38 



THE AMERIOiLN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



meut genevally batter themselves to death 

 within two days. The penis is telescopically 

 extensile to about twice the length of Ms body, 

 and he is thus enabled to reach the female 

 without diflSiculty. 



This insect is essentially polypliagous, for it 

 occurs alike on evergreen and deciduous trees. 

 "We have found it on the red and white elms, 

 the common black and honey locusts, Lombardy 

 poplar, catalpa, Norway spruce, arbor-vitae, 

 osage orange, soft and silver maples, sycamore, 

 apple, plum, cherry, quince, pear, linden, and, 

 above all, on the red cedar, while Mr. Glover 

 has also found it on the cotton plant in Georgia. 

 We have even seen the bags attached to rasp- 

 berry canes; but the Ailanthus, which is now 

 extensively grown in our large cities for shade 

 and ornamental purposes, will be found entirely 

 exempt from its attacks. There seems to be a 

 very general prejudice against this tree on ac- 

 count of the rather unpleasant and fetid odor 

 of the male blossoms, and we were much sur- 

 prised at (he wholesale tirade against it, that 

 was made by the editor of the Horticulturist in 

 1869 in the August number of that journal. In 

 view of the fact that it is so free from the attacks 

 of injurious insects, we deem it well worthy of 

 cultivation ; and those who do not like the odor 

 of the male blossoms, ought to know euough, 

 either to cut them off at the proper time, or to 

 grow only the female tree which produces no 

 unpleasant effiuvium, and which, with its large 

 cluster of seed-pods— now yellow, now assum- 

 ing almost every tint from flesh-color to crim- 

 son — forms, in our eyes, a most graceful and 

 pleasing sight. In 1868 we had noticed that 

 this tree when surrounded by other kinds, 

 would have a few isolated bags hanging from 

 its twigs, and it became a question in our 

 minds wliether the Bag-worm actually disliked 

 the leaves, or whether the leaves being com- 

 pound, its usual instinct failed it, insomuch that 

 it fastened its case to the mid-stalk, which falls 

 to the ground. But after ample experiment the 

 past summer, with worms newly hatched and 

 with others of various ages, we have concluded 

 that they cannot live on Ailanthus leaves, and 

 tliat such few bags as are found upon this tree 

 in winter, have been ftistened there by worms 

 which had traveled from other kinds of trees. 



This insect is also exceedingly hardy and vig- 

 orous, and the young wqrms will at first make 

 their bags of almost any substance upon which 

 they happen to rest when newly hatched. Thus, 

 they will construct them of leather, paper, straw, 

 cork, wood, or of any other material which is 

 sufficiently soft to allow of their gnawing it. 



and it is quite amusing to watch their oper- 

 ations. 



Remedies. 



How often does the simple knowledge ot an 

 insect's habits and transformations, give the clue 

 to its easy destruction ! Trom the foregoing- 

 account of the Bag-worm, it becomes obvious, 

 that by plucking and burning the cases in the 

 winter time, the trees can be easily rid of them. 

 If this is done whenever the first few bags are 

 observed, the task of plucking is light; but 

 where it is not so done, the worms will continue 

 to increase, and partly defoliating the tree each 

 year, slowly, but surely, sap its life. 



For many years this insect had been multi- 

 plying in the city of St. Louis, until in 1868 it 

 had become exceedingly abundant and destruc- 

 tive, especially in the older portions of the city. 

 So many trees were unhealthy, and dwindled 

 or died, that tree planters frequently became 

 discouraged. Very few persons, however, sus- 

 pected that the Bag-worm was the cause, and 

 still fewer were aware how easily its ravages 

 were checked, until last winter, the Jnuior Edi- 

 tor called attention to the matter through the col- 

 umns of one of the daily papers, and urged the 

 destruction of the bags and their contents before 

 the trees again put forth their leaves. This 

 appeal, we are glad to say, was duly responded 

 to by the citizens; for in less than a month, 

 the trees in the public parks and around the 

 court-house, and also along many of the streets, 

 were entirely cleared of the bags. Indeed, we 

 have seldom known entomological information 

 to be fraught with such immediate and bene- 

 ficial results ! It even opened np a new field of 

 employment for certain enterprising youths, 

 who, with a dirty copy of the daily already 

 referred to in hand, might have been seen trot- 

 ting np some of the principal avenues, and 

 shrieking out, newsboy fashion: "Clean your 

 Bag-worms off, ma'am." " Clean your trees, 

 sir?— take 'em all off for a dollar! " 



Though the very first efforts of the newly- 

 hatched worm are directed to building for itself 

 a covering, and though, throughout its larval 

 life, it is always covered and protected by this 

 covering, this insect is yet subject to the attacks 

 of parasites, two of which are already known 

 to assist us in subduing it.* 



»Crijptus inquisitor, Say, anaHemiteJes thyyUloplenjj;, Ei'.ej-. 



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