41 



:ible and industrious lives in this interesting field of inquiry, and have freely left us, as a 

 li'ijacy, the cherished results of their labours — " their works do follow them," — and we are 

 thereby assisted in those difficult and puzzling problems of insect life and insect ditlereaces 

 and rehitioDships ; and although there is yet much to be done, much has already been ac- 

 complished and vividly portrayed before our vision. The field has already been surveyed 

 and mapped, and it only remains for us to follow those lines to arrive at rich and desired re- 

 sults. I pro[)Ose, therefore, in the following pages, to give as short and concise an account 

 as possible of some of the most palpable insect enemies of our fruit, &c., for the past 

 season. And this I do, not with the intention to supplant the able and graphic report of 

 insect enemies by the President of the Fruit Growers' Association, in his address before that 

 body last September ; or of that of the President of the Entomological Society, at about the 

 same time, but rather as an adjunct additional testimony in the same direction. I further 

 may be allowed to state that I make no pretentions to scientitic accuracy, but shall simply 

 state my ob>ervations as they occur to me in my own untutored way. With these prelimi- 

 naries I come at ouce to the subject in hand, viz : — 



The insect enemies of our Fruits, &c., for 1877. 



By this caption I do not mean that I shall confine myself exclusively to those insects 

 merely which feed alone on our fruits, but shall include also those injurious to the leaves and 

 even the roots and branches of our fruit trees and shrubs, as equally noxious to our fruit 

 products and prospects. And first, I may mention the 



American Lackey Wokm, or Tent Caterpillar {Clisiocamjja Americana) 



Of Harris. For larva- and eggs see fig. 21 ; the male moth is shown in fig 22, the female in 

 fig. 23. This insect, by its ajipalling and unprecedented numbers, and by its voracious and 



devastating haliits.at least | ~ 

 in 'this section, for the 

 last few seasons, has filled 

 us with the most serious 

 apprehensions for the safe- 

 ty of not alone our fruit.-;, y. ,„ 

 but also fur the very life of the trees. So seri- 

 ou.-i was this damage during the past season that 

 the aid of legislation was talked of, to compel 

 people to do what they could for the suppression 

 of this in.sect grievance ; because not only the 

 urcliards of the negligent and careless were thus 

 blighted, but those also of the industrious and 

 careful were besieged and destroyed by the very 

 enemies his careless neighbour was rearing and 

 helping to propagate. People began to ask of 

 ft? one another, " What is th(' use of planting and 

 cultivating or- 

 ' chards, theyl 

 will only be 

 devoured and 

 ruined by the 

 caterpillars ]" 

 Aided also by 



('. Si/lvatica, j,.j„ .,.^ 



the larva of which is shown in fig, 24, those 

 orchards standing in the neighbourhood of forests have suffered very severely ; and although 

 persistent and industrious, our efforts seem feeble and almost totally unavailing to save our 

 orchards and our gardens. This latter in.icct is very active, and is on c instant parade over 

 trees and shrubs, over fields, orchards, and gardens, where anything can be found to gratify 

 its devouring appetite ; and then, it is recruited ,«o plentifully and so frequently that we fairly 

 sicken of the fight, and despair of the prospect of victory. JJut there is to this dark picttire 





Fiv:. 21. 



