REPORT OF THE SOCIETY 67 



The egg-masses are either killed by painting them with creosote, or removed 

 by means of wire brushes or scrapers. 



Painting with Creosote. — The egg-masses may be killed by painting them with 

 creosote by means of a brush. Rubber-set paint brushes are used, attached to 

 light pine poles, about 16 feet long and l}4 inches square. The creosote is darkened 

 with lampblack so that the painted egg-masses can be more easily distinguished. 



The Egg-mass Remover. — A special wire brush, 5 inches long and 1 inch wide, 

 has proven very efficient in removing the egg-masses. A narrow hoe-blade, 

 6 inches long and 2 inches wide, has also been used effectively. An excellent scraper 

 is used in Toronto for this purpose. It is a short spoon-shaped blade, 2>< inches 

 long and one inch wide, with moderately sharp edges. Saw teeth filed on the 

 edges make it somewhat more effective. The brush or hoe-blade is attached to a 

 long handle; two lengths may be employed, one of 10 feet and the other 18 or 

 20 feet. 



The work of removing or destroying the egg-masses is done usually by gangs 

 of three men each, equipped with an extension ladder, and either egg-mass re- 

 movers and canvas sheets or creosote outfits, one man directing the work from the 

 ground. 



When the egg-masses are removed by brush or scraper, some of them are 

 broken and the eggs are scattered about the ground. Many of these eggs would 

 probably survive and reinfest the trees; and it is therefore advisable to spread large 

 canvas sheets on the ground beneath the trees before the operation so that the 

 eggs may be easily collected, or else to have all the trees properly banded before 

 the hatching time of eggs in the following season. 



In collecting the egg-masses, care should be taken not to remove the cocoons 

 which do not bear the eggs. These cocoons contain useful parasites, and they 

 should be preserved; they are easily distinguished from the true egg-masses by their 

 darker colour. 



vSpraying with Arsenates. 



When the egg-masses have not been removed from the trees, and the cater- 

 pillars are numerous upon the foliage, it is possible to prevent further injury by 

 spraying the trees with lead arsenate paste at the rate of 5 to 15 pounds to 100 

 gallons of water. Lead arsenate is better for this purpose than Paris green, since 

 it can be used in stronger solutions without danger of serious injury to the foliage, 

 and it adheres to the leaves for a much longer time. Five pounds of lead in one 

 hundred gallons of water will kill the caterpillars at the time of hatching, 10 pounds 



