AN APPLE THIEF 
221 
endless one. Codling-moths cost the fruit grow¬ 
ers of America at least ten million dollars annu¬ 
ally. They work in the hearts of apples and 
pears, and for every fruit that manages to survive 
the attacks of these little thieves and develops 
sufficiently to come to the mouth of a would-be 
feaster, there are bushels which are entirely 
ruined, and fall to the ground undersized and 
worthless.” 
“ I know codling-moth eggs,” volunteered 
Tommy. “ They are like very tiny drops of 
milk, no larger than a small pin-head and slightly 
flattened in shape.” 
“ Only when strictly fresh are they pearly- 
white in color,” Uncle John corrected. “ Within 
a day or two they begin to show slightly reddish, 
owing to the fact that the little thief inside is be¬ 
ginning to grow. In a week or ten days it is out, 
a tiny creature not more than one-sixteenth of an 
inch in length, seeking eagerly what it may de¬ 
vour. And anything is grist which comes to its 
mill, whether it be leaf or fruit. Shortly, how¬ 
ever, it develops a decided preference for fruit, 
and instinct directs it to the blossom-end as the 
easiest and most suitable entrance. 
“ Now you know what the blossom-end of a 
young apple looks like. It is filled with a tiny 
cluster of tender leaf-like projections—all that 
remains of the calyx of the apple blossom. To 
