4 
Urgent Horticultural Work. 
There are some kinds of horticultural 
work, says the Rural Home, which, if not 
already clone, should not be neglected for a 
single day. Most farmers are, to a certain 
extent, horticulturists. If they entirely neg¬ 
lect the kitchen garden, they most likely 
have an orchard; it is impossible to raise 
fair fruit in an orchard without making 
war upon the insect enemies of fruit. But 
few things are more aggravating or dis¬ 
couraging to orchardists, after they have 
succeeded in growing a large crop of ap¬ 
ples, than to find that a large proportion of 
them are pierced with worm-holes. If they 
pack such fruit with the fairest, they do it 
with the consciousness that they are not 
sending to market first class products, such 
as every high-toned farmer delights in sell¬ 
ing, and that they must be subjected to un¬ 
favorable criticism and reduction in prices. 
If they reject all but fair fruit, they find 
that their anticipations of a large crop are 
disappointed, and they are perplexed to dis¬ 
pose of their second and third class fruit at 
prices that will pay for handling. Thus, 
through the operations of insects, the apple 
crop that ought to be the most pro fit able 
and satisfactory crop the farmer grows, be¬ 
comes the most troublesome if not un¬ 
profitable. 
FIGHTING THE CODLING WORM. 
We say fighting the codling ivorm, be¬ 
cause as yet, the worm or larva form is 
the only one in which we have learned to 
fight them. The moth has thus far eluded 
our pursuit. She comes by night, like 
the thief, when insectivorous birds are 
asleep, and, quietly flitting from blossom 
to blossom, deposits a single egg in the 
embryo fruit, taught by instinct that, when 
under the influence of the later May, and 
early June sun ,it hatches out into a maggot 
or larva, the tender young apple will afford 
just the nutriment it needs to grow into 
the full sized larva, and by the time that 
is accomplished the vitality of the young 
fruit will be so impaired that it will 
fall to the ground, enabling the worm 
to crawl out and find a secure hiding- 
place in which to fulfil its destiny, 
change into the perfect insect, the moth. 
In the farmers’ warfare upon these ene¬ 
mies he should first provide for the destruc¬ 
tion of the worms in the fallen apples. 
There are domestic animals which will de¬ 
vour this immature fruit, and learn to 
watch for it to fall. The best of these an¬ 
imals for the purpose is swine, the next 
best is sheep. With two or three pigs, or 
five to six sheep to eveiy acre of orchard, 
but few of the worms that drop to the 
ground in the fruit would ever escape from 
it to multiply their species. 
But some of the worms will, undoubtedly 
crawl out of the fruit before it drops from 
the trees; what is to be done with them, 
and such as may escape from the fruit af- 
er it has fallen? The instinct of the insect 
leads it to seek a hiding place near where 
its favorite food grows. After leaving the 
fruit it will crawl over the branches of the 
tree, and if it finds an old rough bark un¬ 
der which it may crawl and hide in dark¬ 
ness and security, it proceeds down the 
tree and if there are no hiding places 
there, it crawls down to the ground, and 
seeks its hiding place there. We can see 
the importance as a preliminary aid to 
trapping the worm, that no rough bark 
be left on the trunk or branches of our ap¬ 
ple trees. A flourishing tree is less likely 
to be covered with rough, scaly bark than 
a slow-growing one, but if they become 
covered, the rough bark can be scraped off 
any time during the winter or spring when 
the farmer has most leisure, or if neglected 
then, it had better be done before putting 
on the codling traps, as you cannot expect 
the worms to go under the trap if they can 
find rough bark to hide under. 
Having made all necessary preparations 
before the middle of June, put on the traps. 
What shall they be? Bear in mind that 
almost anything that will afford a hiding 
place and admit of being taken off and re¬ 
placed a good many times, will answer the 
purpose. Paper is probably the cheapest 
material, in the first instance, but it will 
not last like cloth, and will be more affect¬ 
ed by rains. It is, however, probably the 
most available for extensive use of any 
