550 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Dec. 



two transverse ones ■will serve to connect the two 

 jjarts together,) by screws or nails, as you please, 

 though to facilitate removal it will be better to fas- 

 ten the transverse ones by screws. Secure the plat- 

 form to the trees, either by suspending it by strings 

 from the lower limbs, or by wedging with wedges 

 of wood, in either case filUng up between the plat- 

 form and the tree with a stuffing of tow, oakum, 

 or some substance which will prevent the moth 

 fi"om passing between it and the tree. Some who 

 have tried sea-weed as stuffing, have abandoned it, 

 believing from its tendency to hold moisture, or 

 from other reasons it furnished a tempting place 

 for the operations of the borer. Ha\'ing fastened 

 the cleat as before directed, within half an inch of 

 the edge, surround the platform by slips of glass, 

 from two and a half to three inches in width, sliding 

 the slips under the grooves in the cleats ; the glass 

 will thus rest on the platform completely surround- 

 ing it, and projecting beyond it from one to two 

 inches, as may be. The space that will remain be- 

 tween the cleats and glass of ordinary thickness, will, 

 of course, require sufficient stuffing with cotton, 

 oakum, or some light material, to keep the glass in 

 its place ; but room must be left sufficient to alloAv 

 for the warping of the wood, and consequent bend- 

 ing of the glass ; still the experimenter must be 

 prepared to find some of liis strips cracked from this 

 cause, though it may be mostly ob\iated by treating 

 the woodwork to a good coating "of paint before ap- 

 plying it. Should the glass finally crack, he will 

 still find it as good a protector as before. Glass for 

 the above jjurpose can usually be found among the 

 waste 23ieces of the glazier. Care must be taken to 

 wipe the projecting portion of the under side of the 

 glass, to keep it free from dust or particles of earth, 

 which may be dashed on bj' rains, otherwise by 

 stej)ping from particle to particle, the moth may be 

 able to bridge the barrier. 



With our trees thus protected, we consider them 

 secure from the intrusions of the moth fraternity, 

 those with wings sufficient for flying being except- 

 ed, and experience may teach us that we must also 

 except an occasional specimen whose abdominal 

 load is exceedingly light, perhaps supplying one or 

 two exceptions in the course of a season. There is 

 room of course to modify the above plan in some of 

 its particulars, to suit the judgment and experience 

 of each ; for instance, m the distance between the 

 cleats and edges of the platform, some may pi'efer to 

 have them nearer, and the glass consequently nar- 

 rower, but the above is the plan my father has 

 adopted for our larger trees, and such as it is I 

 cheerfully present it for the consideration of our 

 brother farmers, and should their ingenuity or ex- 

 perience enable them to suggest improvements, we 

 should be very happy to learn them. If the trees 

 are small, say under six inches in diameter, instead 

 of the platform they may be directly encircled by 

 glass. First surround such trees by a thick ring of 

 rich putty, and allow it to remain a short time to 

 harden, then insert your glass, having first cut off 

 the corners to prevent all unnecessary pressure ; 

 the glass will now externally have the form of an 

 octagon. Should it appear likely to fall, it may 

 be propped by two or more supporters, resting on 

 the ground. I should remark relative to this last 

 plan, that its practicability is to a degree conjectu- 

 ral, though from a limited test we are sanguine that 

 it will succeed. 



Respecting the advantages of these plans, it will 



be readily seen that the material used is of low cost, 

 that the simple apparatus can be easily constnicted 

 and a])i)lied by any person of common ingenuity, 

 that with the return of the growing season the pro- 

 tection necessary for a large orchard could be easi- 

 ly removed, witliin an hour's time, and finally, that 

 the enclosing circle can be easily enlarged, so that 

 the same collar may be used around the same tree 

 for many years. 



Without knowing anything of the mechanical 

 construction of Mr. Dana's collar, which certainly 

 involves the same idea, I would state that those 

 proposed serve as two-fold barriers. The insect ap- 

 l)ears to be completely deceived by the glass, evi- 

 dently confiding much in the testimony of its own 

 eyes, hlce many faithless bipeds, it plumps its head 

 continually against the glass above, but because it 

 perceives nothing, believes nothing. Tliis want of 

 faith in the presence of any obstacle to their pro- 

 gress, may, in part, account for so few venturing on 

 the glass, for I am told that whole ranks of these 

 unbelievers may be seen for hours marching along 

 the borders of the glass, each probably wondering 

 Avhy its silly neighbor don't go up. We fomid the 

 other morning just under the glass two curcuKos, 

 apparently checked in their progress up the tree ; 

 but whether it would serve as any effectual protec- 

 tion against this great winged enemy, may well be 

 questioned, though I note tliis fiict. 



I doubt whether to those who have not been 

 subject to their ravages, either the excellent Avorks 

 of DoAvning or Cole give a correct idea of the time 

 of the ascent of the canlver moth or the ravages of 

 the canlver worm. In the year 1852 the first indi- 

 vidual moth found in the act of ascending our trees, 

 was on Oct. 24 ; in 18o3, the first found was on the 

 13th ; of the year 1854, we have no record, while 

 on the jn-esent year, the first discovered was on the 

 21st inst. There can be but little doubt from the 

 above date that the moth usually commences her 

 ascent as early as thefirst of October, and we know 

 by observation that they may be found ascending 

 on almost any pleasant day from tliis date to the 

 close of their season. 



The moth ascends in increased numbers just af- 

 ter a hard frost, which seems either to quicken her 

 instinct or set her free from some impiisoned state 

 in which she jireviously existed. We have exam- 

 ined our trees each day and each night for the pa.«;t 

 fortnight, and find that lilce other intruders, they 

 prefer the cover of the night. 



Of the extent of their ravages, those mfested by 

 them can testify that they will strip large trees, and 

 even orchards, so that literally not a green spot can 

 be found on them ; and not satiated with tliis, they 

 will devour every germinating effort of the tree to 

 recover itself. There is an orchard, almost Avithin 

 stone's throw of where I am now writing, which lost 

 by their depredations a few years since several of 

 its finest trees, trees of the largest size, from two 

 to two and a half feet in diameter, and with vast- 

 spreading heads that have drawn the attention of 

 many a passer-by. But like many other of the far- 

 mer's pests, they keep their "age and generation,^' 

 now in this neigborhood, now in that, infesting one 

 locality for years, and after one sweeping devasta- 

 tion, blessing another locality by an absence of half 

 a century. Meanwhile we must match our intellect 

 against his instincts. J. J. H. Gregory. 



Marblehead, Oct. 30. 



