128 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



May, 



OUR PERENNIAL FOES. 



spraying with Paris green, in early spring, be- 

 fore the young Apples had dropped upon their 

 Insects That are a Great Damage to i stems, resulted in a saving of about seventy 



The Codling 

 (perfect insect 



Fig. I. 



'A, (perft 

 of Apple Worm.) 



the Horticulturist, and How Best 

 to Treat Them. 



With the spring-time comes the renewed 

 warfare between the vigilant soil-tUler and 

 his insect enemies, for these are essentially 

 warm weather creatures. No lengthy argu- 

 ments are needed to show the terribly destruct- 

 ive character of these quiet minute foes, which 

 like a vast hostile army every year settle down 

 upon the land . Indeed it would require a great 

 invading force of armed men to be able annu- 

 ally to cause devastation equivalent to that 

 accomplished by the many Insect tribes. 



According to the last census returns it is 

 computed that the aggregate losses from injur- 

 ious insects in the United 



States equals too hundred 

 millions of dollars a year, 

 while able economic ento- 

 mologists are not wanting 

 who place the loss at least 

 one-half higher. It is esti- 

 mated that the Apple 

 Worm or Codling Moth 

 alone has in recent years 

 destroyed nearly one-half 

 of the Apple crop of the 

 country, representing to 

 our fruit growers a loss 

 that runs high into the 

 millions of doUars yearly. 



But along with the in- 

 crease of injurious insects, 

 there has happily been in- 

 creased activity also on 

 the part of the National 

 and State Grovemments, 

 and of individuals in devis- 

 ing means and remedies 

 for successfully destroying 

 the former. And with ex- 

 cellent results too, for it 

 is most gratifying to note 

 that at the present time 

 hardly a single formida- 

 ble insect enemy to the 

 horticulturist exists but 

 what there is also some simple remedy known for 

 its destruction, or at least for gi-eatly lessening 

 the force of its damaging attacks. 



It is for the purpose of laying before om- 

 readers at this time a siuuming up of the 

 most approved methods and remedies, old and 

 new, for dealing with some prominent insect 

 enemies that the present paper is given. The 

 remedies have been compiled from various 

 sources, giving due credit, and it is believed 

 that together they must possess such value to 

 our readers as will enable them very suc- 

 cessfully to cope vrith the multiple foe. But 

 no remedy can prove successful unless it be ap- 

 plied promptly at the proper time, hence it is 

 urged that whatever is done in the insect war 

 now at hand, let it be done early, vigorously, 

 and with all due persistence. 



THE APPLE WORM OR CODLING MOTH (Carpo- 

 capsa pomonella Linn). 



As this is by far the most injuiious pest of 

 the Apple, it should be well known in its vari- 

 ous stages, hence we present figures 1 to 3 illus- 

 trating it accurately. For this insect a most 

 satisfactory remedy is now in use, one easy of 

 application, and which, if rightly used, is be- 

 lieved by Prof. S. A. Forbes, State Entomolo- 

 gist of Illinois, who has been for some years 

 conductmg elaborate experiments against this 

 insect, wiU result in saving at least seventy per 

 cent of the Apples commonly lost by its rav- 

 ages. The remedy is the arsenical poison 

 found in both of those well known insecticides, 

 Paris green and London purple. Concerning 

 the summary of the results of Professor Forbes' 

 labors we quote from his record of experiments: 

 " Summarizing stUl more briefly, we may say, 

 in general, that the results of once or twice 



five per cent of the Apples exposed to injury 

 by the Codling Moth. I wish especially to em- 

 phasize the fact that the results now obtained 

 are drawn from computations so made that 

 they may be expected to hold good without 

 reference to conditions other than variations 

 in the treatment itself." 



Referring to the use of arsenites for this Ap- 

 ple Worm, Professor A. J. Cook, of the Michi- 

 gan Agricultural College offers the following : 



Remedy 1. Arsenicai. Poison.s.— By far the best 

 remedy for this Codling Moth, is to use either Lon- 

 don purple or Paris green . The remedy is n ot only 

 efificient, but is also easy of application, and not ex- 

 pensive. I have now tried this thoroughly for six 

 years, and in each and every case have been more 

 than pleased with its excellence. I know of no one 



Ftg.6. Rose Saw-fly (perfect 

 insert of Rose-slug) enlarged. 



Fig, 3. Worm of Codling Moth in the matured Apple. 



Fig. 4. Curculio 

 Beetle stinging a 

 Plum previous to 

 laying its eggs. 



A GROUP OF SOME OF OUR WORST INSECT FOES. 



who has tried it in vain. 1 have, found London 

 i purple just as effective as Paris green, and as it is 

 cheaper, and rather easier to mix m the water, is to 

 be preferred. 



I mix the powder one pound to fifty gallons of 

 water. It is best to wet the powder thoroughly and 

 make a paste before puttmg it into the vessel of 

 water, that it may all mix, and not form lumps. 

 For a few trees we may use a pail, and a hand force 

 pump, always keeping the liquid well stirred. One 

 common pail ot liquid will suffice tor the largest 

 tree. A teaspoonful ot the poison is enough in a 

 pailful of water. For a large orchard common 

 barrels should be used, and drawn in a wagon. 

 I prefer to have the barrels stand on end, with a 

 close movable float, with two holes through it, 

 one for the pipe or hose from the pump and the 

 other (or a stirrer. If very large orcharus are to be 

 f reated a good force pump should be fastened to the 

 barrel. In western New York the handle of the 

 pump is fastened to the wagon wheel isee Pig. U), 

 so tnat no hand power is required other than to 

 drive the team and manage the pipe which carries 

 the spray. The spray may be caused by a fine per- 

 1 foraied nozzle or a cyclone nozzle. The finer it is 

 ' the less liquid will be required. The impurtant 

 I thing is tu scatter the liquid on all the fruit, ajid 

 get just as little on as possible. The larva is killed 

 by eating ttie poison, and we find that the faintest 

 trace suffices tor the purpose. Again, the poison 

 should be applied early, by the time Ihe/ruit is the 

 si^e of a small Pea. 1 have found one such appli- 

 cation to work wonders. There is no doubt but 

 that the first application, followed by one or two 

 others at intervals of two or three weeks, would be 

 more thorough, yet 1 have found one application, 

 rgade early, so effective that I have wondered 

 whether it was best or necessary to make more than 

 one application. I do think, however, that it must 

 be eany. In May and June the calyx of the Apple 

 is up, (see Fig. ^J and so the poison is retained suffi- 

 ciently long to kill most all ot the insects. 



One more count in favor of this treatment is the 

 further good we receive by killing the several phy- 

 tophagous larvK that attack the foliage ot the Apple 

 at this early period when defoliation is so harmful. 

 Thus the terrible Canker-Worm, the several destruc- 

 ive Leaf Rollers which even eat out the very buds, 

 and the old pest, the Tent Caterpillar, are all made 

 ' to bite the sod. Very likely, too, the Plum Gouger, 

 which so deforms the Apple in Wisconsin, may also 

 find this remedy its death warrant. 



As to the danger of using these arsenites, it 

 is argued that this is nothing at all, provided 



the spraying is done before the Apples have be- 

 gun to hang downward. 



THE CANKER WORM OF THE APPLE, ELM, AND 



SOME OTHER TREES (Anisopteryx 



vemata Peck). 



While this insect is not of frequent occur- 

 rence outside of the New England States, it is 

 of the utmost importance to fruit growers and 

 others that it be not permitted to increase and 

 extend until it shall tiecome established. Its 

 sluggish wingless female moths rise from the 

 ground and creep slowly up the trunks of Ap- 

 ple, Elm, and less abundantly many other 

 trees, chiefly in March but also later and some- 

 what in the fall, laying their eggs in clusters 

 on the bark, these being secured by a grayish 

 varnish. The eggs usually hatch about the 



time the Red Currant is 



in blossom, and the Apple 

 leaves begin to grow. The 

 little worms attack the 

 tender leaves near by, first 

 piercing them with small 

 holes, which later become 

 larger and more irregular, 

 and at last nearly all parts 

 but the midrib and veins 

 will be consumed. When 

 young they are generally 

 of a blackish or dusty 

 brown color, with a yellow- 

 ish stripe on each side. 

 When fully gi'own, at 

 which time they measure 

 one inch or less in length, 

 they usually assume an 

 ash color on the back, and 

 black on the sides, below 

 which the pale yellowish 

 line remains. They vary 

 in color somewhat how- 

 ever, being at times found 

 of a dull greenish yellow, 

 or of a clay color, and 



Fig. 7. Eggs of the even green. 

 Onion Fly; Onion Maggot 



atwork. 2. Banding. — Bandingthe 



trees with strips of heavy 



paper or cloth, coated with 



tar or printer's ink, early in 



the spring, to prevent the 



ascent of the wingless females. is an old and effective 



remedy. It has been found that the residum of 



kerosene oil is one of the best remedies that can 



be used on bands, it being both cheaper and lasts 



longer (about six days) than iflk or tar. The latter 



articles must be frequently renewed. Traps made 



of tin and muslin to prevent the ascent of the 



worms are also in use. 



3. Arse.n-ical Poisons —The spraying recom- 

 mended in Remedy 1 for the Codling Moth on Apple 

 trees answers at the same time to destroy the yotmg 

 Canker Worms. On Elm and other trees this same 

 remedy may be applied for its destruction. 



PLANT LICK OR APHIDID.E. 



It is probable that every kind of tree, shrub 

 and herb has some species of louse of the family 

 of Aphididae infesting it. The common Green 

 and Black Lice or Flies which trouble our house, 

 greenhouse and gai'den plants, those of similar 

 colors infesting the Apple, Cherry and other 

 trees, and the IJop Louse, afford familiar exam- 



Fig. 8. Popular Gardening's non-patented Cur- 

 culio and Rose Beetle Catcher. See Remedy 11. 



pies. The past year or two has fotmd the 

 kinds which trouble fruit trees, and especially 

 the Apple, unusually numerous in many sec- 

 tions, causing immense damage. 



