66 



ORCHARD CATEHPILLAES. 



Winter Moth, Evesham Moth, Chcimatohia hrxunata, Linn. ; and 

 various other species. 



Cheimatobia brtjmata. 

 Winter Moth. Winged male and wingless females. 



The subject of orchard moth caterpillars and prevention of their 

 ravages has now been entered on in these Reports so fully, and for so 

 many successive years, that it appears unnecessary to offer further 

 observations again this year on the points which have been already so 

 thoroughly gone into. We have before us, from careful and skilled 

 observation, not only the full life-histories of the most injurious kinds, 

 but special points in their habits showing us (particularly in the case 

 of the Winter Moth) how they can evade (that is, some proportion of 

 them can evade) the barrier of grease-banding set before the wingless 

 moths, and how their various ways of neutralising the use of these 

 barriers, by laying eggs beneath them, or bridging them over for con- 

 venience of later comers, has been met. The more extended time of 

 appearance in autumn, and the existence of winter and spring appear- 

 ances, have been much more fully made out, and with the knowledge 

 of the greater need for preventive and remedial measures we have 

 also detailed record of the enormous advance that has been made 

 in these. 



Where the measures of former days, as, for instance, tarring the 

 trees, has been proved to be inefficient and dangerous to the growths, 

 we have improved on it step by step till we have now full details of how 

 the grease-banding, which has taken its place, not only can be, but is, 

 constantly carried out so as to be of great service. Also — and which 

 is of the highest importance in the present considerations — we can lay 

 our hands now on precise details of washes or sprayings of various 

 kinds, which may be brought to hear at once on the ravaging hordes of 

 caterpillars, if, either from their parents having evaded preventive 

 measures, or having, in the case of various kinds, come in natural 

 course on the wing, these their progeny suddenly appear in myriads on 

 the growing leafage. 



