AN APPLE THIEF 
“ Ugh!” Tommy ejaculated, hurriedly eject¬ 
ing the bite of apple which he had taken in too 
great haste, secure in the belief that their apple 
boxes contained none but perfect fruit. But 
alas! he had unwittingly dipped into a box of 
“ seconds,” which Mother had saved to work up, 
and he eyed ruefully the tiny dirty-white worm 
lying all crumpled in the palm of his hand. 
“ Here’s a nasty little apple thief, Uncle John,” 
he sputtered scornfully. “ Can you name him? ” 
“ Codling-moth,” was the brief reply. “ His 
color identifies him. There’s another apple thief, 
known as the lesser apple-worm, which looks 
much like this fellow. But it is pink at all times. 
When full grown and ready to leave his luscious 
apple house, the codling-moth larvae is quite pink, 
too. However, the little dots of black along his 
back always distinguish him.” 
“ But I thought we sprayed twice for codling- 
moths? ” Alice ventured, uncertainly. 
“ So we did,” Uncle John affirmed. “ But no 
matter how thoroughly the work is done, enough 
specimens always survive to make the fight an 
220 
