334 THE NEW GARDENING 



the trunk at the point where the lower edge of the paper 

 is to come as a preliminary. This will enable him to get 

 the paper perfectly flat on the trunk and leave no 

 channels. 



A special grease prepared for the purpose is desirable, 

 and it should be plastered on with the fingers fairly 

 thickly from the top. Unless a good grease is used it 

 will either run down the trunk or dry quickly. It is all 

 right as long as it is " tacky/' If it should become dry 

 and hard more should be brushed on. 



The band must never be put so low that mud may be 

 splashed on to it from bare soil below in wet weather, 

 otherwise it will fail to stop the moths, which will crawl 

 over the dried patches. 



If the trees are staked the supports must be banded 

 as well as the trunks, otherwise the moths, baulked in 

 their ascent of the tree direct, will descend, crawl up the 

 stakes, and reach the trees by means of the bands. 



The bands should be put in position not later than the 

 middle of October, and should be removed in spring 

 before the hot sun has time to melt the grease and set 

 it running down the tree. 



A grower who examines the bands in autumn may 

 often find clusters of eggs laid on the string that fastens 

 them, showing that the moth has made a last effort to 

 perpetuate her kind before perishing. 



After removing the paper it is a good plan to brush 

 the trunks of the trees with lime- wash if the lime-sulphur 

 or lime-salt spray has not been used. 



It is an interesting fact, which I have not hitherto seen 

 explained, that the moths are found in the greatest 

 abundance on the north side of the bands. They may 

 often be found in numbers on the north side of the tree, 

 while the portion of the band on the south side is almost 



