64 



The Codling "Worm. 



Every fruit-grower is, of course, perfectly familiar with this destructive and most 

 troublesome insect. It is wide spread over the whole Dominion from Nova Scotia to 

 British Columbia, and destroys every year a large proportion of the crop. The accompany- 

 ing wood cut (Fig. 45) illustrates its mode of burrowing into the fruit of the apple. 



For a long time it was supposed that the only 

 satisfactory remedy for this pest was to entrap the 

 worms, when about to change to the pupa state, by 

 means of bandages of carpet, cloth, or sacking tied 

 around the trunks of the trees during the months 

 of June, July and August. These bandages require to 

 be removed every few days and passed through an 

 ordinary laundry " wringer " in order to kill all 

 worms or pupae that may be attached to them, and 

 then replaced on the trees. In a large orchard this 

 plan involves an immense deal of continuous labour. 

 Happily, it has recently been discovered that the 

 insect may be kept under control far more easily 

 and effectively by the use of Paris green. A very 

 small quantity of the poison diluted in water — 

 some experimenters say as little as a table-spoonful 

 in a barrel of water is sufficient — should be sprayed 

 upon the trees as soon as the blossoms have well passed maturity, and before the young 

 fruit has turned down from its increasing weight. Animals should, of course, be kept 

 away from the orchard till after heavy rains have removed any danger to them from the 

 poison. This remedy is supposed to operate in two ways — first, by killing the young 

 worms that consume what may be attached to a blossom, and, secondly, by causing the 

 parent moth to abstain from laying her eggs on trees that have been so treated. However 

 this may be, we are informed that the remedy is most effective, and we strongly recom- 

 mend our readers to try it during the coming season. 



These notes on " remedies " have extended to so much greater length than the writer 

 anticipated that he must defer the continuation of them to another year, by which time 

 he hopes to be able to give the results of further experiments made with reference to many 

 more of our most obnoxious insects. 



Fig. 45. 



