86 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 



ous methods have been proposed. A writer IB 

 Carey's American Museum, August, 1792, says, 

 "Canker worms never destroy apple trees which 

 stand on a stiff clay, or in low ground, where water 

 stands long in the spring. The reason for this is 

 obvious. The canker worm, about the 10th of 

 June, descends into the earth, there to lie till the 

 next spring, when the miller rises and ascends the 

 trees. This worm is not strong, nor furnished with 

 the necessary implements for digging into a hard 

 stiff clay ; of course it cannot bury itself in clay, and 

 is not fond of gravel. The writer therefore pro- 

 poses to lay a covering of stiff clay round trees which 

 stand on sand or other light earth. This covering 

 or layer may be thrown upon the top of the natural 

 soil, which may be removed to the depth of a few 

 inches. If the clay be laid on in summer, after the 

 descent of the worm, it may prevent the miller from 

 rising in the spring; if when the worm is upon the 

 tree, it may prevent its finding a lodging; but as in 

 the latter case, the worm might travel some dis- 

 tance beyond the limits of the layer, it might be bet- 

 ter to form the layer round the tree after the de- 

 scent of the worm in June." 



According to Dr. Dean's New England Farmer, 

 it is now about eighty years since New England 

 was first visited by these destructive insects. He 

 observes, if any person could invent some easy, 

 cheap, and effectual method of subduing them, he 

 would merit the thanks of the publick, and more 

 especially of every owner of an orchard. Several 

 methods have been tried with some degree of suc- 

 cess. 1. Tarring. A strip of canvass is put round 

 the body of the tree, before the ground is open in 

 the spring, and well smeared with tar. The fe- 

 males, in attempting to pass over it, stick fast and 

 perish. But unless the tarring be renewed very 

 frequently, it will become hard, and permit the in- 

 sects to pass safely over it. And renewing the 



