34 



down the worms, some of which had got as hijh as my head upon tlie trunk 

 of the tree, and he put a belt of tar around each tree. For a while I watched 

 their movements, and found they all knew which way to crawl to find the 

 tree; and after reaching it, rushed upward till all were stuck fast to the tree; 

 and they formed quite a band around each tree. I concluded, as farmers 

 often say, that in my mode of attack, [ had got the cart before the horse, and 

 that I would change my plan somewhat. I therefore sent my man forward 

 with the tar, and I followed with my pole, in the way above described. The 

 result was, I went over forty large apple-trees twice, using fifteen tninntes 

 each time on each tree; and although not every worm was destroyed, almost 

 all were ; so nearly so, that I saw but little of their depredations after the 

 second attack. 



" The best time to do this work is on a still, warm day, after the dew has dis- 

 appeared ; then they more readily drop upon their thread when the limbs are 

 jarred, than they will on a windy or cool day, or when the trees are wet. If 

 I failed last fall, or if I do this spring, to catch the grubs as they run up, I 

 mean not to fail in bringing down Ihe worms after they show themselves upon 

 the trees. By the above plan, I think we may be sure of every worm that we 

 can get upon the ground, for they will persevere until they are stuck f;ist in 

 the tar. There are now but few hoinesteads in Newton where there are more 

 than forty large apple-trees upon them. Who, with that number, would 

 sooner lose his fruit and be obliged to see his trees disfigured and injured by 

 these worms, than to be at the expense of two days' work upon them V" 



Another very injurious larva is the caterpillar of the apple- 

 tree moth. Its habits are too well known to require a descrip- 

 tion here. Of the numerous devices planned for tlie destruc- 

 tion of this pest, none have proved more efficacious than simply 

 removing, with the hand the nest and its inmates at early 

 morning, and crushing the caterpillars beneath the foot. All 

 washes have proved ineffectual, and the brnsh is not always 

 successful ; pick off every individual, and clean off the nests ; 

 and in early spring scrape off the loose bark and moss, and burn 

 it, and it will be found that the apple-tree caterpillar can be 

 easily suppressed. The apple-tree borer is also well known as 

 being very destructive, and when its ravages are rinchecked the 

 life of the tree is endangered. The presence of one of these 

 grubs may readily be determined on finding on the ground 

 close to the trunk of the tree a little pile of the castings of the 

 insect, which greatly reseml)le fine saw-dust ; above this dust 

 will be seen the mouth of the burrow, running into the wood 

 of the trunk. The best method of killing the grub is to thrust 

 a sharpened, flexible wire into the burrow until the insect is 

 impaled. In many cases, if the bark and wood around the hole 

 be cut away with a knife, the borer will be exposed to view, 

 when it may be destroyed. It is important that all the holes 

 be thus probed, and that every boiler be killed. The following 

 paragraph from the " Fruit Culturist" gives further directions 

 for the suppression of this pest : — 



" Dig out thoroughly and destroy every worm that can be found, with a 

 jackknife, chisel and knitting-needle ; then, in the earliest possible time in the 

 spring, inclose the tree with two thicknesses of hardware paper, dipped in 



