148 FRUIT CULTURE. 



air from the bark for any lengthened period cannot fail 

 to injure the tree. 



After the moths have ascended the trees and deposited 

 the eggs, nothing more can be done until the spring. 

 The eggs commence to hatch just as the buds commence 

 to unfold, and immediately the egg has hatched the 

 caterpillar is very tender, and easily destroyed by syrin- 

 ging with some of the insecticides named below. This 

 syringing should be done once or twice before the blossom 

 expands, and should on no account be done while the 

 bloom is open, or much damage will be done. The 

 hatching, however, continues for two or three weeks ; 

 therefore, after the fruit has set, the spraying may be 

 again continued, but the caterpillars will be by this time 

 gaining strength, and securing themselves in the folds of 

 the leaf, or by drawing two leaves together. They are 

 then very difficult to dislodge, and can only be attacked 

 by poisoning the foliage upon which they feed, or by 

 syringing at night when they are out feeding. This may 

 be done by the use of either of the insecticides, but great 

 care should be taken in the use to apply only a very fine 

 spray, otherwise the foliage will be damaged. Care should 

 also be taken in using the arsenical poisons if there are 

 vegetables or other green crops below. 



Since the ravages of this pest set in to such an alarm- 

 ing extent in the spring of 1889, many experiments have 

 been tried as to the best insecticide to use for syringing 

 the trees. Most authorities are now agreed as to Paris 

 Green being the most efficacious. 



Miss Ormerod, the consulting entomologist of the 

 Royal Agricultural Society, has collected a large amount 

 of valuable information respecting these experiments 

 during the past season, the result of which is published 

 in the Royal Agricultural Society's Journal. 



