138 FRUIT GROWING FOR AMATEURS 



decay when gathered and placed in the store-room. When 

 fully fed the caterpillars bore their way out of the Apples, make 

 their way to the ground, find a suitable hiding-place, and spin 

 cocoons about themselves, afterwards turning into pupae from 

 which other moths ultimately emerge. 



All fallen fruit should be cleared away as soon as possible, 

 and also rubbish, leaves and dead wood lying about the ground. 

 Oilcake bags and sacking made into bands and bound round the 

 tree stems near the ground in July form serviceable traps, as 

 ascending and descending caterpillars hide in them, and when 

 caught should, of course, be destroyed. Spraying the trees with 

 arsenate of lead after the blossom has fallen, but before the tiny 

 fruits have turned down, is another remedy which should be 

 tried where the pest is known to be troublesome. 



Ermine Moth. The small Ermine moth is another cause of 

 damage to Apple trees. The eggs of the moths are deposited in 

 patches on the trees during July and August, but the caterpillars 

 which hatch out do not do any damage until spring, when they 

 bore into and feed on buds and leaves, with the result that affected 

 trees are considerably weakened and rendered unhealthy. The 

 caterpillars live together in numbers in webs spun by themselves 

 amongst the leaves and shoots ; these should be diligently 

 searched for and be cut out, then being either crushed or burnt 

 to destroy the pests. Depositing the webs and caterpillars in a 

 pail of insecticide kept handy for the purpose is another simple 

 way of destroying them. 



Gooseberry Sawfly. The Gooseberry sawfly is very 

 troublesome in Gooseberry plantations and gardens, and it also 

 attacks Ked Currant bushes. In many cases the leaves are quite 

 cleared off, together with the young fruit, and unless the plague 

 is checked it is sure to be renewed in succeeding seasons. The 

 colour of the caterpillar varies at different stages. At first 

 it is greenish- white with a black head and a few black spots, 

 later green with numerous black spots, and in the final stage 

 light green with spots. 



The adults appear in April or early May. The females lay 

 their eggs on the under sides of the leaves close to the veins. 

 They are very numerous and inserted in slight incisions, sometimes 

 at the edges of the leaves and fastened with an adhesive sub- 

 stance. The eggs hatch in about six days, and the caterpillars 

 feed on the leaves. They soon spread over other leaves and shoots, 



