OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 25 



"3d. If the moths are not prevented from ascending the tree they 

 will deposit their eggs mostly upon the under side of the scales of 

 bark, on the upper part of the trunk and larger branches. Many of 

 these can be destroyed by scraping off and burning the scales. 



"4th. If all precautions have been neglected and the eggs have 

 been permitted to hatch, then, as soon as the worms are large enough 

 to be easily seen, jar them from the trees and sweep them away with 

 a pole, as they hang by their threads, and burn or otherwise destroy 

 them. 



" 5th. If the worms have matured and gone into the ground for 

 winter quarters, plow the ground late in the fall, so as to expose the 

 pupjT to frost, and to the action of natural enemies. 



" We wish to call particular attention to the rope and tin bands 

 mentioned in the first paragraph. We have found this, upon the few 

 trees to which we have applied it, an almost perfect barrier to the 

 ascent of the moths, and we are very desirous that others should give 

 it a trial on a larger scale. The method of putting on these bands is 

 very simple. Take a piece of inch rope — old worn out rope is just as 

 good as new — tack one end to the trunk, two feet or less from the 

 ground, with a shingle nail, driven in so that the head shall not project 

 beyond the level of the rope. Bring the rope round the tree, and let 

 it lap by the beginning an inch or two, cut it off and fasten it in the 

 same manner. Get the tinman to cut up some sheets of tin into 

 strips four inches wide and fasten them together endwise, so that they 

 shall be long enough to go round the trees over the rope band, hav- 

 ing the rope at the middle. Let the ends of the tin lap a little, punch 

 a hole through them and fasten them with a nail driven through the 

 tin and rope into the tree. 



"The result of this contrivance is that the moths congregate be- 

 low the obstruction, and sometimes pile up so as to go over onto the 

 tin. But when they reach the upper edge of the tin they go round 

 and round it till they become discouraged. They could easily go down 

 on the inside of the tin and across the rope onto the tree, but so far, 

 at least, as my experience goes, they do not do so. Their instinct im- 

 pels them to go upward, and these simple, unreasoning creatures do 

 not know enough to overcome the difficulty by first going a little 

 downward. They have not yet learned the art sometimes practiced 

 by females higher in the scale, of stooping to conquer." 



Mr. 11. M. Milliken gives the following experience with this tin 

 and rope trap, in a late number of the Prairie Fanner : 



In 1873 I applied the rope and tin in this way : 1 nailed a rope tight 

 around the tree, took tin five inches wide and nailed it on the rope, 

 half the tin above the rope and half below it. I put it on with three- 



3 — ER 



