26 FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT OF ♦ 



interests incline them to tlieorize in a different way, but the bushels of wind- 

 falls that cover the ground early in the year, under trees that are badly 

 troubled with the worms, are sufficient attestation of the fact. Workincr 

 upon this well known fact, Mr. Oliver Chapin, of East Bloomfield, IST. Y., has 

 been in the habit of jarring down these windfalls and then collecting them 

 together and destroying them. He has been able by this means to preserve 

 the fruit of a large orchard of a hundred acres, at the rate of about one acre 

 an hour, wath two men and a boy. An interesting account of his method 

 was given in the Country Gentleman of the 25th of January last; and as he 

 has also proved the insect to be double-brooded in that latitude ; and in or- 

 der to make a suggestion or two, I copy the following passages from the 

 article : 



Two men with poles usually knock off the wormy specimens about as 

 fast as one boy gathers them into a basket. Where they are very numer- 

 ous, more boys may be needed. As the fruit all hangs downward on the 

 stems, the affected points may be easil}^ seen from the ground, by the exuda- 

 tions from the " blossom," and the men with poles know where to strike. The 

 wormy fruit may be thrown into a large stream or pond and the larvae thus 

 destroyed, but if the apples float ashore, they will crawl out and escape. A 

 kettle of hot water may therefore be better. 



Mr. Chapin informs us that he has tried a series of experiments to de- 

 termine the season when the insects commit their depredations. The earli- 

 est winged moths which he has found appeared on the 4th of June. These 

 came from the cocoons in various hiding places and crevices, where they 

 had passed the winter. About the 15th of July he first detected the presence 

 of the worm in the young fruit 6y the exudations already alluded to. They 

 continue appearing for some weeks. Hence the best season for the first at- 

 tack is about the middle of July. By caging the insects, and watching their 

 transformations, he finds that a second brood comes out early in August. 

 He consequently attaches great importance to making the first attack in 

 July a very thorough one. By doing so, but few insects escape for the sec- 

 ond attack on the fruit, and the number of late summer specimens is much 

 diminished, so that instead of having most of his apples spoiled by this sec- 

 ond brood, as would otherwise be the case, very few ai-e injured. He finds 

 that the moth will not travel far in search of a place to deposit her eggs, if 

 there happens to be plenty of fruit near at hand for this purpose ; but in the 

 absence of loaded trees, she will fly to an indefinite distance. * * * 

 He does not, therefore, fear the results of neglect on the part of his neigh- 

 bors, so long as they raise apples enough to keep their own moths at home, 

 although it would be better for all to make common cause for their destruc- 

 tion. 



I have italicised those passages that I more particularly wish to call 

 attention to. The exudations from the blossom end, twice mentioned, are 

 not indications of the presence of the worm, but, on the contrary, are sure 

 indications of its absence in such apples; for they are caused by the exit of 

 the worm. The middle of July is, therefore, by Mr. Chapin's own showing,, 

 a little too late to commence operations most successfully, and I have no 

 doubt he will find it more profitable to commence a fortnight earlier, or 

 about the first of July. 



In the latitude of St. Louis, oiDerations should commence by the middle 

 or end of May ; and those who use the rubber-tipped pole or mallet for the 



