WINTER MOTH. 65 
it will be seen, on May 29th, and it is worth notice that in about a 
fortnight from that date the caterpillars were entirely gone from the 
trees. On the 12th of June Messrs. German wrote me that ‘‘on 
examining the trees on Monday last”’ [June 10th, Ep.] ‘‘ we could not 
find a single caterpillar. We suppose therefore that they had fallen 
to the ground, where they will exist in the chrysalis state until they 
become moths, about the beginning of October.” 
This matter of disappearance of great infestations of caterpillars, 
whether of Winter Moths or of other kinds, deserves much more 
attention than is usually paid to it. Messrs. German, as above noted, 
quite understood what it meant, namely, that the larve were only 
gone down into the ground to lay the foundation of new mischief. 
But too often the disappearance of the great body of caterpillars is 
considered to mean that this is an end of the whole affair. Conse- 
quently no measures are taken, and the next attack (which in field 
cultivation might sometimes have been quite prevented, and with 
Winter Moth might have been prepared for) takes place in natural 
course. 
The following note, sent me on May 25th, with specimens accom- 
panying, by Mr. H. Fawke, from Green Hill Farm, near Kidderminster, 
shows recurrence of attack of the Winter Moth caterpillars to Plum 
and Gooseberry for several years :—‘‘ I have sent you a sample of the 
pest that we have been troubled with for the last two or three years ; 
they devour both Gooseberries and Plum alike.” —(H. F.) 
On the 14th, and again on the 17th of June, Mr, G. F. 8. Warne, 
writing from Frolbury, near Dorking, reported a plague of caterpillars, 
‘which this year is worse than evyer,’’ which had infested trees in that 
part of the country, and done great damage to the Oaks, which had 
especially been attacked, and also to fruit-trees, &ce. 
In regard to methods of prevention and remedy, the two great 
points to be considered are, the measures which will keep the abortive- 
winged moths from ascending the trunks of the trees, and also the 
applications, such as washes, syringings, &c., which will be serviceable 
when, either in natural course of things, or from the stems of the trees 
not having been sufficiently guarded, the caterpillars are found to 
have established themselves, and to be devastating the leafage. The 
following is a short account of how we stand regarding knowledge of 
these methods of treatment at present. 
In 1889, consequently on the constantly increasing and serious 
amount of loss caused by ‘‘looper’’ caterpillars, for which there was 
no regularly proved reliable remedy, the subject was gone into with 
great care by fruit-growers on a large scale, and others personally 
interested in the matter. Grease-banding, though a great preventive, 
F 
