8o 



THE HUMMING BIRD. 



\ October i, 1891 



found on young apple trees, to which, unless they are 

 removed, they are very destructive. Late in autumn 

 they leave the trees and spin close but thin cocoons 

 amongst fallen leaves. The caterpillars remain in 

 these unchanged until the next spring, and the small 

 brown moths emerge during June and July. 



Remedy. — These catterpillars are nearly always 

 found on young apple trees within reach from the 

 ground. When this is the case the branch can be cut 

 off and the caterpillars crushed under foot. When too 

 high up for this a spraying with Paris green would 

 dispose of them. 



25. Round-headed Apple Tree Borer (Saperda 

 Candida, Fab.). — This borer nearly always works near 

 the base of the tree it infests. The grub is much 

 thicker than that of the flat-headed borer, and takes 

 three years, instead of one, to complete its changes. 

 The beetle is pale-brown with two white stripes down 

 the body. It is shaped somewhat like No. 15, but is 

 stouter and about f of an inch long. 



Remedies. — During the first year the grub lives 

 just beneath the bark in the sap wood, hollowing out 

 a chamber about an inch or more in diameter. The 

 bark becomes discoloured in a characteristic way 

 which is soon recognised. It is also betrayed to the 

 experienced eye by the castings which it pushes out of 

 its burrows. By cutting through the bark the grub 

 can be destroyed. If it has penetrated into the wood 

 it can be killed with a piece of stout wire. 



The best remedy, is undoubtedly, a regular treat- 

 ment every June with deterrent washes. See 

 Remedies V. and VI. 



26. Tent Caterpillars {Clisiocampa Americana, 

 Harris, and C. disstria, Hubn.). — The caterpillars, 

 which make the large, unsightly webs too often seen 

 in the forks of branches of fruit and shade trees, hatch 

 in May from rings of eggs which have been on the 

 twigs of the trees all through the winter. They grow 

 rapidly, and the perfect insect, an active brown moth, 

 with two white bands across the wings, comes out in 

 July. These insects are so well known that further 

 description is unnecessary. 



Remedies. — Where apple trees are sprayed for 

 coddling moth these caterpillars will also be des- 

 troyed. Hand-picking of the eggs in winter, and 

 cutting off the webs when first formed in May, and 

 when, owing to the sparseness of the foliage, they are 

 very conspicuous, are both practical remedies. 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO ROOTS AND 

 VEGETABLES. 



27. Cabbage Aphis {Aphis brassicœ, L.). — Grey 

 plant-lice are frequently very troublesome during the 

 summer on cabbages, and in August and September 

 on smooth-leaved turnips. 



Remedies. — (i.) In years of only moderate attack 

 good results have been obtained by picking off the 

 first clusters of plant-lice by hand and destroying 

 them. 



(ii.) The most satisfactory treatment, however, was 

 upon a crop of heavily infested Swedish turnips with 

 kerosene emulsion. This must be applied by means 

 of a force-pump and spray-nozzle, so set that the 



spray may be thrown under the leaves where the 

 plant-lice congregate. 



(iif.) Prof. J. B. Smith recommends very highly 

 whale-oil soap, 1 lb. to 8 gallons of water for all 

 plant-lice. 



28. Cabbage Maggot {Anthomyia brassicœ, 

 Bouché). — From' one to many white maggots attack 

 the roots of young cabbages as soon as pricked out. 

 These are produced from eggs laid by small gray 

 flies, one-third smaller than house flies. 



Remedies. — (i.) White hellebore, 2 oz. in a pailful 

 of water, or (ii.) kerosene emulsion (Remedies II. and 

 III.), syringed around the roots, and the earth kept 

 well hoed up to the collar, have proved useful 

 remedies ; (iii.) Nitrate of soda, 1 tablespoonful 

 around each plant, is highly recommended. 



Cabbage Worm. — See Imported Cabbage Butter- 

 fly. 



29. Colorado Potato Beetle (Doryphora 

 10-lineata, Say). — In reply to frequent enquiries, I 

 would state that for this insect no remedy can com- 

 pare with Paris green, 1 lb. to 160 gallons of water 

 ( — 1 oz. to 10 gallons). It is at once the cheapest 

 and easiest applied remedy known. 



30. Cucumber Flea-beetle {Epitrix cucwneris, 

 Harris). — Very small black flea-beetles, with yellowish 

 legs and feelers and covered with short, silky 

 pubescence which eat a great many small holes in the 

 leaves of cucumbers, potatoes, etc., etc. 



Remedies. — These can be easily controlled by 

 dusting Paris green and flour, 1 part to 50 of the 

 diluent (Remedy I), over the plants when the dew is 

 on them. 



31. Cut-worms (Noctuidœ). — These troublesome 

 pests, which are doubtless the cause of more loss 

 to farmers in the spring months than any other 

 insects, are the caterpillars of a number of different 

 dull-coloured moths which fly at night. The worms 

 are smooth greasy-looking dark caterpillars, ranging 

 from about -J an inch to 2 inches in length at the 

 time they injure crops. They feed at night and hide 

 during the day time. The eggs of most species are 

 laid in autumn, and the young caterpillars make 

 about a quarter of their growth before winter sets in. 

 They pass the winter in a torpid condition, and are 

 ready in spring to attack the young crops as soon as 

 they come up. The full growth of most species is 

 completed by the first week in July, when the cater- 

 pillar forms a cell in the earth and changes to a 

 chrysalis, from which the moth appears about a month 

 later. 



Remedies. — (i.) Clean Culture. As the young 

 caterpillars of many species hatch in autumn, 

 the removal of all vegetation from the ground 

 as soon as possible in autumn deprives them of 

 their food supply and also prevents the late- 

 flying moth from laying their eggs in that locality. 

 Fields or gardens which are allowed to become over- 

 grown with weeds or other vegetatiou late in the 

 autumn are almost sure to be troubled with cut- 

 worms the next spring. 



(ii.) Traps. — Large numbers may be destroyed by 

 placing between the rows of m infested crop, or at 

 short distances apart on infested land, bundles of any 



