



An insect very similar to our orchard tent-caterpillar, but differing somewhat in 

 appearance and habits, is the tent-caterpillar of the forest. An outbreak of this insect 

 was the cause of some damage in Kalkaska and Antrim counties in the early summer 

 of 1898. A belt of land about .30 miles long and nearly as broad, extending across both 

 counties, was infested, the caterpillars appearing in such numbers as actually to stop 

 trains. We are indebted to ifr. Skeels. then Assistant Secretary of the College, for 

 snecimens of the insects, as well as the data for this particular infestation. 

 'The eggs of this insect (Fig. 7. d) are laid in masses around the twig or branch 

 of a tree and pass the winter in this form. Earlv in the spring, about the time the 

 leaves open, or a little before, the eggs hatch and the little caterpillars commence to 

 spin a wel). as in the case of the ordinary orchanl tciit-cater])illar. They enclose the 

 young foliage in a net and a whole family, all that hatr-li from a sinude egg-ma-^s. live 

 here 'together when they are not feeding, at least until the caterpillars attain quite 

 a size. The caterpillars become full grown about the middle of .Tune or the first of 

 July, at which time they come down from the trees and look for suitable places in which 

 to spin their cocoons. ' It is while searching for such ])laces that they become most 

 noticeable, often traveling along a fence in such great numbers as almost to hide the 

 fence. They, gather in great numbers on railroad tracks and, as in the instance men- 

 tioned, sonletimes impede travel. Their bodies on being crushed make the rails si> 

 slippery that the trains come to a standstill when the grade is at all unfavorable. 



17 



