Do you want your shade trees defoliated next 
summer? Now’s the time to Kill the rusty tussock 
moth by the hundred. Burn these leaves 
‘Winter Work 
Turn out every pleasant day this month, and 
scrape off all that rough bark on your apple trees, 
so the insects can’t hide under it all winter 
Against Insects—By E. 
Look out for the brown tail moth! Prune off the 
webs now, and burn them, The caterpillars shed 
barbed hairs, and are a public nuisance 
DD. Sandetsonyesees 
CHEAP WAYS OF DESTROYING THEM WHOLESALE ON PLEASANT WINTER DAYS, ESPECIALLY THE BROWN-TAIL 
MOTH, A PUBLIC NUISANCE WHICH AUTOMOBILES ARE CARRYING FROM NEW ENGLAND TO NEIGHBORING STATES 
F A FEW of the warm, bright days dur- 
ing the winter months are spent in 
cleaning up the orchard much of the injury 
which may be done by insect pests next season 
can be forestalled. 
First scrape the old bark from the trees, 
especially from the apples trees, for their scaly 
bark harbors a host of insects. Under the 
bark may be found cocoons of the codling 
See these cocoons of caterpillars hidden under the 
rough bark of a tree a 
moth containing full grown caterpillars, 
unless some friendly woodpecker has drilled 
into their retreat and extracted the morsels. 
Cocoons of many other of the common cater- 
pillars which feed upon the foliage are safely 
hidden beneath the bark, particularly at the 
base of the tree. For this work nothing is 
better than a good sharp hoe, though special 
“tree-scrapers” are made for the purpose. 
The tree needs the old dead bark removed 
as much as a horse does a currying, and it 
will respond equally well to good care. 
There is no danger in scraping off the old 
bark, so long as one does not dig into the 
living green tissue of the under bark. With 
the dead bark will be removed most of the 
eggs of the fall-canker worms on old neg- 
lected trees where that insect may occur. 
After scraping the trunks of the apple trees 
it is well to wash them down with a strong 
soap or lye solution which will make a clean 
smooth bark. A rough bark is an invitation 
to all manner of borers, and trees well cared 
for are much less affected. 
The holes caused by the decaying dead 
limbs or a large hole in the crotch of an old 
tree may harbor dozens of pup of such pests 
as the fall web worm. Clean out these holes 
and fill them with clay or cement. If the 
tree is worth standing room in the orchard 
it is worth that much attention and even if 
it be of little value itself, there is no reason 
why it should be allowed to stand as a refuge 
for the pests of the orchard. 
The ring-like egg masses of the tent cater- 
pillar can be readily seen by scanning the 
tips of the apple twigs. Pruning them off 
178 
now is much easier than destroying the webs 
after the eggs have hatched. 
The white egg masses of the tussock moths 
may also be found on the bark or dead leaves. 
Look over your apple trees now, and you'll find 
these shiny egg masses of the tent caterpillar. Easy 
to see now and to cut off and burn 
