ENEMIES AND DIFFICULTIES. 



71 



CHAPTER VIII. 



ENEMIES AND DIFFICULTIES. 



It has been said that horticnlture is a battle with in- 

 sects. The cranberry grower soon learns that his culture, 

 peculiar as it is in many respects, is not exempt from in- 

 sect enemies. These are "usually the chief obstacles in 

 his path, and frequently baffle his efforts and disappoint 

 his brightest anticipations. To successfully fight the 

 insect enemies of the Cranberry, it is necessary, as with 

 those of other crops, to first learn the habits of the dep- 

 redators, and their mode of attack. Those will be the 

 most successful in repeUing insects who give to their 

 habits the most intelligent and careful observation. 



Fruit ^VoR^^. 



Soon after the hopeful cultivator has established his 

 plantation, and w^hile he is anxiously watching its first 

 fruits, he observes some of the berries prematurely turn- 

 ing red, shriveling, and, before picking time, entirely dry- 

 ing up. This destruction is caused by the fruit worm. 



This larva bears a striking resemblance to tl^e ordinary 

 apple worm, and, like that, is lazy and sluggish in its 

 habits. "We have reason to believe that the perfect 

 insect lays its eggs under the tender skin of the newly- 

 formed berry. This egg is hatched by heat, and the 

 young grub eats its way into the heart of the fruit, caus- 

 ing certain destruction. It has been asserted ty some 

 cultivators that one worm will destroy one berry only ; 

 but this is a mistake ; the same worm will frequently de- 

 stroy at least two. This is fully established by the fact 

 that two berries may be found ^vith a hole passing di- 

 rectly from one to the other, at tlie point w^here they 

 come in contact — one being red, and the other fresh and 



