﻿EXPERIENCE 
  WITH 
  THE 
  SPRING 
  CANKER-WORM. 
  [83] 
  

  

  preying 
  at 
  once 
  upon 
  the 
  tender 
  leaves. 
  Prior 
  to 
  active 
  operations, 
  

   and 
  before 
  the 
  increase 
  of 
  foliage 
  rendered 
  the 
  task 
  more 
  difficult, 
  we 
  

   wiped 
  out 
  every 
  nest 
  of 
  the 
  tent 
  caterpillar, 
  which 
  began 
  to 
  appear 
  in 
  

   the 
  forks 
  of 
  the 
  branches, 
  then 
  in 
  the 
  tender 
  coudition 
  of 
  early 
  existence. 
  

  

  I 
  then 
  took 
  my 
  garden 
  engine, 
  one 
  procured 
  for 
  this 
  specific 
  purpose, 
  

   with 
  25 
  feet 
  of 
  rubber-hose, 
  nozzle 
  and 
  tine 
  rose 
  sprinkler, 
  built 
  a 
  tem- 
  

   porary 
  sled 
  of 
  boards 
  to 
  carry 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  barrels 
  of 
  soft 
  water, 
  and 
  

   with 
  four 
  pounds 
  of 
  j^wre 
  arsenite 
  of 
  copper, 
  a 
  barrel 
  of 
  soft 
  soap, 
  and 
  

   a 
  team 
  to 
  draw 
  the 
  sled 
  from 
  tree 
  to 
  tree, 
  we 
  commenced 
  our 
  foray 
  on 
  

   these 
  pests 
  of 
  civilization 
  before 
  the 
  foliage 
  could 
  aflbrd 
  a 
  screen 
  to 
  the 
  

   searching 
  spray 
  of 
  the 
  sprinkler. 
  About 
  two 
  pailsful 
  of 
  soap 
  was 
  placed 
  

   in 
  each 
  barrel 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  thoroughly 
  dissolved. 
  A 
  fine 
  iTo. 
  80 
  sieve 
  

   was 
  placed 
  over 
  the 
  tank 
  of 
  the 
  garden 
  engine, 
  which 
  was 
  filled 
  with, 
  

   the 
  liquid, 
  great 
  care 
  being 
  taken 
  that 
  no 
  dirt 
  or 
  foreign 
  substance 
  

   passed 
  through, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  free 
  and 
  unobstructed 
  discharge 
  to 
  

   the 
  minutely 
  perforated 
  sprinkler. 
  About 
  two 
  tablespoon 
  fuls 
  of 
  pure 
  

   arsenite 
  of 
  copper 
  was 
  then 
  thrown 
  in 
  the 
  tank 
  and 
  kept 
  well 
  agitated, 
  

   when 
  my 
  assistant 
  mounted 
  the 
  tree, 
  directing 
  his 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  wash- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  tiree, 
  and 
  the 
  lowermost 
  after 
  descending, 
  

   every 
  part 
  being 
  thoroughly 
  washed. 
  

  

  Heavy 
  showers 
  and 
  storms 
  of 
  wind 
  interrupted 
  operations 
  frequently, 
  

   and 
  where 
  any 
  worms 
  escaped 
  destruction 
  they 
  would 
  take 
  advantage 
  

   of 
  the 
  opportunity, 
  drop 
  down 
  on 
  their 
  thread, 
  and 
  swing 
  off 
  with 
  the 
  

   wind 
  to 
  adjacent 
  trees; 
  and 
  i^ass 
  from 
  tree 
  to 
  tree 
  until 
  they 
  reached 
  

   that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  orchard 
  yet 
  untouched 
  by 
  the 
  wash, 
  until 
  every 
  tree 
  

   so 
  treated 
  was 
  thoroughly 
  cleansed 
  of 
  the 
  worms. 
  These, 
  however, 
  

   were 
  slowly 
  driven 
  west 
  as 
  the 
  work 
  advanced 
  from 
  the 
  opposite 
  

   direction, 
  the 
  wind 
  blowing 
  during 
  the 
  time 
  from 
  the 
  east 
  quite 
  heavily; 
  

   many, 
  as 
  they 
  swung 
  oft' 
  on 
  their 
  threads, 
  being 
  carried 
  across 
  the 
  road 
  

   into 
  the 
  adjoining 
  fields 
  by 
  the 
  force 
  of 
  the 
  wind. 
  An 
  interruption, 
  

   followed 
  by 
  a 
  change 
  of 
  wind 
  to 
  the 
  west, 
  carried 
  many 
  back; 
  which 
  

   necessitated 
  another 
  washing; 
  some 
  trees 
  being 
  sj^ringed 
  three 
  and 
  

   four 
  times. 
  In 
  many 
  cases 
  the 
  more 
  mature 
  worms 
  will 
  drop 
  on 
  their 
  

   thread, 
  and 
  remain 
  suspended 
  in 
  mid 
  air 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time, 
  and 
  are 
  easily 
  

   gathered 
  upon 
  a 
  rod 
  swept 
  quietly 
  along 
  through 
  their 
  webs, 
  drawn 
  

   through 
  the 
  hand, 
  and 
  destroyed. 
  Our 
  orchard 
  being 
  in 
  two 
  parts, 
  

   the 
  new 
  and 
  the 
  old, 
  our 
  first 
  attention 
  was 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  former, 
  as 
  the 
  

   trees 
  were 
  large 
  and 
  laden 
  with 
  blossoms. 
  Here 
  the 
  work 
  was 
  efiectual; 
  

   not 
  a 
  worm 
  left 
  of 
  the 
  millions; 
  and 
  I 
  can 
  truly 
  say 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  

   enough 
  worms 
  upon 
  any 
  one 
  tree 
  to 
  consume 
  the 
  foliage 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  

   orchard 
  had 
  they 
  been 
  left 
  to 
  mature, 
  as 
  the 
  brown-and-crisp-appearing 
  

   orchards 
  for 
  miles 
  around 
  bore 
  ample 
  evidence. 
  

  

  The 
  work 
  completed, 
  the 
  trees 
  burst 
  into 
  an 
  apparently 
  new 
  life, 
  much 
  

   of 
  the 
  scale 
  being 
  destroyed 
  by 
  the 
  later 
  washings, 
  and 
  the 
  resulting 
  

   heavy 
  crop 
  amplj^ 
  repaid 
  us 
  for 
  our 
  labor 
  and 
  trouble. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  trees 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  orchard, 
  which 
  received 
  attention 
  later 
  in 
  the 
  

   season, 
  and 
  upon 
  which 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  comparatively 
  poor 
  promise 
  of 
  fruit 
  

   or 
  future 
  existence, 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  worms 
  had 
  attained 
  sufidcient 
  size 
  to 
  

   enable 
  them 
  to 
  escape 
  the 
  searching 
  agent 
  by 
  swinging 
  off 
  and 
  reach- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  ground. 
  

  

  Here 
  we 
  made 
  other 
  tests 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  check 
  their 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  trees. 
  

   We 
  cleared 
  away 
  the 
  surface 
  for 
  about 
  twelve 
  inches 
  around 
  the 
  collar 
  

   of 
  each 
  tree, 
  i)ressed 
  the 
  earth 
  down 
  smoothly 
  and 
  compactly', 
  and 
  placed 
  

   thereon 
  a 
  belt 
  of 
  powdered 
  sulphur. 
  We 
  then 
  coated 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   bark 
  with 
  a 
  plastic 
  solution 
  of 
  boiled 
  linseed 
  oil 
  and 
  rosin. 
  Above 
  this 
  

   a 
  belt 
  of 
  soft 
  soap 
  and 
  sulphur, 
  each 
  encircling 
  the 
  tree 
  about 
  8 
  inches 
  

  

  