92 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



the labor required for the orchard is mostly confined to harvesting', 

 the other crops require plowing, finding of seed, cultivating, har- 

 vesting, etc., and acre for acre yield in return about one-third the 

 value of fruit. In short, while the apples or fruit require no more 

 labor and expense than most other crops, the proceeds are at least 

 threefold. We would therefore suggest to every farmer : plant 

 largely your apple orchards — they will pay." 



Insects Injurious to the Apple, 



There are numerous pernicious pests which continually prey 

 upon our apple trees atid fruit, so that the orchardist, if he would 

 be completely successful, must constantly strive to prevent their 

 ravages, and wage against them a war of extermination. The 

 remaining practical lessons will therefore be on the bark louse, the 

 tent and fall web caterpillar, the canker worm, the borer, the field 

 mice, and the codling moth. 



The bark louse or oyster-shell bark louse, (Af<pidiolus concliifor- 

 mis, Gmelin), is " one of the worst enemies of the apple orchai'd.* 

 These are true bugs of the sub-order Hemiptera. Were we to 

 carefully raise the little brown scales at this season, (winter), we 

 should find underneath a cluster of white eggs. This condition 

 lasts from September Ist to June 1st, when the eggs hatch, and 

 the young crawl out from underneath the scale, move slowly about 

 for a week, then fasten to the tree (three to six different stages of 

 growth), inserting their beaks, and by sucking the juice therefrom 

 they do their pernicious work. Soon a close, water-tight scale is 

 formed over them, which is secreted from the body. They con- 

 tinue to absorb and grow till the last of August, when they lay 

 their four or five score of eggs, shrivel and die. In buying young 

 trees, be sure that they are not affected ; but if they should be, 

 scrape ofi" tha scales before planting. If the apple culturist scrapes 

 his trees, he will not only destroy these scales on the trunk, but 

 will make the bodies smooth, so that destructive larvae cannot 

 deposit their cocoons under the old loose bark. The bark louse 

 may most effectually be destroyed just at the period of hatching, 

 from the last of May till the tenth of June. For this purpose use 

 a wash of soft soap or whale oil soap and water," or potash and 

 water, one pound to a gallon, and apply thoroughly. This will 

 generally 'exterminate them; f" but in extreme cases, when the 

 tree is very badly infested, boil leaf tobacco in strong lye, and add 

 to this soft soap, until the preparation is reduced to the consis- 



*Prof. A. J. Cook, of tho Michigan Agricultural College. ^ A. 0, Pratt. 



