1872 The Western Pomologist and Gardener. 9 



Our ridge lands, elevated 350 to 300 feet above our valleys, are freer from frosts than our 

 vallies — the freezes being always less severe in spring or fall, and the valleys often have 

 frosts when the ridges do not. Last spring we had a hard frost after apple trees were in 

 bloom, and to this was attributed the loss of much of the bloom. However, I have found 

 trees in the vallies bearing often very handsomely, and many trees on the ridge lands 

 entirely barren of fruit. Now had the frost been the sole cause of the loss of bloom it 

 would have invariably been in favor of the ridge lands. 



This is my explanation : Trees that suffered with the drouth of 1870, and especially 

 those that bore heavily then, did not perfect their blossom buds as they should have been, 

 and on expanding last spring they had not sufficient vitality to carry them through the frost. 

 And I found this view confirmed in trees on all sites, for I found, this last summer, many 

 trees on the frostiest sights bearing good crops, and as a rule trees that did not suffer with 

 the drouth in 1870 carried their bloom through last spring's frost. Some trees carried their 

 bloom through the frost and the apples attained one-half to one inch in diameter and then 

 fell off, showing a lack of vitality in the tree. 



During the drouth trees not protected by mulching, or those on very dry sites often 

 presented a withered appearance. The leaves on such trees could not and did not mature 

 the buds at the base of each leaf, stalk and a sparse foliage was the result for last summer. 

 The leaves that grew after the middle of July, 1870, perfected their buds better, and a 

 curious feature of last summer's growth was the more vigorous expansion of those buds 

 and a good growth on the extremities of the previous year's growths, and a feebler growth 

 on the base of the limbs. 



My conclusion is, that those trees that perfect their buds best, those that suffer less from 

 drouth or over cropping, will often carry their bloom through quite severe freezes. 



Some trees are tender from a tendency to late growth that does not mature before winter 

 sets in. This may be the case with the Hubbarston Nonsuch, spoken of by Mr. Lippincot. 

 If so it is probable that a favorable fill allowed his tree to mature well in 1854, hence the 

 blossoms were strong and vigorous in 1855. The Fameuse always has a full foliage of 

 bright green leaves and seldom loses its bloom if the previous fall is favorable to a 

 full maturity of its leaves. I think it hardly probable that tender trees are more apt to 

 have hardy blossoms than hardy trees, except as above stated. 



American Tent Caterpillar— CTisiacompa Americana—Barrit, 

 Br THZ Entomological Editor. 



The American Lackey moth is the parent of the common American Tent-caterpillar, 

 (disiocavipa Americana.) During the last days of June and the first days of July, this 

 moth deposits her eggs on the small twigs of the trees in the manner represented at C. 

 in oblong bands containing an average of about two hundred and fifty eggs to 

 the band, or ring. After the laying of the eggs has been completed they are, by the 

 parent, securely covered over with a brown varnish, in which condition they remain 

 securely protected during the remainder of the summer, fall and winter. The warm days 

 of autumn, no matter how long they may continue, do not affect them, the cold of winter 

 alike leaves them unharmed. Each individual egg is similar in shape to the ken's egg, 

 though very minute, being only about one-twentieth of an inch in lengh. In these minute 

 eggs the young caterpillars lay bent double, the middle of the caterpillar being at the small 

 end of the egg. 



The genial warm days of spring which brings frondescense to the apple tree hatches 

 these eggs, and the young caterpillars are born in the midst of an abundance of food. 

 Sometimes, as was the case in 1870, on account of a late spring freeze, the young leaves 

 are seared by frost, and for a time their rations are cut off; against this emergency 

 they, however, appear to be by nature fortified, as they are capable of enduring much cold 

 and live a long time without food — as long as ten or twelve days. 



As soon as hatched, the C. Americana Larea commence constructing for themselves a 

 silken home. This they do at the fork of limbs, the angle of which, toj some extent pat- 



