APPLE. 



injurious to leafage of orchard trees, and it was not until the past 

 season (1898) that I received inquiries as to the caterpillars doing a 

 good deal of harm, at the localities noted below, to Apple leafage. 



On May 10th Prof. F. 0. Solomon wrote to rae from the Durham 

 College of Science, Newcastle-on-Tyne, as follows : — 



" Is tlie ' Buff-tip ' Moth {Pyf/ara hucephala) in the habit of doing 

 much injury to Apple trees ? Last summer I found a young Apple 

 tree (just commencing to bear) entirely cleared of its leaves by the 

 caterpillars. I collected several of the grubs, and the moths emerged 

 from the chrysalis last, and this, week, so that there is no doubt of the 

 insect. Of course I know the caterpillars devastate Lime and some 

 other trees, but did not know they damaged Apple trees. ... I 

 got my caterpillars from a young orchard near Dartford, in Kent." — 

 (F. 0. S.) 



On August 31st I received caterpillars of the same species, Pygaira 

 hucephaUt, from Mr. D. Beckwith, Easingwold, Yorkshire, with a re- 

 quest for information as to their name, and how best to prevent the 

 spread of the infestation. 



Mr. Beckwith mentioned tbat he had found some specimens that 

 day "on an Apple tree of 'Duchess of Oldenburg' variety." They 

 had devoured every leaf on one side of the tree. "I also observed that 

 a small Apple tree — a maiden — planted last year, and consisting of just 

 one straight stem, about twenty-seven inches high, had been entirely 

 stripped of its leaves in like manner, but I could not find any cater- 

 pillar about it, and no other trees, as far as I have discovered (although 

 there are over a thousand in the orchard), are affected. ... It would 

 be a very serious matter for me if they were to spread." — (D. B.) 



The complete clearance of the leafage from the trees, or parts of 

 trees, attacked by the hordes of these caterpillars is one of the charac- 

 teristics of the infestation. On August 19th, 1884, specimens were 

 forwarded me from Llanerch, Llanelly, South Wales, which had been 

 found attacking young Oaks in the nursery, with the remark that they 

 had, when noticed, "entirely stripped two or three young trees of their 

 leaves, and then were clustered together on the twigs in much the 

 same way as the Pine Sawfly caterpillars on Scotch Fir, and were 

 doing their work quite as thoroughly." 



On August 27th, 1887, caterpillars were sent me from Ockbrook, 

 Derby, which had been taken from a Broad-leaved Elm, with the 

 observation from the sender that when he saw them first, about twelve 

 o'clock that morning, they were in hundreds on one large branch, 

 and had entirely stripped that one branch of its leaves. On going 

 again in the evening, about six o'clock, only a comparatively small 

 number were observable. (Presumably the caterpillars were leaving 

 the tree to turn to the chrysalis state. — E. A. 0.) 



