1062 



PRACTICAL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS 



PEAR 



great measure, combat these evils. Among 

 the insects which attack the Pear and also 

 the Apple the following may be men- 

 tioned. 



1. The Winter Moth (Chevmatohia 

 hrumata) and the Great Winter Moth 

 {Hyhernia defoUaria). — The wingless 

 females of these moths crawl up the 

 stems in autumn and early spring and 

 deposit eggs in the cracks of the bark. 

 The caterpillars appear just as the buds 

 are beginning to open, and eat these and 

 the foliage, causing great havoc. The 

 caterpillars of the Winter Moth are at 

 first grey with dark heads and very small. 

 They become greenish with age, having 

 brown heads and white stripes, and ulti- 

 mately assume a brownish colour, being 

 about I in. long when full grovm, vnth 3 

 pairs of feet. They make loops with 

 their body when crawling, and glue the 

 leaves and flowers together to form a 

 shelter, destroying them when necessary. 

 When fully developed they drop to the 

 ground by silken threads and bury them- 

 selves in it. By October the new moths 

 issue from the chrysalis stage and may be 

 seen in mild weather flitting about up to 

 December. 



The caterpillars of the Great Winter 

 Moth are chestnut-brown tinged with 

 yellow beneath and are about Ij in. long 

 when full grown. 



The ravages of these pests may be 

 checked by placing very greasy bands of 

 paper, rags, hay &c. round the bark in 

 autumn about October so as to catch the 

 wingless females rising from the ground. 

 The bands must be kept in a good con- 

 dition as long as the pests are about. In 

 spring the trees may be sprayed with 

 Paris green as recommended for the Cod- 

 lui Moth (see p. 1047). If the caterpillars 

 .are actually on the leaves the simplest 

 and most effective remedy is to pick them 

 off by hand into a bucket, and afterwards 

 burn them. 



2. Leopard Moth (Zeuzara pyrina). 

 The caterpillars of this moth, which has 

 white wings heavily covered with steel- 

 blue blotches and dots, sometunes do a 

 great deal of mischief to the young bran- 

 ches of Pears, Apples, and Plums. They 

 feed upon the interior wood but seem to 

 bave little effect on the fruitfulness of the 

 tree. In the chrysalis state they remain 

 m the branches and are somewhat diffi- 

 <fult to detect, except when the branches 

 happen to be broken and disclose the 



borings. The moths are on the wing in 

 July and August, and the cylindrical 

 caterpillars about 1^ in. long are covered 

 with black warty spots on a whitish 

 ground, the head and tail being black. 

 Fortunately they are rarely found in great 

 numbers and seem to do little injury 

 beyond boring tunnels in the young 

 branches. When they are discovered by 

 means of the excreta, wires may be pushed 

 down the tunnels to kill the caterpillars. 

 If the trees were sprayed in summer with 

 a strong solution of soft soap, tobacco- 

 juice, quassia, or any other distasteful 

 mixture, it would probably prevent the 

 moths depositing their eggs. Poisonous 

 mixtures, however, Uke Paris green should 

 not be used at this season owing to the 

 poisonous deposit being left on the fruits. 



3. Goat Moth (Cossus Ugniperda). 

 The caterpillars of this large moth some- 

 times attack the trunks of fruit and other 

 trees, living on the sound heart wood. 

 Their presence is detected by means of 

 the excreta, and they may be dislodged or 

 killed in the same way as the caterpillars 

 of the Leopard Moth by the insertion of 

 wires. 



The moth measures 3-4 in. across, the 

 front wings being ashy brown, netted and 

 veined with darker brown. The hind 

 wings are brown, more or less netted veith 

 a deeper shade. It is on the wing in June 

 and July, and the female moth deposits 

 her eggs in the crevices of the bark. One 

 insect is said to be capable of laying 1,000 

 eggs, so that the increase of caterpillars 

 must be enormous if not checked. The 

 caterpillars eat their way inwards through 

 the wood, and when fully developed are 

 about 4 in. long, and as thick as the fin- 

 ger. They are dark red with breathing 

 holes at the sides, which vnth the under 

 surface are flesh-colom-ed, while the head 

 is black. About two years elapse before 

 they become fully developed, and they are 

 then of a light yellow colom-. 



Where trees become badly bored with 

 these pests, it becomes necessary to cut 

 them down and burn them to effectively 

 destroy the caterpillars. 



4. Diplosis pyrivora (Cecidomyia 

 nigra). — This is a small gnat or midge, 

 the female of which lays its eggs in the 

 blossom buds before they open. The 

 yellow maggots from them burrow into 

 the young fruits and eat the seeds or pips. 

 Afterwards they bore outwards, usually 

 in rainy or damp weather, and conceal 



