FRUIT TREES AND THEIR ENEMIES 169 



dispersed moth. In and around London the 

 insect is fairly common, the caterpillar being 

 readily recognised by its gaudy appearance. 

 It is of a dark grey colour, spotted with reddish, 

 conspicuously hairy tufts, especially at head and 

 tail, and is i^ inch long. The female is 

 wingless, and the male fully an inch in spread 

 of wings, and of a chestnut-brown colour. 

 The caterpillar feeds on the leaves, and may be 

 destroyed by spraying with a weak solution of 

 arsenate. 



The Plum Aphis (Aphis pruni}. Wherever 

 plums are cultivated this aphis is usually 

 abundant. By piercing the leaves these are 

 caused to curl up and shield the insect, thus to 

 some extent preventing measures for its eradi- 

 cation being successfully taken. As the aphis 

 appears before expansion of the leaf, spraying 

 with a weak emulsion about the end of March 

 is to be recommended. 



Canker, or Canker Fungus (Nectria ditissima). 

 A Kentish fruit-grower tells me that canker, 

 which is due to the above-named wound 

 parasite, is a terrible scourge of orchard trees 

 throughout England generally, but particularly 



