THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



325 



one inch and a quarter. This is the usual ap- 

 pearance of the male, in its most perfect condi- 

 tion ; by which it will be seen Ihat it closely re- 

 sembles the j^nisopteryx (Bscularia of Europe. 

 Compared wiili tiielalter, 1 find ihai our canker- 

 worm moth is rather smaller, the wings are darker, 

 proportionally shorter and more obtulie, the white 

 bands are less distinct, and are often entirely 

 wantmg, in which case only the whitish spot 

 near the tip remains, the hind wings are more 

 dusky, and the leelers are gray instead of beinf^ 

 white. Specimens, of a rather smaller size, are 

 sometimes found, resembling the figure and de- 

 scription given by Professor Peck, fn which the 

 whitish bands and spot are wanting, and there 

 are three interrupted dusky lines across the fore 

 wings, with an oblique blackish dash near the tip. 

 Perhaps they constitute a different species Irom 

 that of the true canker-worm moth. Should this 

 be the case, the latter may be called ^nisopteryx 

 pometaria, or the anisopteryx of the orchard, 

 while the former should retain the name orio-i- 

 nally given to it by Prolessor Peck. The female 

 IS wingless, and its antenna? are short, slender, 

 and naked. Its body approaches to an oval Ibrm, 

 but tapers, and is turned up behind. It is dark 

 ash-colored above, and gray beneath. 



Ii was formerly supposed that the canker-worm 

 moths came out of the ground only in the spring. 

 It is now known that many of them rise in the 

 autumn and in the early part of the winter. In 

 mild and open winters I have seen them in every 

 month from October lo March. They beo'in to 

 make their appearance after the first hard /iosts in 

 the autumn, usually towards the end of October, 

 and they continue to come forth, in greater or 

 smaller numbers, according to the mildness or 

 severity of the weather afier the frosts have be- 

 gun. Their general time of rising is in the 

 spring, beginning about the middle of March, but 

 sometimes before, and sometimes afier this time ; 

 and they continue to come forth for the space of 

 about three weeks. It has been observed that 

 there are more females than males amon<^ those 

 that appear in the autumn and winter, and Ihat 

 the males are most abundant in the sprino-. The 

 sluggish females instinctively make their^way to- 

 wards the nearest trees, and creep slowly up their 

 trunks. In a few days afterwards they are fol- 

 lowed by the winged and active males, which 

 flutter about and accompany ihem in their ascenf, 

 during which the insects pair. Soon after this, 

 (he females lay their eggs upon the branches of 

 the trees, placing them on their ends, close toi-e- 

 ther in rows, forming clusters of from sixty (o one 

 hijndred eggs or more, which is the number usu- 

 ally laid by each female. The eggs are glued (o 

 each other and to the bark, by a grayish varnish, 

 which is impervious to water; and the clusters 

 are thus securely fastened in the forks of the small 

 branches, or close to the young twicrj and buds. 

 Immediately after the insects have thus provided 

 lor a succession of (heir kind, (hey begin to lan- 

 guish, and soon die. The ego's .-Tre usually 

 hatched between the first and the middle of May 

 or about the time that the red currant is in blos- 

 som, and the young leaves of the apple tree be^^in 

 to start from the bud and grow. The little canker- 

 worms, upon making their escape from the ecras, 

 gaiher upon the tender leaves, and, on the occur- 

 rence 01 cold and wet weather, creep lor shelter 



into the bosom of the bud, or into the flowers, 

 when the latter appear. As this treatise may fall 

 into the hands of persons who are not acquainted 

 with the habits and devastations of our canker- 

 worms, it should be stated that, where these in- 

 sects prevail, they are most abundant on apple 

 and elm trees ; but that cherry, plum, and lime 

 trees, and some other cultivated and native trees 

 as well as many shrubs, often sufler severely frorn 

 their voracity. The leaves first attacked will be 

 found pierced with small holes; these becoaie 

 larger and more irregular when the canker-worms 

 increase in size ; and, at last, the latter eat nearly 

 all the pulpy parts of the leaves, leaving little 

 more than the midrib and veins. A very°great 

 difference of color is observable among canker- 

 worms of different ages, and even among those 

 of the same age and size. It is possibfe that 

 some of these variations may arise from a diffe- 

 rence of species ; but it is also true that the same 

 species varies much in color. When very youn^^, 

 they have two minute warts on the top of the last 

 ring ; and they are then generally of a blackish 

 or dusky brown color, with a yellowish stripe on 

 each side of the body ; there are two whitish 

 bands across the head ; and the belly is also whit- 

 ish. When fully grown, these individuals be- 

 come ash-colored on the back, and black on the 

 sides, below which the pale yellowish line re- 

 mains. Some are found of a dull, greenish yel- 

 low, and others of a clay color, with slender in- 

 terrupted blackish lines on the sides, and small 

 spots of the same color on the back. Some are 

 green, with two white stripes on the back. The 

 head and the feet partake of the general color of 

 the body ; the belly is paler. When not eatino-, 

 they remain stretched out at full length, and reel- 

 ing on their lore and hind legs, beneath the leaves. 

 When lully grown and well fed, they measure 

 nearly or quite one inch in length. They leave 

 off eating when about lour weeks old,* and be- 

 gin to quit the trees ; some creep down by the 

 trunk, but great numbers let themselves down by 

 their threads from the branches, their instincts 

 prompting ihem to get to the ground by (he most 

 direct and easiest course. VVhen thus descend- 

 ing, and suspended in great numbers under (he 

 limbs of (rees overhanging the road, they are of- 

 ten swept off by passing carriages, and are thus 

 conveyed lo other places. After reaching (he 

 ground, they immediately burrow in the earth, 

 to the depth of from two to six inches, unless pre- 

 ven(ed by weakness or (he nature of the soil. In 

 the latter case, they die, or undergo their (ransfor- 

 mahons on the surface. In (he former, (hey 

 make little cavities or cells in (he ground, by 

 turning round repeatedly and fiastening the loose 

 grains of earth about them with a few silken 

 threads. Within twenty-tour hours afterwards, 

 they are changed to chrysalids in (heir cells. The 

 chrysalis is of a light brown color, and varies in 

 size according to the sex of (he insect contained 

 in it ; that of the female being the largest, and 

 being flestitute of a covering for wings, which is 

 found in the chrysalis of the males. The occur- 

 rence of mild weather after a severe frost slimu- 



* In the year 1S41, the red currant flowered, and the 

 canker-worms appeared, on the 15th of May. The 

 insects were very abundant on the 15th of June, and 

 on the 17th scarcely one was to be seen. 



