102 
May, 1890. 
c 
orghrrdjtrndi garden 
Conducted by A. B. Cordley, 
Agricultural College, Michigan. 
A Seasonable Suggestion. 
The insect season is now at hand and we 
hope that the suggestions offered through 
our columns, during the past few months, 
will be made of practical use by our many 
reader’s in dealing with their insect foes in 
orchard or garden. 
That we may, in the future, come into 
still closer relations with our readers, and 
thus be able to treat of those subjects in 
which they are most interested, it is hoped 
that all will feel tree to write us with re- 
gard to any insect pest about which infor- 
mation is desired. All such communications 
will be answered to the best of our ability, 
providing they are accompanied by speci- 
mens. If the subject is not of sufficient 
economic importance to warrant us in an- 
swering through the columns of Orchard 
and Garden we wall take pleasure in an- 
swering by letter. If, however, the commu- 
nication is not accompanied by specimens 
we will not undertake to answer it, for 
popular descriptions and names of insects 
are often misleading. When possible both 
the larval and mature forms should be sent, 
together with a description of the habits of 
the insect so far as observed. Never send 
specimens in a letter. They are almost cer- 
tain to be crushed beyond recognition be- 
fore reaching us. The best way is to inclose 
them in a tight box and send by mail. In 
sending living larvas, inclose with them a 
small portion of their food. Do not cut air 
holes in the box. They are unnecessary 
and the food will keep fresh longer without 
them. All queries will receive more prompt 
attention if directed to A. B. Cordley, Agri- 
cultural College, Mich. 
Tlie Codling Itlotli. 
( Carpncapra pnmnneUa , Linn.) 
There is probably no insect that has been 
longer or more unfavorably known to ap- 
ple growlers than the codling moth; and 
there are few insects whose pull upon our 
purse strings can be so successfully control- 
ed: yet so small a proportion of fruit growl- 
ers practice the best methods or indeed any 
method at all of stopping this pull, that we 
have thought it best to call the attention of 
our readers to this pest and to the best 
methods of destroying it. 
The moth (Fig. 269) is a truly beautiful 
little insect a little over one-fourth inch 
long, and with a wing expansion of about 
two-thirds of an 
inch. The general 
color is grayish 
brown, but a close 
examination will re- 
codu.no Moth. Fig. 209. veal the fact that the 
fore wings are marked by alternate ir- 
regular transverse bars of gray and brown. 
They have also a characteristic copper 
colored spot, marked with streaks of 
bronze or gold at the outer hind angle. 
The hind wings are of a beautiful brown 
silky lustre darker at the margins- and 
becoming lighter towards the body. Just 
as the blossoms are falling, and the fruit 
setting, these moths issue from their 
cocoons, pair and lay their eggs upon 
some rough spot on the surface of the ap- 
ple, usually at the calyx end. Generally 
only one egg is deposited on each apple but 
occasionally, especially when the fruit is 
scarce and the moths plenty, several eggs 
may be laid on the same apple. These soon 
hatch and the young larvae immediately' 
commence to eat their way to the core, 
where they excavate large irregular cavi- 
ties, which are filled with the dark colored 
feces, thus rendering the fruit unfit for use. 
The fecal matter is also pushed out through 
the hole at which the larva entered, thus 
enabling us to detect infested fruit by the 
mass of excremental pellets attached to the 
calyx end of the fruit. 
When young the larva is whitish with 
the head and anterioi segment black, but 
as it approaches maturity the body becomes 
pinkish or flesh colored, and the head and 
first segment brown . When the larva reach - 
es maturity, which is about four weeks after 
hatching, the apple usually falls to the 
ground and the larva escapes either through 
the hole at which it entered or through one 
which it has eaten in the side of the apple- 
It th n crawls about seeking some suitable 
place in which to spin its cocoon. Usually 
it returns to the trunk of Lhe tree and selects 
some place under the rough bark or in cracks 
or crevices, farther concealing its cocoon by 
attaching to it small pieces of bark or other 
available debris. The insect remains in the 
pupal stage about two weeks, when the 
moths come forth and deposit the eggs for 
a second brood. The larvas of this brood 
are usually found in the later varie- 
ties of apples and mature during the fall 
and winter months. If they escape before 
the fruit is gathered, they spin their cocoon 
in some sheltered place on the tree as did 
the larva of the first brood, but if not, they 
complete their growth in the picked fruit, 
issue just as though they had remained up- 
on the tree and spin their cocoon in some 
sheltered spot in the bins or barrels in which 
the fruit is stored. It is therefore a wise 
precaution to carefully examine all such re- 
ceptacles for cocoons which may be found 
in surprisingly small crevices, and to keep 
the cellar doors and windows closed in May 
when the moths are issuing, that they may 
not escape. 
Only two methods of destroying this in- 
sect are worthy of trial, viz: spraying with 
Paris green or London purple and destroy- 
ing the infested fruit. These two methods 
may well be combined. The old method of 
bandaging the trees and thus trapping the 
larva; as they ascended or descended to spin 
their cocoons was partially successful, but 
required too frequent and careful attention 
just in the busiest season of the year. A bet- 
ter method was to pasture hogs or sheep in 
the orchard that they may eat the fallen 
fruit and destroy the larva;. The great ob- 
jection to these remedies is that they apply 
only after the insect has completed its dam- 
age and hence aid us only by tending to di- 
minish the mischief done by the succeeding 
brood. Thus if these remedies are not gen- 
erally practiced throughout a considerable 
disirict there is always a probability that 
the best efforts of the most careful fruit 
growers will result in disappointment 
through the carelessness of neighbors. 
Against spraying with the arsenites the 
same objection cannot be raised. The pois- 
on acts directly upon the larva before it has 
accomplished any damage, or just as som 
as it commences to eat its way into the 
fruit. In spraying, we should keep in mind 
that it is not the strength of the mixture so 
much as the thoroughness of the application 
that renders our work effective. It is not 
necessary to use over one pound of Paris 
green or London purple, to two hundred 
gallons of water, for if ever so little of the 
poison is eaten by the larva it will prove ef- 
fective. We must remember, however, that 
the apples are protected by many leaves, 
and farther, that the larvae are still better 
protected in the rough calyx end of the ap- 
ple. It is thus necessary, in order to reach 
all the larvae, to apply the spray with great 
force. The important element in spraying 
is to apply a finely divided spray with great 
force. The application should be made as 
soon after the blossoms have fallen as pos- 
sible. A few days delay at this time will 
greatly diminish the efficiency of the rem- 
edy, for the larvae are apt to have eaten in- 
to the fruit beyond the reach of the poison 
before it is applied. If we spray early we 
also reap other rewards. We destroy the 
canker worm, the tent caterpillar, and 
the numerous leaf rollers and other insects 
that eat the leaves and buds at this season 
when defoliation is so harmful. 
Many are deterred from spraying fruit 
trees by the idea that the practice is dan- 
gerous; that persons using sprayed fruit or 
stock pasturing in an orchard that has re- 
cently been sprayed, are liable to be poison- 
ed. With regard to persons using the fruit, 
the danger has been proved time and again 
to be nothing at all. Paris green or London 
purple can be safely used upon any fruit to 
within four weeks of picking. If not used 
later than that the wind and rain will have 
removed all trace of the poison before the 
fruit is used. Last season in order to deter- 
mine the danger in pasturing a sprayed or- 
chard, we very thoroughly sprayed a tree 
imder which was a dense growth of timothy 
and clover. After the water had ceased 
dripping from the tree, the grass was cutand 
all fed to a horse without the poison in the 
least affecting him. We also pastured sheep 
under sprayed trees, confining them in pens 
so that they ate only the grass that had re- 
ceived the drippings. This was continued 
for two weeks, when the sheep were return- 
ed to their owner none the worse for their 
experience. We also very carefully cut all 
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