172. BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



fourteenth of June, and destro3-ed most of the vine or fire worms, 

 as we call them. M}" bog came forward and blossomed, and put 

 out abundantly, and looked fair for a large crop, until the first part 

 of August, when the fruit worms made their appearance, and have 

 since then destroj'ed three-fourths of my crop, and are slill eating. 

 The vine or fire worm has been very destructive on the Cape thia 

 season. I think the crop will be small. 



Yours truly, 



Nathaniel Robbins. 



In correspondence with Mr. Cyrus Cahoon, whom, I am 

 informed, is one of the large cranberry growers upon the 

 Cape, I received the following : — 



Pleasant Lake, Aug. 28, 1883. 

 W. A. Stearns, Esq. 



My Dear Sir : — Yours of the twentj'-fifth iust., in relation to 

 my success in fighting the cranberry worm this fall, came safe to 

 hand, and in reply will say, that I do not know whether it is the 

 vine worm, that we have to contend ver}' strongl}^ with in the first 

 part of the season, or whether it is the fruit worm that makes its 

 appearance later, and that has very seriousl}' injured our cranberry 

 crops this present season, that^'ou wish to know about, I will sa^-, 

 however, that I have never had such a fight with the vine worm as 

 my neighbors have had, fur Ihavealwaj's had water at mj* control 

 until the last eighteen months, and therefore could prevent their 

 ravages at once, without trouble or expense. But in the spring of 

 '82 the water was not sufficiently- high to flow m^' vines, therefore I 

 was at the mercy of the worms ; but the}- eat or destroyed but a small 

 part of my vines, and I had a good crop ; but in the spring of 

 1883, — the water still too low, — the worms increased very much 

 from last j'ear and injured my vines quite seriousl}', and I did not 

 make an}' attempt to prevent them. I shall not dare to risk my 

 crop another season, but shall apply a solution of tobacco, provid- 

 ing the water is not of a sufficient height to flow my vines. I 

 watched my neighbors very closely the first part of the past worm 

 season, and found them very successful in the application of to- 

 bacco. They applied the solution with a garden force-pump at the 

 time of the worms first making their appearance. It is often the 

 case, however, that the second, and if very rainy weather, the third 

 application is necessary. As for the fruit worm, I di not think it 

 possible to prevent them from eating our berries. The egg is de- 

 posited by a miller. The larva, immediately upon hatching, makes 

 an incision upon the upper side of the berry near the stem ; the 



