174 INJURIOUS INSECTS 



CLIMBING CUT- WORMS. 



Orchardists in spring frequently find the hearts of their 

 fruit buds on young trees especially entirely eaten out 

 and destroyed, and this circumstance is attributed to va- 

 rious causes, winged insects, beetles, slugs for instance; 

 to birds or even to late frosts, when probably the entire 

 mischief is caused by Cut-worms. 



When climbing, Cut-worms will crawl up a tree eight 

 or ten feet high, and seem to like equally well the leaves 

 of the Pear, Apple, and Grape. 



They work during the night, always descending to the 

 earth again at early dawn, and hiding just under its sur- 

 face, which accounts for their never having been noticed 

 in this their work of destruction in former years. They 

 seldom descend the tree as they ascend it, by crawling, 

 but drop from the bud or leaf on which they have been 

 feeding; and it is quite interesting to watch one at early 

 morn when it has become full fed and the tender skin 

 seems ready to burst from repletion, and see it prepare 

 by a certain twist of the body for the fall. 



" On light soil they often destroy low-branched fruit 

 trees of all kinds, except the Peach, feeding on the fruit 

 buds first, the wood buds as a second choice, tender grape 

 buds and shoots (to which they are also partial), not ex- 

 cepted; the miller always prefers to lay her eggs near 

 the hill or mound over the roots of the trees in the or- 

 chard; and if, as is many times the case, the trees have a 

 spring dressing of lime or ashes with the view of prevent- 

 ing the May-beetle's operations, this will be selected with 

 unerring instinct by the miller, thus giving her larvae a 

 fine warm bed to cover themselves up in during the day 

 from the observations of their enemies. They will leave 

 potatoes, peas, and all other green things for the Apple 

 and Pear. The long, naked young trees of the orchard 



