REPORTS OF AUXILIARY SOCIETIES. 335 



SAUGUTUCK AND GANGES POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



We have no list of officers of this society, but the president, Rev. J. F. Tay- 

 lor, sends in the following paper read at the April meeting, by N. W. Lewis, 

 of Ganges, on 



THE CUT WORM. 



There are several species of these cut worms, but all of them are much alike. 

 Professor Cook, of the Agricultural College, says: "The parents of these cut 

 worms are pale grayish or grayish brown moths, with a central spot on the 

 primary wings. The secondary wings are of a dirty white, and when at rest 

 are concealed by the primaries being folded over them. These cut worms are 

 old in mischief, having beeu dreaded pests iu the European countries, and also 

 since the early history of this country. The eggs are laid in the ground, under 

 or near plants which are to form the food of the young larva, which hatches 

 soon and comes to the surface ou cloudy days, or during the night time, to eat. 

 Some are of a cream color, others are a dull black. The climbers are usually 

 black, with black heads, and are very supple in their movements, sometimes 

 traveling many rods until a supply of food is found, when they satisfy their 

 greedy appetites and seek shelter, usually just under the surface of the soil, 

 near a sod, bush, or at the foot of a tree upon which they have been feeding. 

 They are not very particular about their diet, but eat with avidity various sub- 

 stances, such as corn, grass, cabbages, tomatoes, etc., but especially are they 

 fond of the tender buds of peach trees, grape vines, and other fruit trees and 

 bushes. 



The remedies for their destruction, or to prevent or check them in their dep- 

 redations, are varied and numerous. The surest is to dig them out by hand 

 from their places of concealment and destroy them. This process, however, 

 is slow and expensive. Some recommend sowing turnips in the fall which will 

 grow early and become succulent food for early spring, that may be sprayed 

 with Paris green or London purple, and kill large numbers by poisoning them. 

 Quite a number of my neighbors used the past season (they claim successfully), 

 cotton batting tied like a collar around the body of their trees and vines. 

 Others (myself included), have used tins clasped around the bodies of the young 

 peach trees, which is usually a successful preventative, but I have had the entire 

 bark of the tree just below the tin collar eaten away by the pests, therefore do 

 not concede it a perfect success, especially as we cannot use the the tins on 

 large trees which are sure to be infested (especially on sandy soils), by them in 

 seasons when they are plenty, and to which they do great damage by eating out 

 the fruit buds, climbing to the very topmost branches, and to the extremities 

 where are the most buds, and where their mischievous work is not so soon 

 observed. 



Many times our young peach trees, and sometimes old ones, and grape vines 

 are entirely denuded of fruit and foliage buds before we are aware of any 



