77 



tion has seemed to be as positive a disadvantage, and that is where 

 insects have been imported without nature's checks being brought 

 with them. As a result they have increased to an unprecedented 

 extent before the baknce of nature was restored. 



It is my object to give 3^ou a partial bird's-ej^e view of Colorado's 

 condition from the standpoint of an economic entomologist. It will 

 be impossible to mention more than a few of the important insect 

 enemies. 



The codling moth was unknown in several fruit growing regions of 

 the State ten years ago, but now it is a serious drawback to the suc- 

 cessful culture of the apple in ever}'- apple-growing section of any 

 considerable size. In the warmer portions it is so bad as to almost 

 dishearten the orchardist, and those who do not attend well to the 

 application of the best remedies are barely able to market any perfect 

 fruit except of the early varieties that catch the larvae of the first 

 brood only. Spraying with arsenites is quite generally practiced, 

 and white arsenic is preferred by a considerable proportion of the 

 growers because of its cheapness and ease of distribution. Bands of 

 burlap are quite extensively used and with residts that fully warrant 

 their continuance as a means of capturing the larv«. 



A habit of the larva that I have not seen mentioned in any publica- 

 tion upon this insect was reported to me last year. Mr. A. V. Sharpe, 

 of Fruita, Colo. , at the time acting horticultural inspector for Mesa 

 County, wrote me that a neighbor had taken larvte of the codling 

 moth in considerable numbers under fresh bands put upon the trees 

 early in the spring. To test how extensive this spring migrating 

 habit is I had bands put upon trees in several localities of the State 

 the past spring, and a small number of the larv» were taken, but 

 hardly a sufficient number to make it advisable to adopt this method of 

 combating the first brood. 



Another matter of considerable interest in connection with the life 

 habits of this insect was reported at a horticultural meeting at Grand 

 Junction last winter, and well authenticated. A gentleman, whose 

 name I can not recall, stated that a year or two previous he selected a 

 number of barrels of very choice apples at the time of gathering in 

 the fall and put them in a pit for the winter. He said he took par- 

 ticular pains to put no wormy apples in the pit, but when he opened 

 the pit and took out the apples late in the winter he found to his 

 astonishment that nearh^ every apple had a wormhole in it. The 

 supposition was that a late brood of moths had deposited eggs upon the 

 apples, and that they hatched and matured larvae in the pit. 



I should be glad to know if other members of the association have 

 met with such an instance in their experiences svith this insect. 



Two leaf-rollers, Chcxecla Hemifct'niia and C argyrusplla. These two 

 species, of wide distribution over the country, have never been known 



