The Lancaster Farmer. 



Dr. S. S. RATHVON, Editor. 



LANCASTER, PA., MARCH, 1883. 



Vol. 2V. No. 3. 



Editorial. 



THE CANKER-WORM. 



{Ptilfiicrifii vvnmtff.) 



P«if. (-'. V. Riley, Entomologi.st of tin.' U. S. 

 Dcpai'tineiit of Agi-icultiii-e, is de.sii-oi»8 of ob- 

 taining information from local observers con- 

 cerning canker-worms, and the Entomologi- 

 cal Division of the Department has issued 

 circulars calling the attention of farmers, 

 amateurs, professionals and others to the sub- 

 ject, which is, or may become, one of no little 

 importance. It appears, that mitil compara- 

 tively a reccat date, " two entirely distinct 

 species of canker-worms have been confounded 

 in description, seasons of appearance, habitsj 

 and geograjihical distribution." We append 

 the circular itself, or the most important por- 

 tions of it, and respectfully ask our patrons to 

 make careful observations on the matters re- 

 ferred to therein, during the appro.aching 

 season, and to communicate them to us, or 

 immediately to the Entomologist of the De- 

 partment, although, wc may be allowed to 

 s,ay, that thus far, canker-worms have never 

 been conspicuously among the noxious insects 

 of Lancaster county, and only to a limited 

 e.\tent in Pennsylvania, if at all. 



In .June, I'^GH, from an elevation in Mt. 

 Auburn Cemetery, near Boston, Mass, we 

 observed, the apple trees especially, as far as 

 the vision extended in every direction, were 

 brown and crisp, as though a lire-blight had 

 passed over them, and this effect, we were as- 

 sured by an intelligent conductor, was caused 

 by the presence of devouring hosts of Cunker- 

 wiirms. One tree, of which we had a close 

 view, had its leaves skeletonized from base to 

 apex, but it was near the end of .June, and 

 the worms liad nearly all disapvieared and 

 gone into tlie ground. We never saw any 

 approximation to such a sight in Pennsylvania 

 and especially not in Lancaster county. Now 

 and tlien a few straggling individuals, but 

 never an '"epidemic." Still, like many other 

 noxious insects, they involve possibilities — if 

 we have tin, we ma;/ have ten thousand when 

 all the favorable circumstances combine. 

 That our readers may be able to distinguish 

 between a "canker-worm" and an "army- 

 worm," we would just suggest that tlie flrst 

 named is a " I.iOopei-" or "measuring-worm" 

 whilst the last named, belongs to the great 

 family of " cut-worms." 



"The most widespread and best known 

 sjjPcies is tlie .Spring (!anker-worm {Palca- 

 ci-ita reruiU't, Peck). The female ri.ses from 

 tlie grounil chietly in spring, and secretes her 

 ovoid and delicate eggs. Tlie second species 

 is Anisiijittri/x potiiitiiriii,, Harris, and the 

 female rises chietly in the fall, and lays her 

 eggs in serried and exposed masses. 



Will you please give sucli information as 

 you possess, especially upon the following 

 points, in regard to the occurrence of Canker- 

 worms in your locality: 



1. Which species, if either, is now found 

 in your locality, or has ever been foundy 



■2. When was it first observed there? 



3. During what years has it been especially 

 injurious y 



4. During what year has it been entirely 

 unnoticed? 



.">. lias the appearance of the perfect or par- 

 ent insect been contined to either season, the 

 fall or the spring, or has it covered both? 



Wherever any doubt can or does arise in re- 

 gard to the species observed, it is particularly 

 requested that specimens may be sent to the 

 Department. All expenses for packing and 

 postage will be reimbursed to the coniribu- 

 tors if a request to that ell'ect is made; or 

 boxes and stamps for the return of specimens 

 will be sent to any person who will notify the 

 Department of intention to contribute inform- 

 ation and specimen.s. 



Oltscrvations may be made during all mild 

 weather from the present month (November) 

 until the middle of .June. The more frequent 

 and detailed the observations the greater will 

 be their value. If you have not the time or 

 inclination to make these observations person- 

 ally, you will confer a favor by handing this 

 circular to some (lerson who will be interest- 

 ed. 



Should this circular come to the hands of 

 any entomologist familiar with the two spe- 

 cies, I would respectfully ask of such any in- 

 formation they may possess that will throw 

 light on the range and preferred food-plants 

 of either. 



Respectfully, 



C. V. Riley, 

 Entomologist." 



"NO~W IS THE TIME." 

 Any times, all times, may be proper for the 

 doing of that which is useful and good. In 

 short, now it is still time to give heed to the 

 insect survivors o{ the past season — that dimin- 

 ished "few" which lay tlie foundations for the 

 greatly increased multitudes that prove so 

 disastrous to the crops during the summer 

 following their advent. Only two or three 

 days ago an honest yeoman from the country 

 called uiion us to enquire, "What must I do 

 to be saved" from the depredations of the 

 "Squash-bug," (Coreiis trislis) "fori have 

 tried lime, and soap, and salt and London 

 purple, and Paris-green, all to no'effect what- 

 ever, and I almost dread the approaching 

 spring and summer." We advised our inter- 

 locutor that thitt had been precisely our expe- 

 rience with this insect more than five and 

 thirty years ago, except that we had not 

 applied the two remedies last named. He 

 seemed astonished that Paris-green would kill 

 a "potato beetle," and not a " Sijuash-bug." 

 The reason is obvious from the structure of the 

 mouth-parts of these insects, although there 

 may be circumstances under which both 

 would perish or both escape. 



The Colorado potato beetle is mundihulated, 

 tliat is, it possesses jaws, masticates its food, 

 and swallows it bodily down, like any other 

 masticating animal ; and, if the food has 

 beeii previously poisoned it is very likely also 

 to eat the poison along with its natural food, 

 and thus become a victim to poison. 



The case is different with the s;piash-bug, 

 which is lirnislrllntrd, that is, provided with a 

 sucking apparatn.'! in tlie form of a piercer, by 

 which it penetrates vegetation and sucks out 

 its substance in a liquid form, just as a horse- 

 fly, or a mosquito, sucks the blood of the hosts 



they prey upon. A squash-bug would have no 



difliculty in (inding a place to enter its beak, 

 for we have known it not only to penetrate 

 the leaves of the vines it infests, but also the 

 h<(f stems, the main vines and the young fruit. 

 Nevertheless, Paris-green, London-purple or 

 Pi/rcthrum, we do not think would be healthy 

 for immature squash-bugs or potato-beetles, 

 if applied as a liquid or otherwise, even if they 

 did not cat any of it. Before their maturity, 

 or in the larvm state, the breathing spiracles 

 and the pores of the body are more exposed 

 than when they are mature, and hence they 

 maybe poi.soiied by external absorption. We 

 have experienced this in the larra of the 

 potato-beetle. And on one occasion a gentle- 

 man from Maryland sent us five mature spec- 

 imens of the beetle in a bottle half-filled with 

 pulverized Paris-green, which h.ad been con- 

 fined i'l '■lie bottle 24 hours before we received 

 them, and four of them continued to live 24 

 hours longer. This may illustrate that poison 

 has little effect upon the hardened integument 

 of an insect, or that the poison is of an inferior 

 quality. Under these circumstances we ad- 

 monish our readers that "Now is the time" 

 to inaugurate measures of prevention. The 

 squash-bug makes its appearance early in the 

 spring. Some years ago we captured over 

 two hundred of these insects in the middle of 

 March, under a piece of bark about three feet 

 long and one foot wide — all were lively. 



We slaughtered them — or most of them — 

 and we found it no very pleasant task; but, 

 pleasant or not, we have never heard of a rem- 

 edy better than what is called " Hand-pick- 

 ing." A pair of wooden forceps with long 

 handles, will obviate the necessity of hand- 

 ling or heeling them. 



iVbio also is the time, to anticipate the early 

 broods of a large number of insects— ?iO!/.', 

 before trees, and bushes, and shrubbery are in 

 foliage. Look out for Potato Beetles, .Squash- 

 bugs, .Sack-bearers (Drop-worms), Cutworms, 

 Canker-worms, Cucumber Beetles, AVhite, 

 Cabbage Butterflies, the Sawflies that breed 

 the Apple, Pear and Rose-.slugs; the egg 

 bracelets of the "tent carterpillars," or 

 "Tussock moths," the vapor-moths, and 

 many others. But you must look for them if 

 you desire to find them in their still semi-tor- 

 pid condition. Some of these insects, nota- 

 bly the Potato-bugs and the .Squash-bugs do 

 not deposit all their eggs at one time, but 

 continue this work "here and there" and 

 "now and then" nearly all summer : and if 

 you can succeed in heading off the early 

 broods, you will have less of this vexatious 

 labor during the summer. 



The follicles of the " Sack-worm " are now 

 visibly pendant from the naked branches of 

 trees and shrubbery, and also on the arbor- 

 vita;, where they are not so consiiicuous. 



Tliere is no possible excuse for the non-re- 

 moval and non-destruction of these follicles, 

 for they are very visible and accessible. Per- 

 haps four-fifths of these follicles are the vaca- 

 ted premises of tiie males of last year. But 



