REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST. — 101 
from each other that when brought around the tree they formed an 
almost complete wooden ring. 
The Wier shingle trap was patented and put on the market in 
1870 or 1871. It consists of three shingles placed at a slight distance 
from each other on a large screw, which isto be forced into the trunk 
of the tree. The idea is that the worms descending or ascending the 
tree and meeting the shingles will crawl betweenthem. Theshingles 
being mounted on a screw can be easily turned apart and examined. 
This trap is mentioned on account of the interest which it aroused 
at the time. Experiments which Professor Riley made during the 
summer of 1872 showed that the lathed canvas Just mentioned se- 
cured on an average five times as many worms as any single Wier 
trap. and the rag, paper, and hay bandages all much more than any 
single Wier trap. A crucial experiment was tried by Dr. LeBaron, 
who, on each of four trees, put two of the Wier traps on opposite 
sides of the tree, one higher than the other, so as to admit of a carpet 
band between them. The result was: 
Sumber Of worms in upper traps: .. . 2. 6.2 i. his a ceed tne cneen sent ems 36 
em pere: porns) in lower traps... 2c. 2.fo) 42.35 - Sea evden SO 6 Se so 
eee At WHLIBS 3 GlOL hands «,.5 530/223. wend are He ng as wade omen mies dale pea aes 188 
The relative advantage of cloth bands in different positions, and 
the desirability of having two bands on the same tree, is also shown 
by Dr. LeBaron in a five-tree experiment, which we condense into 
the following table. One band was placed from 14 feet to 2 feet 
above the other: 
Peeeber Gn Worm J Gpper bands. OS. 22 os on. een Sen cle ten acne was 282 
Minar ie Worms a1 lOWEL DANGSC. (ioe o a bse eb oS es Bae 350 
In nearly every case the lowest bands contained the most, while 
bands which were placed on some of the largest limbs captured very 
few after the middle of August, although quite a number in late 
July and early August. 
There can be no question but that thorough use of trap bards will 
bring about admirable results, especially if neighbors unite. Pro- 
fessor Riley, in 1879, stated that he had no doubt but that the 
marked improvement in the Michigan apples noticeable at that time 
was due to the quite general use of bands in that State, brought about 
by the publications and lectures of a few enlightened men, and partic- 
ularly by the discussions at the State Horticultural Society. 
The larvee captured under bands have been counted and tabulated, 
arid the improvement in the character of the fruit has been noticed 
and recorded, but the only attempt with which we are familiar to as- 
certain and tabulate the exact proportion between the worms on a tree 
and those caught by the bands was that made by Mr. E. J. Wickson at 
_ the Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of California, 
during the summer of 1887. The results are given in Bulletin No. 
75 of the Station, and indicate that while from a total of 457 apple 
and pear trees bandaged 2,704 apples and pears were found from 
which the worms had escaped, only 1,188 worms were collected from 
the bands, or 44 per cent. of the whole. The bands used were strips 
of old sacks, 5 or 6 inches wide, allowed to lap over well and tied 
with a string around the middle. It seems that but one band was 
allowed to each tree, presumably fastened at the middle of the trunk, 
and that they were examined once «u week. The recorder states 
that he believes that many of the worms which issued from the apples 
and did not find their way to the bands were eaten by birds which 
were always working over the ground while he was in the orchard, 
