128 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



metal deflectors are much used. It is essential that no space 

 should be left through which the insect may crawl above the 

 protector, and the bands must not be allowed to dry. For this 

 last reason tar and printer's ink, which were formerly much 

 used, are now being abandoned in favor of tree tanglefoot, 

 while the metal deflectors, which are hard to fit closely to ir- 

 regular trunks and frequently get out of order, besides being 

 quite expensive, are also disappearing. 



The time at which the band should be applied depends upon 

 the species of canker worm for which it is used. As the fall 

 canker worm moth crawls up the trees in October and Novem- 

 ber, the bands should be put on about the first of October and 

 be kept sticky till about Thanksgiving time. For the spring 

 canker worm they should be applied about the first of March 

 and be kept in effective condition till the end of April. 



In case the fruit grower is unaware of the presence of these 

 insects until they have begun their feeding on the leaves, 

 spraying with arsenate of lead will quickly check their ravages; 

 and, as the spraying for the codling moth will have been re- 

 cently made, both insects will be reached by the same appli- 

 cation. 



During the present year the caterpillars of the hickory tiger 

 moth (Halisidota carycc Harr.) have been unusually abundant. 

 Their contrasting colors attract attention against a background 

 of green leaves, and their size when full grown is such that 



they can consume a consider- 

 able amount of food. They 

 feed ordinarily on the hick- 

 ory, walnut, elm and other 

 shade and forest trees, but at 



Fig. 14. — Hickory tiger moth. times ape ^fa abundant ill 



orchards, particularly on the plum trees. The moths appear 

 in June, but, as they fly only at night, are not often seen. The 

 eggs are laid in clusters on the under side of the leaves, and 

 the caterpillars at first feed together, but as they grow older 

 scatter in different directions and often to other trees. They 

 become full grown in September, and then seek for sheltered 

 places, where they spin their cocoons in which to spend the 

 winter and following spring till it is time for the moths to appear. 



