APPLE-TREE CATERPILLAR — DESTROYING THE EGGS. 205 



stance is not such a sovereign prophylactic against all insects 

 upon fruit trees as the observations of some of our most success- 

 ful fruit growers have led them to suppose. And there can be 

 no doubt that in this as in the higher classes of animals, what is 

 poison to one may be meat for another. 



There are two measures only which we can confidently recom- 

 mend, whereby to subdue these insects and save the fruit trees 

 from defoliation by them. And these universal experience con- 

 curs in pronouncing the only efficient and reliable measures to 

 which recourse can be had. 



The first of these is destroying the eggs. This must be at- 

 tended to in the winter or early in the spring before the leaves 

 begin to put forth. As this is a period of t\\e year when other 

 avocations leave us comparatively at leisure, it is economy to 

 accomplish now whatever can be done which will diminish the 

 demands upon our time during the busier parts of the year. And 

 every cluster of these eggs which can be discovered can be much 

 more easily and speedily destroyed than a nest of caterpillars 

 can be exterminated at a later date. The orchard should there- 

 fore be carefully passed through at this time and the ends at 

 least of all the lower limbs should be examined. And for this 

 work it is necessary to call into exercise the sharpest scrutiny 

 which we are able to give, for despite of our utmost care some 

 of these clusters will elude our search. A practised eye will 

 detect the unevenness or swelled appearance of the twig where 

 these eggs are placed, much more readily than that of a novice. 

 They are sometimes at the very end of the twig, sometimes one 

 or two feet from its extremity, and not unfrequently two belts 

 of eggs occur upon the same twig. The eggs are to be gathered 

 either by cutting off the twig to which they are attached or by 

 breaking and tearing them from the twig. They should be car- 

 ried to the house in a basket and thrown into the stove, for if 

 merely dropped upon the ground the worms will afterwards 

 hatch from them and many of these will be apt to find their way 

 to some tree or shrub on which to subsist. There perhaps has 

 never been more urgent necessity for a universal resort to the 

 measure now specified than there will be the coming winter, the 

 trees being stocked with eggs at the date when these pages are 



