ENEMIES OF THE FRUIT GROWER. 673 



appear yearly, and if not destroyed, will certainly ruin all the plums 

 in an orchard, and a cherry crop need hardly be looked for. It not 

 infrequently will remove all the plums which appear upon a thrifty 

 tree, leaving not a single one. There are two ways of destroying 

 this insect. Spread cloths under the tree in the early morning, at 

 which time the insects are dull, and then shake the tree by a sudden 

 movement, and be particular to destroy all that come down. This 

 sudden jarring which may be done by striking the tree quickly with 

 a mallet (being particular to protect the tree itself from the mar- 

 ring which the blow may give), will be more efficacious than merely 

 shaking it. If when this shaking is done any of the fruit drops, it 

 should be immediately destroyed. Another way to remove the cur- 

 culio is to sprinkle the trees three or four times a week, from the 

 time when the blossoms disappear, until the ripening of the fruit, 

 with fine coal ashes. 



The Currant Worm This insect destroys currant and 

 gooseberry leaves, until the bushes are stripped. A remedy for 

 it is to apply powdered white hellebore as soon as the worm appears, 

 either sprinkling it dry over the leaves, or dissolving it in the pro- 

 portion of a tablespoonful of hellebore to a pail of water, and then 

 sprinkling the mixture. Great watchfulness is necessary to keep off 

 tne currant worm, because its depredations are so rapidly completed, 

 that it will render bushes actually leafless in a very short time, and 

 if the leaves are taken away, the fruit will not mature, and the 

 bushes will be injured. 



Caterpillars Various species of this insect are among the 

 worst foes of apple trees. They eat the leaves,and not infrequently ren- 

 der large trees unproductive. Of caterpillers, THE FALL WEB WORM, 

 is a species. It destroys different trees. It leaves its egg on the nether 

 side of the leaf near a twig's end. These develop, and the worm 

 spins its thread so that several leaves will be attached together, and 

 keeps on eating and spinning along the twig until they remove 

 every leaf it bears. This species is of small size, has black feet and 

 head, thick white hair on body, dark colored stripe on back, and 

 is pale yellow in color. 



THE TENT CATERPILLAR This species hatches when the trees 

 begin to open their leaf buds in the spring, and destroys leaves un- 

 til it arrives at its fujl development, existing during the summer, 

 then changing into a brown miller, encircling the smaller branches 

 of the trees with eggs and then dying. These eggs will themselves 

 become caterpillars as the spring opens, they being deposited at the 

 end of the summer, and will renew the attack upon leaves and fruit. 



REMEDY FOR THE WEB WORM AND CATERPILLAR The most 

 efficacious way is to cut off and destroy by tire the branches where 

 the eggs have been laid. This work may be accomplished in winter 

 or in early spring, but must be done surely before the worms have 

 developed sufficiently to begin their work. 



