290 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO VEGETATION. 



labors are thereby greatly increased, and have to be followed 

 up year after year, without any prospect of permanent relief. 



Many methods and receipts for the destruction of these in- 

 sects have been published and recommended, but have failed 

 to exterminate them, and indeed have done but little to lessen 

 their numbers, as, indeed, might be expected from the tenor of 

 the foregoing remarks. In order to be completely successful 

 they must be universally adopted. These means comprehend 

 both the destruction of the eggs and of the caterpillars. The 

 eggs are to be sought for in the winter and the early part of 

 spring, when there are no leaves on the trees. They are easily 

 discovered at this time, and may be removed with the thumb 

 nail and fore finger. Nurseries and the lower limbs of large 

 trees may thus be entirely cleared of the clusters of eggs during 

 a few visits made at the proper season. It is well known that the 

 caterpillars come out to feed twice during the daytime, namely, 

 in the forenoon and afternoon, and that they rarely leave their 

 nests before nine in the morning, and return to them again at 

 noon. During the early part of the season, while the nests are 

 small, and the caterpillars young and tender, and at those hours 

 when the insects are gathered together within their common 

 habitation, they may be effectually destroyed by crushing them 

 by hand in the nests. A brush, somewhat like a bottle-brush, 

 fixed to a long handle, as recommended by the late Colonel 

 Pickering, or, for the want thereof, a dried mullein head and 

 its stalk fastened to a pole, will be useful to remove the nests, 

 with the caterpillars contained therein, from those branches 

 which are too high to be reached by hand. Instead of the 

 brush, we may use, with nearly equal success, a small mop or 

 sponge, dipped as often as necessary into a pailful of refuse 

 soapsuds, strong whitewash, or cheap oil. The mop should 

 be thrust into the nest and turned round a little, so as to wet 

 the caterpillars with the liquid, which will kill every one that 

 it touches. These means, to be effectual, should be em])loyed 

 during the proper hours, that is, early in the morning, at mid- « 

 day, or at night, and as soon in the spring as the caterpillars 

 begin to make their nests; and they should be repeated as 

 often, at least, as once a week, till the insects leave the trees. 



