326 



NATURE 



[June 21, 19 17 



the hon. treasurers of the Ramsay Memorial Fund at 

 University College, London, W.C.i. 



H. H, AsQuiTH. President. 



D, Lloyd George. 



Gainford. 



Rayleigh. 



Reay. 



Roseberv. 



H. A. L. Fisher. 



J. J. Thomson. 



Hugh Bell. 



Glenconner. 

 June 16. 



Vice-Presidents. 



r Chairman of the Execu- 

 \ tive Committee. 



Treasurer. 



THE CATERPILLAR ATTACK ON FRUIT 

 TREES. 



A GOOD deal has been heard recently about 

 the caterpillar plag^ue on fruit trees. There 

 has undoubtedly been an abnormal attack in 

 many parts of the country, and much damage 

 has been done. In some parts of Kent, Sussex, 

 Herefordshire, and Worcestershire orchards have 

 been denuded of their foliage, and many more 

 partially damaged. In many instances not only 

 has this year's promising crop gone, but the 

 trees have had a serious setback for next season. 

 Apples and cherries have suffered most, but in 

 a few districts plums have been badly invaded ; 

 currants also have suffered. In some districts 

 visited much of the fruit was only slightly 

 affected ; some orchards well cared for, not at all ; 

 whilst others were as bare as in midwinter, and 

 a fresh set of leaves was already appearing. 



Most of the harm has been done by the Winter 

 Moth (Cheimatobia brumata). In company with 

 it has been a fair sprinkling of the Mottled 

 Umber (Hybernia defoliaria) larvae. Another 

 " Looper " larva has done much harm in parts 

 of Herefordshire, the Pale Brindle Beauty 

 {Phigalia pilosaria), and also in Kent and at one 

 locality in Sussex ; it is usually worst in planta- 

 tions near oakwoods. Comparatively few March 

 Moth (Anisopteryx aescularia) have occurred. All 

 those mentioned have either apterous or nearly 

 apterous females, and are incapable of flight. A 

 few are, however, carried by the males in copula. 

 From several localities in Kent and Sussex num- 

 bers of Clouded Drab Moth {Taeniocanipa in- 

 stabilis) have been received ; this insect appears 

 to be becoming more harmful to fruit in the south 

 of England. 



The main damage done has clearly been due 

 to the insects mentioned, by far the greater part 

 by the Winter Moth, the Pale Brindle Beauty 

 having been very harmful in a few localities only. 

 These caterpillars have now done most of their 

 work, but the fruit-grower is still being harassed 

 to some extent by the Lackey Moth (Clissio- 

 campa neustria) and the Little Ermine {Hypono- 

 meuta padella). How far these attacks will de- 

 velop it is impossible to say. 



The amount of loss has been due very largely 

 to the serious lack of labour. Many plantations 

 have been improperly cultivated or, from lack 

 of labour, not cultivated at all. It has too often 

 been quite impossible to spray the trees, and even 



last year there were not sufficient men on many 

 farms effectually to grease-band them. For 

 \Vinter Moth and its allies two methods of treat- 

 ment meet with -compJete success, if properly 

 carried out, which can only be with the necessary 

 supply of skilled labour. The first is grease- 

 banding; the second, spraying with arsenate of 

 lead, where the former cannot be done, as on 

 bush trees or where such pests as the Clouded 

 Drab Moth occur. If grease-banding on stan- 

 dards and half-standards is to be of any use, the 

 bands must remain sticky from October to April, 

 and the bands must be complete, not, as the 

 writer has seen this year, with many breaks in 

 them. If arsenate of lead spraying is done, then, 

 it must be carried out at the proper time and 

 thoroughly. Many growers have sprayed when 

 they found the blossom trusses going and the 

 leaves fast disappearing. This is too late, for 

 the damage is done, the caterpillar working most 

 rapidly towards the close of its life. Apples 

 should be sprayed as soon as the buds are well 

 open, and may have to be sprayed again when the 

 blossom trusses begin to expand. One good spray- 

 ing as soon as the young " Looper " larvae are seen 

 will save the crop, whilst to spray when all the 

 damage is done is waste of time and money. 



Most of the loss this season to apples and other 

 fruit could, and doubtless would, have been 

 saved had proper provision been made for 

 the necessary skilled labour. 



One other point is worth mentioning, namely, 

 that during the winter in many districts there was 

 a great mortality amongst sparrows. The 

 sparrow, especially when nesting, devours Winter 

 Moth larvae and undoubtedly helps to keep them in^ 

 check, which, however, will not make up for its 

 many evil habits. Fred. V. Theobald. 



PROF. T. MCKENNY HUGHES, F.R.S. 



"pHOMAS McKENNY HUGHES, Wood- 

 -■- wardian professor of geology in the Univer- 

 sity of Cambridge-, died at Cambridge on June 9, 

 in his eighty-fifth year. 



Hughes was born at Aberystwyth, and was the 

 son of the Rev. Joshua Hughes (afterwards 

 Bishop of St. Asaph), and grandson of Sir 

 Thomas McKenny, Bart., who took a prominent 

 part in promoting Catholic emancipation in Ire- 

 land. His brother is Bishop of Llandaff. On 

 leaving school, he entered Trinity College, Cam- 

 bridge, where he graduated in 1857, proceeding 

 to the M.A. degree ten years later. When an , 

 undergraduate he attended the geological lectures 

 of his predecessor in the Woodwardian chair, 

 Prof. Sedgwick. In i860 he was appointed secre- 

 tary to the British Consul at Rome, and during 

 part of that and the following year was left in 

 charge as Acting Consul ; but before the year 1861 

 closed he definitely gave up diplomacy for geo- ' 

 logy, and joined H.M. Geological Survey. He 

 was a member of the Survey until 1873, when 

 he was elected to the Woodwardian professorship. 

 From that date until his death his time and energy 

 were devoted to the cause of the Cambridge 



