17 
or baiTcLs. In iminy localities it has been the _ractice to return to 
the fruit grower for refilling boxes in which fruit has been marketed. 
This practice has supplied the means of rapid distribution in such 
ocalities. 
If infested fruit is shipped any distance in cars the larvae spin their 
cocoons in cracks and holes in the walls of the car and may be carri(?d 
great distances before the moths emerge. This is thought to have 
been the source of the infestation at Kalispell, Mont. 
When apples are stored bv commission houses the larvie may crawl 
into boxe,^ or cases of various kinds of merchandise and thus be wideJy 
distributed. 
In sections where the orchards are near each other the spread is 
accomplished b}^ the moth flying from one to another; but when they 
are man}^ miles apart, which is especially the case in the Far West, this 
means of distri))uti()n doubtless has little influence. The insect can 
probably fly a few miles with the aid of the wind, but ordinarily 4: to 
miles from a source of infestation, over unimproved land, gives partial 
if not complete immunity. 
We have no authentic record of the distribution of the codling moth 
with nursery stock, but one can readily see how this could occur, as 
the larva? might be in the cracks in the ground d round the trees or 
night crawl into the packing and thus be carried great distances. 
ESTIMATED LOSSES. 
Of all the insects aflecting the apple the codling moth causes the 
greatest loss, and many estimates have been made of the damage. In 
1889 Professor Forbes indicated an annual loss in the State of Illinois 
of ^2,375,000. It is estimated that in 1892 the insect caused $2,000,000 
loss in Nebraska. Professor Slingerland estimated that in 1897 the 
insect taxed the apple growers of New York 82,500,000 and the pear 
growers $500,000. In 1900 one-half of the crop of Idaho was dam- 
aged, while in 1901 the loss was much greater. ]\lr. McPherson esti- 
mated the loss in Idaho in 1902 as $250,000. In many sections of the 
Pacific Northwest the annual loss is from 50 to 75 per cent. 
From the nature of the case it is most diflicult to estimate the annual 
loss in the United States on account of the many factors which enter 
into the problem. By taking the estimates of the annual crops of 
apples as given by the American Agriculturist, it is found that for the 
years 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, and 1902 the average crop was 4-7,000.000 
barrels. From 1896 to 1902, inclusive, the average price at New York, 
Boston, and Chicago on Octo])er 20 of each year did not exceed 
$2. Allowing $1 for packing, transportation, and other charges, for 
«The estimates under this heading have been revised from the original figures 
given by the author to correspond with the latest data. — C. 1^. !M. 
1)514— No. 41—00 2 
