38 CAPE COD CRANBERRIES. 



worm after being flowed continuously from the first of 

 November to the first of June. This Fire-worm devours 

 the parenchyma, or the green cellular tissue of the leaves, 

 but does not attack the veins or ribs of their frame-work. 

 The worm operates very much as does the Canker-worm 

 upon the apple tree. The Fire- worm comes on when the 

 fruit is forming, eating the vines, and destroying the buds 

 and blossoms, thus ruining the prospect of a crop for the 

 season. 



THE EEUIT-WORM. 



This insect eats more or less on all bogs, but at the 

 worst has never been known to eat more than one-third 

 of the crop. This worm bores into the heart of a fruit, 

 eats out the inside, and then attacks another berry. It 

 injures the fruit only when that is of the size of a mar- 

 rowfat pea, but does not trouble the vines. Whenever a 

 bog has been flowed late, or until June first, or fifteenth, 

 it is very rare that the Fruit-worm does much damage, 

 and the Fire-worm is effectually destroyed. 



There are various speculations as to what moth pro- 

 duces the Fruit-worm, but there is no doubt as to what 

 produces the Fire-worm. The Fruit-worm is the offspring 

 of one of several moths or millers which are seen con- 

 stantly flitting over the bogs from the middle of April 

 until the first of June. This particular species appears 

 when flying to be of the same size, and is nearly as dark 

 colored as the house-fly, but at rest looks more like 

 a mosquito. 



GIEDLERS. 



There are besides these, several kinds of Girdlers, that 

 work underground and destroy the bark of the vines. 

 They go quite around the stem of the plant, so completely 

 eating off the bark that the sap cannot circulate, and the 

 plant dies. If in such cases, the bog is young, and 



