[ 438 I 18 



objectiouable ou account of their terpeutiny odor. The pieces may be 

 about a foot long aud from four to six inches wide. The three pieces 

 for one trap shoukl be of different widths, the narrower ones being next 

 to the tree. It is recommended to put a few jjiece of straw between the 

 shingles, letting them project beyond the edge, partly for the purpose 

 of keeping the pieces slightly apart, and partly to serve as conductors 

 to the worms. ■There can be no doubt that the covert furnished by these 

 pieces of wood, lying in juxtaposition, is a very congenial one to these 

 insects. It is the same in its nature as that afforded by the boards of 

 apple bins, which are often found glued together by the accumulated co- 

 coons of these insects. Another similar instance is that furnished by the 

 partial splitting down of the crotch of forked limbs, where hundreds of 

 worms are sometimes found imbedded in the cleft thus made. Mr. D. 

 B. Wier performed a number of experiments for the purpose of testing 

 the efficacy of these traps in comparison with the hay and cloth bands. 

 When put to similar tests, the result stood as follows : cloth bands, 27 ; 

 straw ropes, 36 ; Wier's trap, 74. In another trial, from- 43 to 188 worms 

 were found in each trap, at the end of every ten days. 



The obvious imperfection of these traps consists in the very limited 

 extent of tlieir contact with the tree, so that unless many traps are 

 placed upon the same tree, the worms are liable to pass by them ; though 

 it is possible that if no other covert be found, a part of the worms may 

 return to them. The claim that has been set up that the traps attract 

 the worms from a distance, so that one, or at most two, traps to a tree 

 are all that are necessary, is improbable in itself, and does not bear the 

 test of experience. The following experiments with these traps were 

 performed by me during the past summer. 



Early in the season I put upon the trunk of each of four apple trees, 

 two of Mr. Wier's traps, on opposite sides, one higher than the other, 

 so as to admit a carpet band six inches wide between them. Of course 

 no worm could reach the bands without passing by one or the other of 

 the traps, or rather its horizontal range. These appliances were ex- 

 amined on the 26th of July, with the following results: 



Number of worms in the upper traps. 36 



Number of worms in the lower traps. . - 44 



Number of worms in the cloth bands 1*^8 



The traps were made of but two pieces each. The pieces for two of 

 them were sent to me by Mr. Thomas Wier for experiment. The other 

 two were made each of one shingle six inches wide, sawed across in the 

 middle and one half laid upon the other. The traps would have been 

 more effective undoubtedly if each had been made of three or four pieces. 

 But the experiment, as it is, shows that the shingle traps possess no 

 special attractions. Mr. Wier claims, as one of the chief advantages of 

 his traps, that the worms can either be taken fi'omthem, or crushed be- 



