114 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



all the moths as they come out, thus preventing 

 further infection from that source. The cater- 

 pillars may sometimes be removed from their 



Pig. 148.- 



at Moth (Co8mi* /<</«</.* rda), Caterpillar, and Pupa 

 (natural size). 



burrows in large numbers by means of a wire 

 slightly hooked at the end; others may be 

 crushed by means of wire pushed into the holes. 

 Petroleum, tobacco-water, and soap-suds may 

 be injected by means of the syringe or garden 

 engine, thus destroying many more. A cavity 

 may be formed with clay round the mouth of 

 burrows, and after pouring in some chloroform, 

 the openings should be entirely stopped up with 

 clay to keep in the life-destroying vapour. A 

 mixture of cow-dung and clay, plastered on the 

 tree-trunk, is believed to prevent the female 

 moth from laving her eggs upon it. 



Stem-boring Weevils. — There are about 

 eighteen species of snouted bettles, or weevils, 

 named Rhynchites, and natives of Britain. 

 Most of them are similar in habits, and feed 

 upon fruit and other trees, or live in the fruit 

 in the grub stage. Amongst the more common 

 is R. amicus, lh line long, and blue-green, with 

 black horns and legs. The wing-cases are 

 striated, with deep punctures along the furrows. 

 R. Alliance differs chiefly by being somewhat 

 pubescent, and having the shoulders closely and 

 finely punctured. The females lay eggs during 



May and June on the young shoots of several 

 fruit-trees, and then partly dissever the same, 

 so that they often hang down, and the leaves 

 wither. The grubs penetrate the shoots, feed- 

 ing upon the pith, and are small even when full 

 grown, fleshy and white. 



Remedies. — -Where these weevils abound, a 

 cloth may be spread beneath the infested trees, 

 and the w^eevils shaken down upon it, collected, 

 and destroyed. In the case of young or dwarf 

 trees, the insects may be shaken down upon 

 tarred trays. Collect and burn all withered 

 and injured shoots w T ith eggs upon them, or 

 grubs in the interior. 



Wood Leopard Moth (Zeuzera Msculi). — 

 This moth measures 2 inches to 2 \ inches across 

 the expanded wings, which are of a sub- 

 transparent white, beautifully marked with 

 bluish-black spots, the hinder wings being more 

 faintly marked. The caterpillar is yellowish, 

 dotted with small, black, raised spots, and 

 having a few larger patches of the same hue. 

 It lives in the stems and larger branches of 

 Apple, Pear, and other trees, making burrows 

 much wider than itself, and when full grown is 

 \\ inch long. The moths come forth in July, 

 and proceed to lay their eggs then, or in August, 

 upon the tree-trunks. The caterpillar lives one 

 or two years. 



Remedies. — The habits of this insect being 



Fig. 149.— "Wood Leopard Moth (Zeuzera sEsculi). 

 Eggs, larva, pupa, moth. 



precisely similar to those of the Goat Moth, the 

 same means of eradicating it may be adopted 



[J. F.] 



CHAPTER XII. 

 Garden Friends. 



Some cultivators, whether gardeners or ama- 

 teurs, who have a wholesome dread of the 

 ravages of insect and other plant enemies, but 



