November 9, 1907. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
717 
The Winter Moth 
(Chefmatobia bruniata). 
The present time is especially suitable 
to preventing or checking the spread of 
this destructive pest, and measures should 
be taken accordingly by everyone who 
possess fruit trees. About the middle to 
the end of October the moths leave the 
earth around the roots of the trees, where 
they have sojourned during the summer 
months in a chrysalis state, and ascend 
the trunks of different fruit trees, especi¬ 
ally the Apple. 
When once there the females com¬ 
mence to lay their eggs in cracks, cre¬ 
vices, and even at the base of the buds. 
Winter Moth (Cheimatobia brumata); A, 
male; B; female; C, the larva or eater-pillar. 
The eggs are very minute, of a greeny 
colour first, changing to red later. 
These hatch out in spring (March and 
April) into very small caterpillars, pos¬ 
sessing heads dark in colour with bodies 
of a dull grey. They afterwards become 
somewhat greenish, and later a dirty yel¬ 
low. Their length when full grown is a 
little over or about f of an inch. The 
caterpillars feed ravenously on the young 
leaves of the trees, and also the flower 
buds as they begin to expand. About the 
end of June they descend by means of 
very fine, almost invisible, threads to the 
ground, burying themselves, developing 
into the perfect moths in October as stated 
above. Thus it will be seen that it is not 
the moths which are destructive, but their 
i larva or caterpillar. 
To recognise the perfect moths, it may 
be said the male and female differ con¬ 
siderably from each other. Both are 
more or less of the same colour, a greyish 
brown, the female being lighter in colour 
of the two. The male has a winged ex¬ 
pansion of ij to i-L inches, with dark 
wavy markings ; this in regard to the fore 
pair, they being absent in the hind pair, 
which are simply of a greyish colour 
similar to that of the body. 
In the female the body or abdomen is 
larger, as also are the legs, but the wings 
are short with two transverse dark marks 
on the fore wings and one on the- hind. 
These wings, which may be styled only 
rudimentary, are totally useless for fly¬ 
ing ; therefore they are compelled to 
ascend all trees by the trunk, which offers 
a ready and easy means of entrapping 
them. 
The only practical method is by means 
of the grease band. To carry this out 
procure some good bands of prepared 
grease proof paper for preference, or 
brown paper, cloth or tin, of about 6 
inches in width and sufficient length to 
encompass the trunks. Tie these tightly 
round the smoothest part of the trunks, 
3 to 5 feet from the ground. Use double 
bands of string, namely, top and bottom. 
Place a thick layer of cart or other grease 
along the upper part of the bands, or it 
may be smeared all over them; see, how¬ 
ever, it is continuous. Examine every 
other day and destroy all moths thus 
trapped, occasionally renewing with fresh 
grease and this before the other becomes 
dry. 
Where there is any fear of the grease 
soaking through the bands and reaching 
the bark, the paper or cloth may be well 
soaked previously in boiled linseed oil 
and thoroughly dried, when all danger of 
its doing so will be prevented. 
The bands need only be left on for 5 or 
6 weeks, though it is best to retain them 
throughout the winter on the trees to 
check any other pest which adopt the 
same method of reaching the branches. 
Once the female is enabled to lay her 
eggs on the trees there is no easy way of 
destroying either them or the caterpillars. 
The only method to adopt is to spray the 
trees prior to their flowering with paraffin 
or kerosene emulsion, or any of the ad¬ 
vertised specialities, all of which will be 
found useful. 
These, if used in a very fine spray, 
settle on the leaves, rendering them 
bitter, therefore unpalatable and ob¬ 
noxious to the pests, which are compelled 
to leave them severely alone. In this 
way the harm which their ravages cause 
becomes checked. Do not omit to place 
bands similarly around the stakes where 
any are used for support as in the case 
Large Tree showing grease band fixed to 
the trunk. 
of young trees, or one’s efforts will be 
futile, as the moths will quickly take ad¬ 
vantage thereof. 
G. D. R. 
-*+>- 
Cypripedium Nandii Low’s Var. 
The dorsal sepal of this variety is white, 
suffused rose, and pale green in the 
centre. The petals are white, suffused 
rose and speckled with black. The lip 
is deep purple in front. It is a graceful 
and pretty variety. Award of Merit by 
the R.H.S. on October 15th, when shown 
by N. C. Cookson, Esq. (gardener, Mr. 
H. J. Chapman), Oakwood, Wylam-on- 
Tyne. 
Solidago Golden Wings. 
The leaves and habit of this plant come 
very close to S. canadensis, though the 
rich inflorescence is different and later in 
blooming. The golden-yellow and minia¬ 
ture flower heads are very numerous, and 
arranged in short radiating branchlets. 
It is said to be a seedling, and received an 
Award of Merit from the R.H.S. on Octo¬ 
ber 15th, when shown by Mr. E. F. Such, 
Maidenhead. 
-- 
. .THE . . 
Manure Heap. 
As the time has come round again when 
digging or trenching the ground is near 
at hand the preparation of the manure 
must receive attention. During the sum¬ 
mer there is little time to spare for such 
work, in fact everything in the way of 
litter is usually so dry that unless a quan¬ 
tity of water is thrown over it as the work 
proceeds it is but labour in vain, but as 
soon as the autumn rains come the matter 
should be taken in hand early during the 
mornings and when other work cannot 
be undertaken on account of the weather. 
In most gardens one or more hot-beds 
of leaves and litter are put together dur¬ 
ing winter and early spring for forcing 
Asparagus, Potatos, Carrots, Cucumbers, 
and Melons, and this material can 
usually be dispensed with early in Octo¬ 
ber, and if worked back along with stable 
or cow-yard litter will form a capital 
heap with which to dress the kitchen 
garden. It sometimes happens that a per¬ 
centage of leaves, especially in the centre 
of the hot-bed, has not decomposed 
much : these should be set aside and used 
up with newly fallen leaves presently to 
be brought in for hot-bed making again. 
One item in mixing back this manure 
is often lost sight of, and that is in not 
shaking it well to pieces especially when 
dry and musty looking. Allow the heap 
to settle for "a month, when it will be 
ready to turn back again, and in two or 
three weeks after it may be wheeled on 
to vacant plots as required. On retentive 
soils the manure should not be too much 
decomposed before being placed under 
the soil, and a fair amount of Leaf soil 
should be mixed with it with a view of 
lightening the soil. Those who have a 
manure tank at command should convey 
the contents on to the heap, as it will 
assist decay and also improve the staple, 
for the richer it is the less quantity re¬ 
quired for a given plot. 
J. Mayne. 
Bicton. 
