firby: birds v. insects. 



337 



Phalena the fruit-tiees, to an extent which may he appraised at several 

 hundred thousand thalers (3s.) annually, without a remedy against such 

 ravages having as yet heen discovered. Near Torgau, several thousand 

 thalers have been annually expended on the forest of Annaburg, for the 

 destruction of caterpillars and chafers, in the attempt to save the forest 

 trees from utter annihilation. During the year 1837, an area of 860 acres of 

 fir-forest was entirely defoliated by tlie larvse of the Noctum, and Government 

 paid more than a thousand thalers for the destruction of 94,000,000 of the 

 above-named dangerous insects. The havoc these insects cause is almost 

 incredible. Some time ago caterjjillars devoured all the grass over immense 

 districts in America, and the imj)ortation of hay from England was found 

 necessary to make up, in part, the great loss thereby sustained. The Herbi- 

 vorous larvse laid bare the plains of Lesch, near Augsburg, gnawing the roots 

 of every plant, and destroying the herbage growing for miles around several 

 villages. The caterpillars of the Noctua plenipeda will in a few weeks time 

 destroy 300 acres of woodland ; and in the marshes of Brandenburg, in two 

 years, they devastated a seventh part of all the Government forests. In 

 Franconia, the caterpillars of the Bomhyx and La^iocampa, during the year 

 1859, completely devoured the produce of 2,200 acres of Government forest, 

 in defiance of the strenuous efforts made to combat the evil. A success was 

 obtained in the woods of Stralsund, where in 1840, Government, at an ex- 

 pense of about 3,200 thalers, collected 1,000 pounds' weight, that is, more 

 than 633,000,000 of the eggs of the Bombyx, The vegetable-consuming 

 caterpillars occasionally appear in such numbers, that large vessels might 

 soon be filled with them. They arrive in a field, quickly destroy the princi- 

 pal part of the crop, and then journey on, it being impossible to interpose 

 any effectual barrier to their progress. It has been observed in the 

 Duchy of Hesse, that these insects principally committed their devastations 

 on those spots where, from the want of trees, the aggregation of singing-birds 

 was prevented, and here all human attempts at prevention have been found 

 utterly abortive and unavailing. 



For about haK a century the culture of fruit-trees has been steadily 

 increasing in Wurtemburg, so that now it brings in a revenue of 1,700,000 

 florins (£141,750), annually, though a great part of the crop is yearly 

 devoured by caterpillars. Formerly but little notice was taken of these 

 invaders, but latterly they have so much increased that many cultivators 

 have been discouraged from continuing their occupation. Government has 

 ordered all the trees to be cleansed, both at spring and autumn, imposing 



No 47, April 1. w 



