STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 21 



their thread lies beneath them, and does not make any show. I 

 learn from your President that they feed by night, a fact I have 

 never observed myself, since I have found but few thus far, and 

 have reared them in dark boxes where they would not be likely to 

 observe their true feeding habits. This insect, like many others, 

 seems to be extremely abundant for a year or two at a time in one 

 locality, and then it becomes very scarce for some time, when it 

 occurs in great abundance in some other place for a time. In 1867 

 they were reported to have done extensive damages to the orchards 

 and forests in Belfast and vicinity. In 1863 they did an immense 

 amount of damage to both fruit and forest trees in Monmouth, and 

 though they went by the name of array worms there, at that time, 

 since they went across the town in a belt stripping the trees in 

 their route, yet I am convinced that they were not the true army 

 worm (Leucania unipuncla, Haw.^, but rather the forest tent- 

 caterpillar. They have occurred in great abundance for a year or 

 two at a time in various localities in other States, as far back as 

 we know anything of them, but as they remain in such abundance 

 only for a year or two, it is probable that their parasitic insect 

 enemies multiply much more rapidly than they do themselves, and 

 thus about the second or third year a very large majority of them 

 are attacked by the parasites, and they are so reduced in numbers 

 as to be very rare for a number of years, when their parasites also 

 become greatly decreased in numbers, because of the absence of 

 suitable insects to prey upon ; after which the caterpillars are 

 likely to increase again as before, I would recommend to the 

 people living in the infested region, to search all the trees they 

 desire to preserve, for the eggs, which should be cut off and 

 burned, and to put a belt of tarred paper or canvas around the 

 trunks early next summer to prevent the ascent of the caterpillars. 



The Apple Tree Borer (Sapei'da himtata, Say^. 

 This native American insect has doubtless for ages infested the 

 wild crab, mountain ash, and other related trees in this country. 

 The beetle comes out of the trunk of the tree in its perfect state, 

 in June, making its escape in the night, during which time only 

 does it fly from tree to tree in search of companions and food. 

 During the daytime it I'emains concealed among the leaves of the 

 tree upon which it feeds. I once found one in the daytime feeding 

 upon the bark of a wild shrub on the top of Dog Mountain, Mt. 

 Desert Island. It gave no signs of leaving when I disturbed it, 



