93 



is no question but what the parasites in many instances 

 rendered material aid in checking the scale last summer. 

 We found on a part of a twig an inch long and 5-16 inch 

 in diameter, 184 exit holes, each of these meaning one scale 

 insect destroyed. Although encouraging, it should be re- 

 membered that in many cases the parasites had become 

 numerous only after the trees have been severely injured, 

 and in not a few instances, killed. This is the first occur- 

 ence of the kind we have seen in a period of fifteen years, 

 and these insects may not render material service again for 

 a decade or more. It does no harm to know about the 

 parasites, the entomologists have known of them for decades, 

 although the time has not come when we can safely rely 

 upon these little friends. The Good Book tells us to "pra> 

 without ceasing." The horticulturist should spray with- 

 out ceasing. 



The most important insect the orchardist must control 

 is the apple worm or codling moth, a pest which may reduce 

 the crop of sound fruit by one-fourth to nearly three-fourths. 

 Tiiis is such a serious loss that we may well spend a few 

 minutes studying the insect, in an effort to ascertain the 

 most efiicient method of checking its ravages. This inseci 

 winters, as most know, in a tough, silken cocoon usually 

 located in an oval cell under the rough bark of treies. With 

 the appearance of warm weather in the spring, usually late 

 April and early May, the caterpillars change to apparently 

 lifeless pupae, and a week or ten days after the blossoms 

 fall, the moths commence to emerge and continue to appeai 

 throughout the greater part of June. The minute, whitish 

 eggs are deposited largely upon the leaves, though a number 

 may be found on the 3'Oung fruit. They hatch in about a 

 week and, as a consequence, the young apple worms of the 

 first brood may be entering the small fruit from early in 

 June, approximately three weeks after the blossoms fall, to 

 nearly the end of the month or even later. These caterpil- 

 lars require about four weeks to complete their growth, at 

 which time they desert the fruit, wander to a sheltered place 

 and spin a cocoon. They transform once more to pupae and 

 in about two weeks, namely the last of July or in August 

 another brood of moths may appear. These in turn deposit 

 eggs which hatch in due time and the young caterpillars 



