188 



THE CANADIAN HORTIOULTURISf. 



larva is killed by eating the poison, and 

 we find that the faintest trace suffices 

 for the purpose. Again, the poison 

 should be applied early, by the time 

 the fruit is the size of a small pea. I 

 have found one such application to 

 work wonders. There is no doubt but 

 that the first application, followed 

 by one or two others at intervals of 

 two or three weeks, would be more 

 thorough, yet I have found one applica- 

 tion, made early, so effective, that I 

 have wondered whether it is best or 

 necessary to make more than one appli- 

 cation. I do think, however, that it 

 must be early. In May and June the 

 calyx of the apple is up, and so the 

 poison is retained sufficiently long to 

 kill most all of the insects. 



One more count in favor of this treat- 

 ment, is the further good we receive by 

 killing the several phytophagous larvae 

 that attack the foliage of the apple at 

 this early period when defoliation is so 

 harmful. Thus the terrible canker- 

 worm, the several destructive leaf rol- 

 lers which even eat out the very buds, 

 and that old pest, the tent caterpillar, 

 are all made to bite the sod. Very 

 likely, too, the plum gouger which so 

 deforms the apple in Wisconsin may 

 also find in this remedy its death war- 

 rant. 



The dinger from this practice I have 

 proved to be nothing at all. The micro- 

 scope and chemical analysis have both 

 shown that all the poison has been re- 

 moved long before we wish to eat the 

 fruit. The wind no less than the rain 

 helps to effect this removal, as I have 

 shown by putting the poison on plants 

 sheltered from all rains. Of course we 

 should not turn stock into an orchard 

 till a heavy rain has washed the poison 

 fVom all herbage under the trees. 



I am entirely positive that a know- 

 ledge and practice of this remedy 

 throughout our country will save hun- 

 dreds of thousands of dollars to our 



fruit growers. It will serve to give us 

 the fair, perfect apples known to our 

 fathers, but which have become lament- 

 ably scarce in our modern orchards. 



THE APPLE TREE BARK OR SCALE LOUSE. 



In many parts of our State the" Apple 

 Scale or bark louse is very common and 

 destructive. This is often called the 

 Oyster Shell Bark Louse and is known 

 in science as Mytilaspis pomoruin, 

 BoucM. 



Under the scales, from late summer 

 till the following June, will be found 

 scores of small white eggs, which re- 

 semble white powder, unless magnified. 

 Early in June these eggs hatch, and 

 the minute yellowish lice will be seen 

 scattered about the trunk and brandies 

 of the tree. Soon they insert their 

 beaks into the bark, sometimes into the 

 skin of the fruit, and commence to suck 

 the sap or juice. They now grow 

 rapidly, and secrete a waxy, fibrous 

 substance, which forms the growing 

 scale, which will be fully developed by 

 August, when the many white eggs 

 will again be laid under the protecting 

 scale, where, unless eaten by some para- 

 site or mite, etc., will remain in safety 

 till the coming June. 



It seems strange that these small, 

 almost microscopic, insects can do so 

 much injury, as they often entirely 

 destroy large, vigorous trees. Yet when 

 we consider their numbers — almost 

 millions, which almost cover the bark 

 of the tree, it does not seem so strange. 

 The scales of the male lice are rarely 

 seen. They are found on both sides 

 of the leaves, and are more symmetri- 

 cal than the female scales. The males 

 have two wings. 



REMEDIES. 



Parasites, Mites, and Lady Beetles 

 all prey upon these fell destroyers, but 

 though efficient aids, they are not al- 

 ways enough to exterminate the lice, 

 and then the trees fall victims to these 



