84 



apple-tree caterpillar and the red-humped caterpillar, feed in 

 groups and may completely strip a limb of its leave's. Where 

 such a limb can be reached easily, removing the caterpillars 

 by hand — as they are all close together — and killing them 

 may be easier than spraying the tree, though if handwork for 

 any reason is undesirable, spraying will be effective. 



Sometimes in early fall small thin webs appear on some of 

 the limbs, increasing in size as time passes, until in September 

 they may be nearly as large as a bushel basket. These are 

 the webs of the fall webworm, and may be distinguished from 

 those of the tent caterpillar by the facts that theiy occur in 

 late summer instead of May and June and that they are not 

 placed in forks, but cover the branch. The caterpillars of this- 



.■•i"J< 



Red-humped apple-tree caterpillar. Moth of red-humped apple-tree^ 



caterpillar. 



insect feed on leaves under the web, and when these are all 

 'eaten, extend the web over more before eating them. 



When these webs are small they can be removed, limb and 

 all, with the caterpillars inside and be destroyed. If they cannot 

 be reached easily, or too much of the tree would be removed by 

 doing this, spray all around the nest with arsenate of lead so 

 that the next leaves to be covered by the web shall be well 

 poisoned. 



With all the leaf -feeding caterpillars, success in control is 

 obtained by attention to two points: watch the trees so that 

 the caterpillars may be treated before they get too much^of 

 a start; and spray thoroughly, leaving no unsprayed leaves for 

 them to feed on. 



I^^^SECTS ATTACKING THE FrUIT. 



Four insects are quite serious enemies of the fruit of the 

 apple in Massachusetts. These are the codling moth, or apple 

 worm, the apple maggot, or railroad worm, red bugs,' and the 

 plum curculio. 



