28 



State, considered this tJie remedy for the codling moth. To destroy 

 this noxious insect, the lime powder should be plentifully tlirown 

 on the apple-tree in the spring, immediately after the petals fall 

 from the blossoms. At this time the eye of the apple in which the 

 moth deposits its esg opens upward, the lime falls in the opening, 

 and a small particle of it is either distasteful to the moth or de- 

 stroys the egg before it hatches, and it is questionable if the poi- 

 sons would do this."* 



It was my first intention to experiment with all the known 

 methods of attack upon the codling moth not manifestly absurd on 

 their face, for the purpose of making a comparative test of their 

 value and cost, but the general failure of the apple crop in our 

 region made it impossible to find trees enough well loaded with 

 fruit within any practicable distance from the office. The experi- 

 mental orchards on the University farm were not available, both for 

 the above reason and because they are pastured by stock ; but I 

 finally secured from G. F. Beardsley, Esq., of Champaign, the priv- 

 ilege of experimenting in an orchard situated about a mile from the 

 office, in which were found ten bearing trees suitable for my pur- 

 pose. Under these circumstances I decided to use the opportunities 

 for experiment available, in a way to test as thoroughly as practi- 

 cable the most popular arsenical poisons and lime. 80 1 appro- 

 priated these ten trees to three experiments, — one with Paris green, 

 one with London purple, and one with lime. The Paris green ex- 

 periment was made on two trees, two others of the same variety, 

 as nearly like them as possible, being selected at the same time as 

 checks on the experimental trees. The London purple experiment 

 was tried on a single tree, and the lime application on two, these 

 also being guarded by check trees not treated at all. 



The spraying began on the 9tli June, at which time the apples 

 on the trees selected averaged about a quarter of an inch in diam- 

 eter, — that is, they were about as large as small peas. An earlier 

 beginning would perhaps have been desirable on theoretic grounds, 

 but we shall find evidence that the date was early enougli to pre- 

 clude possible injury to the apples by the codling moth. At any 

 rate, as it happened. I could not complete all the necessary ar- 

 rangements before this date. 



We used at first the Cyclone Nozzle made by the United States 

 Entomological Bureau, oui- example being furnished me by Dr. 

 Riley ; but the assistant in charge of the spraying experiments ob- 

 jected to this as liable to clog with the Paris green, and after much 

 experimenting with a variety of nozzles, I finally selected the JJe- 

 flector Spray and Solid-Jet-Hose-Nozzle, manufactured by the Lowell 

 jb'aucet Company. Lowell, Massachusetts. This has the especial ad- 

 vantage of complete and ready adjustment to any requirement, being 

 easily changed while in action by turning a ring, thus throwing, at the 

 will of the operator, anything from a solid stream to the finest spray or 

 an almost imperceptible mist. This nozzle was attached to the end of 

 a strong rubber tube long enough to reach from the ground to the 



* Prof. Beak', <if Michigan, is reDortod by the "Prairio Farmt^r" for May '2(i, 18*3, to 

 have oxperimentt'd with slakod limo thrown upon the rreos at different times when thoy 

 were in fruit, but without any effect upon the number of moths or wormy apples. 



