CANKER WORMS. 793 



and while many had to be replaced the third year, fully one-half 

 of them lasted through the fourth season. 



"Tree tanglefoot" should then be spread upon the band, pre- 

 ferably the upper two thirds of its width, with a wooden paddle, 

 leaving a smooth coating about one-eighth of an inch thick. If 

 spread too thin it will become ineffective much sooner, and can- 

 not be renovated by combing or scratching the surface, as is pos- 

 sible with a thicker coating. But the effect of the weather after a 

 time will dry or harden the surface of the band so that it is 

 necessary to add more "tanglefoot." Especially is this necessary 

 where the moths are abundant and adhere to the bands in such 

 numbers as to entirely cover the viscid surface and render it 

 ineffective. Usually scratching or combing the surface of the 

 "tanglefoot" every three weeks will keep it in good condition. 

 The method of appl)ring bands is shown on Plate XLVIII. Such 

 a band as has just been described can be removed from the tree 

 at any time without leaving any sign or scar, while if applied 

 directly to the bark it will show as a disfiguring mark for many 

 years. Moreover, so much more "tanglefoot" is necessary to 

 fill the cracks of the bark and thus make an effective barrier that 

 it costs about as much to apply it directly to the bark. No doubt 

 some reader will ask or wonder why it is advised that the paper 

 be so much wider than the cotton band. There are two reasons. 

 In the first place, a narrow band of cotton fills the cracks just as 

 well as a wide one and costs less. In the second place, it is 

 unsightly to use a cotton band which shows either above or below 

 the edges of the paper. For very large trees it is well to use a 

 wider strip of paper, say six or seven inches, and for a very 

 small tree four inches is ample width, but five inches is about 

 right on the average. 



In Connecticut the bands should be applied during October, 

 as the moths appear about the first of November, and they should 

 be kept in a viscid condition during this and the following months, 

 and again in March, April, and the first part of May, in order 

 to catch the spring females and the newly-hatched larvae. A 

 band of thick cotton batting is quite effective in preventing the 

 ascent of the females, but this is more unsightly than the dark 

 bands described above. 



A band of wire cloth netting tacked by its upper edge so as 

 to allow the lower margin to stand out one or two inches from the 



