176 Insects and Diseases. 



White Hellebore from a finely perforated dredging box, or from a 

 box covered with fine muslin, so as to give the leaves a thin dust- 

 ing of this poison. It may be had at drug stores. Do it in the 

 morning when the dew is on, but do not wait for dew if the first 

 worms have made their appearance. To prevent inhaling the dust, 

 fasten the box to a short stick, apply it when there is only a faint 

 breeze, and stand on the windward side. As soon as the insects 

 devour it with the leaves, they curl up and die. It is desirable to 

 give the leaves a very thin coating, and not to apply it in masses. 



GRAPE PHYLLOXERA. Within a few years a small aphis has 

 caused much injury to grape vines in this country, and great de- 

 struction to the vineyards in France. The delicate exotic vine 

 appears to be more extensively injured by it than the stronger and 

 more robust American sorts. It attacks the roots, causes excres- 

 cences on the smaller fibres, and they ultimately die. During the 

 first year of attack its effects are not conspicuous in the vines 

 above ground; about the third year the vine dies, at which time 

 the insects have left it, and are not discovered. Various remedies 

 have been proposed, but none that are completely satisfactory. 

 Probably the best preventive is to plant only strong healthy sorts, 

 as the Concord, or those which have been grafted on these healthy 

 sorts, and to adopt long instead of short pruning. Among imper- 

 fect remedies, are soaking the soil before planting with strong soap- 

 suds or weak lye ; sprinkling the surface with lime, ashes, sulphur, 

 or salt ; or applying carbolic acid, added to water at the rate of I per 

 cent., by pouring into crowbar holes so as to reach the roots. Sul- 

 phuret of carbon has been applied in the same way with imperfect 

 success. Fertilizers, to keep the vines healthy and vigorous, are 

 probably better. There are some insects which prey upon these 

 enemies of the vine, that often keep them in check or destroy 

 them, among which are a species of Thrips, the Lady bug, a 

 Syrphus fly, and some others. Flooding the ground has been suc- 

 cessful in a few cases, but is generally difficult and impracticable. 



THE CANKER WORM (Anisopteryx vernata), p. 150. The 

 young larvae hatch early in summer, and pierce small holes in the 

 leaves, and as they grow larger they consume all the leaves except 

 the larger veins. The larva is a measuring worm, nearly an inch 

 long, ten-footed, black, dull yellow or greenish, very variable in 

 color, commonl) with an ash gray back, and a pale yellowish stripe 

 along each side. 



The canker worm spreads slowly from one orchard to another, 



