1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
497 
course, move about again. During the first week 
after becoming established, the young lice secrete a 
thin, woolly covering over themselves. This is the 
beginning of the scaly covering, which is about two- 
thirds completed two months later. The mother lice 
on our little tree had completed their scale-covering 
by August 1, and by August 22 most of the eggs had 
been laid. The mother’s body gradually shrivels 
up as the eggs are laid. 
All of the scales shown in the figures are female 
scales ; the male scale is much smaller, and under it 
is developed a minute delicate two-winged creature 
which, doubtless, has a very ephemeral existence. 
The eggs laid in August do not hatch until the fol¬ 
lowing May ; thus there is but one brood of the pests 
in a year. The scales are usually confined to the 
bark of the branches or trunk, but we have a small 
apple bearing dozens of them on its surface. Notwith¬ 
standing the fact that trees often bear millions, some¬ 
times almost as thick as they can stick on the bark, of 
these tiny pumps sucking out their sap, it is not often 
that a tree dies from their attacks alone. It would 
be impossible, however, for such a tree to bear its 
best fruit; hence one should not allow the creatures 
to get the upper hand. 
If the scales were scraped off, as many millions of 
them could easily be, at any time when the tree is 
dormant, many of the eggs under them would be 
crushed or perish in some other manner. The scale¬ 
covering is so impervious to insecticides that we can¬ 
not reach the eggs very successfully or effectively. 
But the figures of specimens obtained about the 
middle of May, show the critical and vulnerable 
point in the life of the insect. The white specks— 
the young lice—are unprotected by any scale, are 
very tender-bodied, and are thus readily susceptible 
to the liquid contact insecticides. Fruitgrowers, then, 
should watch their infested trees in May, and when 
they see the conditions shown in the figures, drench 
the tree, its bark especially, with kerosene emulsion 
or a whale oil soap solution (one pound to 15 or 20 
gallons of water.) These will quickly kill every 
young louse they hit, and. thus the whole future 
development of the insect is stopped. Prompt and 
thorough work in May will check this most common 
of all scales in our eastern orchards. 
A Worm That Picks Blueberries. 
W. F. 11., Mount Vernon, N. 11 .—I inclose some worms that are 
making- sad havoc with the blueberry crop in this locality. They 
seem to be great feeders, completely stripping the bushes of 
leaves and blossoms, but do uot touch the green berries after 
they begin to form. The berry fields look as though a fire had 
passed over them. The blueberry crop in this vicinity is nearly 
ruined. What are they ? How shall we proceed to exterminate 
them ? 
Ans.—T his blueberry devastator proved to be a 
small measuring or span caterpillar, about five- 
eighths inch in length. Two different views of the 
worm, about three times natural size, are shown at 
Fig. 160. The general color of the body is light yel¬ 
lowish purple with the black markings shown ; the 
head is banded with white, and the body striped 
with light yellow. One of the worms had changed to 
the next stage in the life of the insect—the pupa—a 
short, dark-brown, lifeless-looking object. Another 
worm pupated two days later, and from this pupa the 
adult insect, a moth, emerged in 13 days. This deli¬ 
cate little drab-gray creature is shown twice natural 
size, at Fig. 160. It is very plainly dressed, having 
scarcely any markings distinct from its Quaker suit. 
As we had never seen this modest little moth before, 
the specimen was at once dispatched to an expert for 
its name. Soon word came that it was named Argilla- 
cearia 22 years ago, and recently it had been discov¬ 
ered that this name must be superseded by a still older 
one proposed by an Englishman in 1862, and that the 
insect must now be known as Diastictis inceptaria. 
Although the moth was thus named nearly 35 years 
ago, its caterpillar seems to have been unknown up 
to this date. We here propose that the insect be 
popularly known as the Blueberry span-worm. The 
insect has been recorded from Maine, Massachusetts, 
and Pennsylvania. One writer says : “ The moth is 
very abundant in pine woods in Maine on a dry soil, 
rising and fluttering with rather a feeble flight, and 
soon settling again.” 
Another letter from W. F. H. to the writer, con¬ 
tains the following interesting notes in regard to 
blueberries and the devastations of this new insect 
pest: “ Our blueberry is quite different from the 
huckleberry, of which we have a few, but make little 
account of them. We have three varieties of the 
blueberry, low, half-high, and high-bush berries. 
The low-bush (Vaccinium Pennsylvanicum), grows 
about 8 or 10 inches high, the berries ripening about 
the last of June usually, and two or three weeks 
earlier than the high and half-high. The berries are 
light blue in color, and the pulp less juicy than 
either of the other kinds. They bear shipment excel¬ 
lently, and ripen early when the prices are high, 
making it the most profitable of the varieties. This 
is the variety attacked by the worms in this vicinity, 
although I have heard of them working on the high 
bushes in other localities. This berry needs no culti¬ 
vation, only to burn the old bushes over every few 
years, when the new bushes will shoot up and bear 
the following year. There are hundreds of acres of 
land producing berries in this and neighboring towns, 
and so far as I can learn, about three-fifths of the 
crop of low-bush berries has been destroyed by these 
worms.” 
The burning over of the fields must do much to hold 
this pest in check. The worms will quickly succumb 
to Paris-green, and the bushes could be easily and 
quickly sprayed with this poison. A little united 
effort among those interested, would soon control 
this Blueberry span-worm. m. y. s. 
Trimming Elm Trees ; Willows Dying. 
G.M.B., Geraldstown, W. Va. —1. What is the proper time for 
pruning elm trees? We have, for several seasons, pruned at 
various times between early autumn and early spring, each time, 
however, with the result of having some bleed profusely, and in 
some cases, to have the wound emit a gummy or mucilaginous 
substance for a considerable time, if not for the whole summer. 
We value some of our elms very highly, and would appreciate any 
suggestion that may help us to care for them more Intelligently. 
2. Many drooping willows in this immediate vicinity have died 
during the past two or three seasons. As they seem to be simi¬ 
larly affected, there must be some common cause. The bark 
begins to appear unhealthy usually on the south side of the 
trunk ; the bark and sap gradually fall away until only a small 
vein or ridge of sap remains on the north side of the trunk ; the 
foliage has, meanwhile, grown yellow, and when the tree leafs out 
the next spring—if it leafs at all—the ends of the branches are 
dead and leaves appear only on the larger branches and near the 
trunk. The younger trees seem to suffer more than the full- 
grown ones or the old. 
Ans. — 1. The best time of the year to prune almost 
any kind of trees, to injure them the least, according 
THE BLUEBERRY SPAN-WORM. Fici. 160. 
Twice Natural Size. 
to my experience, is June or July. Then, the season’s 
growth is well advanced, there will be few sprouts 
where a branch is cut off, and the wound will heal 
over more quickly and safely than at any other time 
of year, in the climate of West Virginia. 2. G. M. B., 
probably, refers to the common Babylonian weeping 
willow, which is tender in a large portion of our 
States. It is subject to sun-scald and to injury by 
severe cold. A moderately old tree of almost any 
kind is more likely to endure severely cold or hot or 
excessively wet or dry weather than a very young or 
very old one. All that I can say to G. M. B. and his 
neighbors is, to plant their willows in moist, rich soil 
and give them a good chance. If they die, it will be 
because the climate is too severe for them. I have 
seen them prosper and fail in the same neighborhood 
in several of the middle and central States. The best 
common weeping willow trees I ever saw were in the 
valleys of southern Virginia. The Wisconsin weeping 
willow is a more hardy kind, but not so gracefully 
pendent in habit. It might be well to try it in West 
Virginia. h. e. van hem an. 
Questions About Crimson Clover. 
)V. Fj. W., Philadelphia, Pa .—I own laud in both Delaware and 
Maryland. A portion of this laud is stiff clay, and some is light, 
sandy soil. A considerable acreage was sown, last season, to 
Crimson clover, but I had no success with it. 1. When is the best 
time to sow on a corn field, now or after corn is cut ? 2. In some 
of the fields, the corn is already too large to work, and if sown 
there now, it will have to be on crusty ground. Will that inter¬ 
fere? 3. What preparation of soil do you recommend to sow on 
ground after the corn is cut and on wheat stubble, and what time 
do you consider best for either or both ? 4. Which is better, im¬ 
ported or domestic seed, and last, or this year’s seed ? 
Ans. — 1 . The best time to sow Crimson clover is at 
the last working of the corn. The seed should be 
lightly covered after sowing by using a cultivator 
with spike harrow teeth. 2. Where the corn is too 
large to work, 1 would sow the seed as soon as possi¬ 
ble; then if it failed to make a good seeding, the land 
can be reseeded as soon as the corn is cut. If the 
weather be favorable, the crusty ground will inter¬ 
fere very little with the seeding, but fresh, mellow 
soil is preferable. Frequently the laud from which 
a crop of seed has just been harvested will be well 
seeded by that shelled out in harvesting the crop. 
Last season was very unfavorable for a good seeding 
of this clover, and there were, in consequence, very 
few good fields of Crimson clover on the Peninsula. 
3. Seed can be sown as soon as the corn has been cut, 
and the land harrowed immediately to cover the seed. 
I would not advise seeding on wheat stubble without 
first working up the soil with a disk harrow before 
sowing the seed ; then cover by using an ordinary 
spike-toothed harrow. I would advise sowing the 
seed as soon as it is possible to do so. 4. By all 
means, use domestic seed. The imported article is 
not always reliable, and is very liable to be mixed 
with other clovers and foul seeds. There has been 
very little Crimson clover seed harvested in Delaware 
this season, and much that is offered is imported, or, 
at best, last year’s crop. The present season’s crop 
is preferable, but last year’s seed, if it has been 
properly kept, would prove satisfactory. 
Delaware Experiment Station. m. h. Beckwith. 
Ice Tray for Shipping Bernes. 
E. C. 11., Wilmington, Vt. —A late R. N.-Y. stated that the best 
way to pack strawberries for shipping long distances, is to put a 
tray of ice in the crate on top of the berries. Is the water allowed 
to drip on to the berries as the ice melts, or are the trays water¬ 
tight ? 
Ans. —The trays are watertight. The crates are 
made especially for this purpose, and are much larger 
than the ordinary crates. Another method is to have 
them so made that a large single cake of ice is put in 
the center of the crate, as the ice melts more slowly 
when in one large piece. 
Nitrogen in Dead Clover Plants. 
S. 11., Climax, Mich. —The great benefit of clover to the soil is in 
the nitrogen gathered by the roots, and made available for other 
plants. If the clover plants winterkill or otherwise die, is the 
nitrogen previously gathered lost or stored for future use ? 
Ans. —The nitrogen in the roots and vines of clover 
is in the organic form—not so available as that in 
stable manure. It is not likely that any perceptible 
amount of it will be lost where the plants winterkill. 
A One-Horse Lawn Mower. 
IT. IT. G., Northville, 'Penn. —Has any one tried Lovett’s one-horse 
lawn mower ? Will it cut grass that is two feet tall ? 
Ans. —Lovett’s horse lawn mower is one of the regu¬ 
lar makes put out by a large lawn mower factory. It is 
of the usual revolving reel type, and does not differ 
in any important particular from the horse lawn 
mowers in general use. It is a fair machine, and will 
do good work if properly managed ; but it will not 
cut grass evenly when more than a few inches high. 
Only a machine with a reciprocating knife, like the 
common farm mower could cut grass two feet high. 
Swelling over Cow’s Foot. 
A. J. S., Grimsby, Ont.— My young Jersey cow has a puffy lump 
or swelling just above the first hoof joint, which runs from the 
outside half around the foot, which is making her lame. What 
remedy would you advise ? I pierced it with a needle, and bloody 
water came out. Would putting a rowel through it do it good ? 
Ans. —Blister with the cerate of cantharides oint¬ 
ment, adding one dram of the red biniodide of mer¬ 
cury to an ounce of the cerate. This will, probably, re¬ 
duce the swelling. If it fail, however, I would advise 
employing a veterinary surgeon to examine and treat 
the cow. It would be unwise for you to use the knife 
on this region, unless you are sure that you are suffi¬ 
ciently familiar with it, so as not to injure important 
vessels or the joint. i?. r.. k. 
Tuberculosis in Cattle. 
J. W., Wauconda, III .— Last summer my cow had something like 
catarrh, and bad-smelling matter came from her nose. She made 
a wheezy noise when breathing, looked gaunt, hair rough and dry, 
and would stay in heat from two to four days at a time. I found 
several pieces of dead twigs aud weeds in her nostrils, one meas¬ 
uring 15 inches in length, aud nearly every evening she would 
have her nose full of sticks. She has, apparently, recovered ex¬ 
cept that she is a little stiff in walking. She is due to calve soon. 
Her daughter, coming three years old, is afflicted just the same. 
What is the trouble, aud what the remedy ? 
Ans. —I am of the opinion that your cows have 
tuberculosis. I would advise you to have them exam¬ 
ined at once by a competent veterinarian. If not found 
tubei-culous, they may be treated. But if found 
tuberculous, they should be isolated at once and con¬ 
demned. Until such examination is made, to deter¬ 
mine, definitely, the presence or absence of tuber¬ 
culosis, I would advise heating all milk from such 
cows used for domestic purposes, to 180 degrees Fahr., 
or nearly to the boiling point. If there is any pro¬ 
vision in your State for State inspection of cattle 
affected with tuberculosis or other contagious dis¬ 
eases, it would be well to report to your State Veter¬ 
inarian, or the director of your State experiment 
station. p. x., k. 
