298 



STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



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Fig. 16. — Forest Tent-caterpillar, after Riley, Third Rep. State Entomologist of Mo. 



than the rest of the wing. The insect works on most of our shade trees, and on 

 many trees of the forest, but it also loves the foliage of the apple. Owing to 

 the fact that there is no nest to speak of the torch is of no use. Paris green 

 applied in the ordinary manner, will kill them and the eggs may often be found 

 and destroyed as in the case of the tent-caterpillar. 



The Red-humped Apple-worm. (_0e6,emasia concinna.) 



A caterpillar which works on apple trees and several other trees, and one which 

 works in colonies, is the red-humped apple worm. It is of medium size, brownish, 

 striped with black, and has a bright red hump on the hinder part of the thorax. 

 The head is also bright red. The moth is brown in color and spreads a little 

 more than an inch when the wings are extended. It is not a very common 

 insect with us. When occasion demands, it may be controlled by cutting out 

 the branch, or by paris-green. 



The Yellow-necked Datana. {Datana viinistra.) 



Inquiries regarding this caterpillar, are always numerous. It occurs in 

 colonies on the apple, and is conspicuous. The caterpillar is large and has 

 the habit of holding itself by the false-legs, in the middle part of the body, and 

 elevating both the head and tail in a threatening attitude whenever disturbed — 

 standing to attention as it were. The caterpillar, when full grown, is nearly 

 two inches long, striped longitudinally with black and yellow and is marked 

 with a yellow band across the back of the neck. It is sparsely covered with fine, 

 whitish hairs. The pupal stage is passed just beneath the surface of the ground 

 and the adult is a fair sized brown moth havng transverse dark lines on the 

 front wings. The eggs are laid on the foliage in large groups and the cater- 

 pillars feed in colonies. 



BEMEDIES. 



Early in their life the caterpillars can be killed by hand at the expense of a 

 branch or two but later when they spread, use paris-green in the ordinary way. 



The White-marked Tussock-moth. {Xotolophus leucostigma.) 



Familiar to all is the tussock-moth. A conspicuous caterpillar about one and 

 a half inches long, with yellow and black longitudinal stripes. The head, thoracic 

 shield, and two spots on the backs of the sixth and seventh segments are bright 

 red in color. Projecting forward f"om just liehind the head are two tufts of 

 long black hairs making a V-shaped fork half an inch long. Projecting back- 

 ward from the tail is another single tuft. On the backs of each of the first four 

 abdominal segments is a brush-like tuft or tussock of creamy hairs which gives 

 the name to the creature. 



They feed on apple, pear, plum, cherry and a large number of shade trees. 

 The cocoon is usually poorly hidden, often being openly placed on bark or on 

 adjacent fences It is quite large and can easily be distinguished by the mass 

 of eggs deposited upon it, in late summer. 



