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APPENDIX. 



APPLE. 



Pith Moth. Ldccrna atra, Haw. 



This is a small moth, only half an inch across in the spread 

 of the fore wings, wliich are almost entirely black, or richly 

 mottled with black, dark brown, and sometimes a little rusty 

 brown ; the inner margin white to beyond the middle, the 

 white continuing in an irregular streak towards the tip ; the 

 fringe long and grey. Hind wings grey, with paler fringes. 

 The head and face white, but sometimes darker. 



This infestation is injurious to Apple by the small reddish 

 caterpillars, which live through the winter in a boring under 

 the bark of an old twig, tunnelling in spring along the centre 

 of the growing young shoot, and feeding on the pith. Thus 

 the leaves and the blossom-buds beyond the tunnelling are 

 destroyed, and the presence of the attack may be known of 

 by their drooping and dying condition. The attack aj^pears 

 to be very seldom noticed with us in connection with Apple 

 injury ; but it may be worth while just to allude to it, as it 

 was observed in two localities in the present year (1898), and 

 in one as causing considerable harm. 



The only practicable remedial measure appears to be 

 cutting off the ends of the shoots where the drooping of the 

 leaves or of the stems of the blossom-buds shows the mischief 

 that is going on from the borings of the caterpillars within. 

 If these are carefully collected before the caterpillars change 

 to chrysalids within the shoots, and emerge as the perfect 

 moth towards the middle of July (the 8th and 12th in the 

 two instances of dates accompanying specimens sent me), 

 much might be done towards arresting the spread of the 

 attack. 



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