MANAGEMENT OF FRUIT TREES, &c. 



271 



The trees, twenty-five in number, which I left to nature, 

 continued in a fickly ftate for three years, neither bearing 

 fruit nor putting forth fhoots. After the third year 1 headed 

 them down, fc raping the Items and cleaning off the infects ; 

 they are now recovered, having made as fine wood as the 

 others, and are in a healthy nourifhing ffate. 



Fig. 2. Plate IX. reprefents different Mates of a kind of 

 moth, whofe caterpillar has for many years done great mif- 

 chief among Pear-trees on walls. One wall in particular, in 

 Kenfington gardens, was very much hurt every year, for 

 feveral years fucceffively* I imagined that it had been the 

 effect of lightning, or a blight ; till,, on picking off the cater- 

 pillars, we found a fmall fort in its cafe, flicking to the leaves, 

 as at a (See the defcriptian of the Plate.) All the firft leaves- 

 were deftroyed by the caterpillars ; I was, therefore, rejoiced 

 that I had found out the caufe of their being fo much injured 

 every year, being perforated in many places, and dropping off 

 very early. 



The Chermes-*. 



Chermes is a genus of infects belonging to- the order 

 Hemiptera, and of which there are twenty-fix fpecies. They 

 take their fpecific names from the different plants which they 

 frequent; as the chermes graminis, or grafs bug ;. the chermes 

 ficus, or fig-tree bug, &c. The latter is one of the krgeft 

 of the genus, and is brown above and greenifh beneath. It 

 has four long wings, which are placed in form of an acute 

 roof. The larva, which is of an oblong form, has fix feet, 

 and its motion is flow. When it is attempted to catch the 

 chermes, it makes its efcape rather by leaping than flying, by 



means. 



