INSECTS. 105 



have been suffered to breed for a succession of years, become pre- 

 maturely old, in consequence of the efforts they are obliged to 

 make to repair, at an unseasonable time, the loss of their foliage, 

 and are rendered unfruitful, and consequently unprofitable. But 

 this is not all ; these pernicious insects spread in every direction, 

 from the trees of the careless and indolent, to those of their more 

 careful and industrious neighbors, whose labors are thereby greatly 

 increased, and have to be followed up year after year, without any 

 prospect of permanent relief. 



Many methods and receipts for the destruction of these insects 

 have been published and recommended, but have failed to exter- 

 minate them, and indeed have done but little to lessen their num- 

 bers. The great difficulty is the neglect to do any thing, till after 

 the caterpillars have covered the trees with their nests. Then the 

 labors of the sluggard commence, and one tree, let his receipt be 

 ever so perfect and powerful, will cost him as much time and labor 

 as ten trees would have required three weeks sooner. The means 

 to be employed may be stated under three heads. The first is, the 

 collection and destruction of the eggs. These should be sought for 

 in the winter and the early part of spring, when there are no leave? 

 on the trees. They are easily discovered at this time, and may be 

 removed with the thumb-nail and fore-finger. Nurseries and the 

 lower limbs of large trees may thus be entirely cleared of the clus- 

 ters of eggs during a few visits made at the proper season. If a - 

 liberal bounty for the collection of the eggs were to be offered, and 

 continued for the space of ten years, these destructive caterpillars 

 would be nearly exterminated at the end of that time. Under the 

 second head are to be mentioned the most approved- plans for de- 

 ^troying the caterpillars after they are hatched, and have begun to 

 make their nests or tents. It is well known that the caterpillars 

 come out to feed twice during the day-time, namely, in the fore- 

 noon and afternoon, and that they rarely leave their nests before 

 nine in the morning, and return to them again at noon. During 

 the early part of the season, while the nests are small, and the cat- 

 erpillars young and tender, and at those hours when the insects 

 are gathered together within their common habitation, they may 

 be effectually destroyed by crushing thorn by hand in the nests. 

 A brush, somewhat like a bottle-brush, fixed to a long handle, a 

 dried mullein head and its stalk fastens 1 to a pole, will be useful 

 to remove the nests, with the caterpillars contained therein, from 

 those branches which are too high to be reached by hand. In- 

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