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WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
September, 1916 
Controlling Caterpillars That 
Attack Catalpa Trees 
While our native species of 
catalpa are comparatively free 
from insect attack, owners of 
these trees should watch in the 
summer and even early fall for 
the appearance on them of large 
yellow and black caterpillars. 
If these feed voraciously on the 
leaves, they are in all likelihood 
the larvae of the catalpa sphinx, 
which commonly are the only 
ones which feed on catalpa foli- 
age. Unless controlled when 
present in large numbers, these 
caterpillars may do considerable 
injury, sometimes completely 
stripping the leaves from an 
entire grove. 
The parent of this caterpillar 
is a large, grayish-brown hawk 
moth, with heavy body and 
powerful wings measuring 3 
inches from tip to tip. This moth 
commonly lays its eggs in masses, 
often of 1,000 eggs, on the under 
side of the leaves. The young 
caterpillars are lighter in color 
than the mature ones, being 
pale yellow, and have a stout, 
black horn near the hind end of 
the body. The prevailing colors 
of the older caterpillars are yel- 
low and black, and there is a 
light form as well as a dark one. 
Hand Picking And Spraying 
Septe 
ter, with a combination of ar- 
senicals and Bordeaux mixture. 
The proper arsenical spray would 
be made with either 1 pound of 
Paris green or 3 pounds of 
arsenate of lead to 50 gallons of 
water. When the combined 
spray is used the same quantity 
of arsenical should be mixed with 
50 gallons of Bordeaux mixture 
instead of the water. The danger 
that free arsenic may burn the 
foliage is lessened and the Bor- 
deaux mixture may control leaf 
spot and other similar diseases 
which affect the catalpa. The 
Writers on the subject have from 
time to- time described it as due 
to a sting and let it go at that. 
Not knowing any better the peo- 
ple accepted the statement as 
true gospel and repeated it often 
enough to keep it from being 
forgotten. 
Adjacent to our raspberries we 
had hundreds of young cherry 
trees. Each year the cut worms 
would girdle some of the young 
shoots close to the limb, so we 
x- k 1 
had cherry twig wilt. An ex- 
amination of the raspberries i 
showed the cane wilt to be from 
■I to g 
Norway Spruce. Colorado Blue Spruce 
Two excellent evergreens for parks and large lawns. These specimens, on the University j 
Farm lawn were planted in 1890 and are about 85 ft. in height 
HI like 
Farmers’ Bulletin No. 705, 
“The Catalpa Sphinx,” by L. O. 
Howard and F. H. Chittenden, 
from which this description is 
taken, suggests several means 
of controlling this pest. When 
only a few small trees are at- 
tacked the caterpillars can be 
picked off by hand, their large 
size making their detection easy. 
In the case of tall trees or where 
caterpillars are very abundant 
and are attacking entire groves, 
the entomologists recommend 
spraying with arsenicals, or bet- 
spray may be applied with a 
small outfit for young trees or 
with a large high-power machine 
such as is used in spraying high 
trees along city avenues. 
Raspberry Cane Will 
A New Discovery 
We are not at all sure that 
raspberry cane wilt began in the 
Garden of Eden but it started so 
long ago “that the memory of man 
runneth not to the contrary.” 
the same cause. The shoot is 
girdled where it puts out and 
wilts quickly, slowly or partially 
according to whether it is com- 
pletely or only partially girdled 
G. H. Townsend. 
twe 
Take cuttings of geranium, 
coleus and other bedding plants 
to have in the house this winter. 
They should be put in sandy soil 
and kept moist until well rooted. 
Cut asparagus tops as soon as 
dry and burn them; they harbor 
insects. 
Aw 
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