St pm I ^1 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO FRUITS. BY WILLIAM SAUNDERS, F.R.S.C, III Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society of London, England, President of the Entomological Society of Ontario, Editor of the " Canadian Entomologist," President of the Fruit- Growers' Association of Ontario, Corresponding Member of the American Entomological Society, Philadelphia, of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences, tlie Natural Historj' Society of Montreal, etc. <^ 4UL 1 1 IMS J ILLUSTRATED WITH FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY WOOD-CUTS. LONDON: FEB U 1884 PHI lXUTi-ETph I A : B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 16 SOUTHAMPTON STREET, STRAND. 188 3. Copyright, 1883, by J. B. Lippincott & Co. DEDIOATIO:^. To the Fruit-Growers of Amei-ica this work is respectfully dedi- cated, with an earnest hope that it may be of practical use to them in the warfare with destructive insects in which they are con- stantly engaged. W. SAUNDERS. PEEFAOE. The cultivation of fruit in America has of late years become of so much commercial importance, as well as do- mestic interest, that no apology is necessary for oifering to the fruit-growing community a work of which they must have long felt the need. The amateur who plants a city lot, and the farmer who devotes a portion of his land to the cultivation of those fruits which furnish from month to month pleasant and changeful variety to the table, as well as those who grow fruit to supply the home and foreign markets, are alike in- terested in making this pursuit a success. Injurious insects are so universally distributed that there is no part of our continent where fruit-culture can be profitably carried on without some effort being made to subdue them. Among the insect hosts we have friends as well as foes, and it is to the friendly species that nature has assigned the task of keeping in subjection those which are destructive; these, in many instances, do their work most thoroughly, devouring in some cases the eggs, in others the bodies, of their victims. It is not uncommon to find the antipathy to insects carried so far that a war of extermination is waged on all, and thus many of man's most efficient allies are consigned to destruction. The information necessary to enable the fruit-grower to 6 PREFACE. deal intelligently with this subject has not hitherto been easily accessible, having been diifused chiefly among a large number of voluminous State and Departmental reports and books on scientific entomology, where the practical knowledge is so much encumbered with scientific and other details as to make the acquisition of it too laborious a process for those whose time is so fully occupied during that period when the information is most needed. It has been the aim of the author of this work to bring together all the important facts relating to insects known to be injurious to fruits in all parts of Canada and the United States, to add to the information thus obtained the knowl- edge he has acquired of the habits and life-history of many of our insect pests by an experience of over twenty years as a fruit-grower and a student of entomology, and to pre- sent the results in as concise and plain a manner as possible, avoiding all scientific phraseology except such as is necessary to accuracy. The arrangement adopted under the several headings, by which the insect pests which attack the different parts of the tree or vine under consideration are grouped together, will, it is hoped, with the aid of the illustrations, greatly facilitate the determination of any injurious species. When having before him its history briefly traced and the remedies which have been found most useful in subduing it, the reader will at once be enabled to decide as to the best methods to be employed. The author desires to make the fullest acknowledgment to those of whose work he has availed himself. The writings of Say, Peck, Harris, Fitch, Clemens, Glover, Walsh, Kiley, Lintner, Comstock, Le Baron, Thomas, Frencii, Packard, PREFACE. 7 Grote, Leconte, Horn, Hagen, Chambers, Howard, Cook, Uliler, Cresson, Fernald, Kellicott, Willet, Bethune, Pettit, Rogers, Reed, Fletcher, Harrington, and others have been made tributary ; and in some instances, where the insect referred to has not been the subject of personal observation, tlie words of the author drawn from have to some extent been used, modified so as to bring them into harmony with the general aim of this work. To the writings of C. V. Riley, of Washington, the author is especially indebted ; his Missouri Reports and subsequent entomological reports in connection with the Department of Agriculture at Washington have been found invaluable. The material contained in the chapter on orange insects has been derived mainly from the excellent report of J. H. Oomstock as Entomologist to the U. S. Department of Agriculture for tiie year 1880, and from his subsequent writings; from a paper on the parasites which attack scale- insects, by L. O. Howard, in the same report; also from the writings of Townend Glover and C. V. Riley, from a treatise on orange insects, by William H. Ash mead, from a pamphlet on insects injurious to fruit-trees in California, by Matthew Cooke, and from the writings of Dr. S. V. Chapiu and others in the first report of the Board of State Agricul- tural Commissioners of California. To J. A. Lintner, State Entomologist of New York, the author is under much obligation for his kindly aid in revising the nomenclature. An acknowledgment is also due to the following specialists, who have revised lists submitted to them of the names of insects in their departments : Dr. George H. Horn, E. T. Cresson, A. R. Grote, P. Uhler, J. H. Comstock, and L. O. Howard. 8 PREFACE. Through the liberality of the Council of the Entomological Society of Ontario, permission was granted to have electro- types made from any of the cuts in the Society's collection, and from this source a large number of figures have been obtained. Many of these were purchased by the Society from C. V. Riley, and some are the work of Worthington G. Smith, of London, England, and other English and Ameri- can engravers. Nos. 21, 22, 31, 93, 102, 104, 116, 137, 141, 142, 145, 169, 199, 201, 205, 206, 291, 292, 305, 321, 332, 347, and 348 were purchased from C. V. Riley. Nos. 20, 151, 152, 167, and 208 were kindly loaned by A. S. Forbes, of Normal, Illinois. Through the kind liberality of the Hon. George B. Loring, U. S. Commissioner of Agriculture, permission was granted to obtain electrotypes of the following, which have appeared in the Commissioner's reports : Nos. 13, 15, 32, 35, 42, 96, 108, 114, 115, 126, 181, 195, 248, 270, 286, 287, 288, 377, 393, 394, 400, 403, 404, 406, 407, 408, 409, 410, 411, 412, 413, 414, 416, 418, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423, 424, 426, 428, 429, 431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436. Nos. 8, 25, 63, 109, 134, 144, 329, 338, 350, and 401 were purchased from Dr. A. S. Packard. By kind permission, the following were copied from Town- end Glover's excellent plates : Nos. 9, 49, 66, 78, 82, 83, 87, 111, 121, 146, 147, 148, 150, 155, 163, 202, 209, 236, 237, 249, 282, 293, 294, 295, 296, 300, 315, 320, 322, 333, 367, 390, 391, 392, 395, 396, 397, 440. From Harris's works : Nos. 11, ^^, 120, 159, 174, 188. From the reports of C. V. Riley: Nos. 101, 103, 105, 107, 228, 229, 230, 378, 379. PREFACE. 9 From the reports of Dr. Asa Fitch : Nos. 36, 37, 98, 99, 301. From Dr. A. S. Packard's works : Nos. 16, 110, 113, 117, 118, 119, 156, 157, 158, 162, 176, 177, 323, 328, 381, 382, 383, 384, 385, 386, 387, 388. From B. Walsh's first report No. 143 was copied, Xo. 55 from one of Cyrus Thomas's reports. No. 187 from a jilate published by W. H. Edwards; Nos. 427 and 430 were copied (reduced in size) from the report of the U. S. Com- missioner of Agriculture for 1880, Nos. 438 and 439 from a treatise on insects injurious to fruit-trees in California, by Matthew Cooke, and Nos. 398, 399, 402, 405, 415, 417, 425, and 437 from a treatise on orange insects, by William H. Ash mead. The remainder have been drawn from nature and engraved for this work chiefly by the following artists, who have also engraved the copies : H. H. Nichol, of Washington ; Wor- thington G. Smith, of London, England ; H. Faber & Son, and Crosscup & West, of Philadelphia; and P. J. Edmunds, of London, Ontario. Throughout this work, where an author's name, following the scientific name of an insect, is enclosed in parentheses, it is an indication that the authority is for the species only, and that the genus has been changed since the insect was described. This is in accordance with the recommendation of the British Association made some years ago, and is now very generally adopted. WM. SAUNDERS. London, Ontario, Canada, April 11, 1883. OOISTTENTS. — Paoe Insects injurious to the Apple (including No. 1 to No. 64) 13-139 Insects injurious to' the Pear (including No. 65 to No. 82) 140-161 Insects injurious to the Plum (including No. 83 to No. 96) 162-190 Insects injurious to the Peach (including No. 97 to No. 103) 191-200 Insects injurious to the Apricot and Nectarine . . 200 Insects injurious to the Cherry (including No. 104 to No. 118) 201-221 Insects injurious to the Quince (including No. 119 to No. 121) 222-226 Insects injurious to the Grape (including No. 122 to No. 173) 227-802 Insects injurious to the Easpberry (including No. 174 to No. 185) 303-317 Insects injurious to the Blackberry (including No. 186 to No. 189) 318-320 Insects injurious to the Strawberry (including No. 190 to No. 201) 321-335 Insects injurious to the Ked and White Currant (including No. 202 to No. 215) 336-353 Insects injurious to the Black Currant (including Nos. 216 and 217) 354-356 Insects injurious to the Gooseberry (including No. 218 to No. 220) 357-360 Insects injurious to the Melon (including No. 221 to No. 226) . . . • 361-368 Insects injurious to the Cranberry (including No. 227 to No. 238) 369-376 Insects injurious to the Orange (including No. 239 to No. 264) 377-422 Insects injurious to the Ouve (No. 265) .... 423 Insects injurious to the Fig (No. 266) .... 424 11 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO FRUITS. INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. ATTACKING THE EOOTS. No. 1. — The Apple-root Plant-louse. Schizoneitra lanigera (Hausm.). This insect appears in two forms, one of which attacks tJie trunk of the apple-tree (see No. 9), the other works under the ground and produces on the roots wart-like swell- ings and excrescences of all shapes and sizes. These deformi- ties seriously diminish the normal supply of nourishment for the tree, and where very numerous induce gradual decay of the roots, and occasionally result in the death of the tree. Upon close examination the excrescences are found to con- tain in their crevices very minute pale-yellow lice, often ac- companied by larger winged ones. The former have their bodies covered with a bluish- white cottony matter, having the appearance of mould, the filaments of which are five or six times as long as the insects themselves, and are secreted from the upper part of the body, more particularly from the hinder portion of the back. In Fig. 1, a represents a knotted root, 6 a wingless louse, and c a winged specimen. The insects are both magnified ; the short lines at the sides indicate their natural size. The apple-root plant-louse is believed by some entomolo- gists to be a native insect, while others hold to the opinion that it has been imported from Europe. It is nourished by sucking the juices of the tree, pi?rcing the tender roots with ]3 14 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. its proboscis. In the very young lice this instrument, when at rest and folded under the abdomen, is longer than the body, but in the more mature specimens it is only about two- thirds the length of Fio. 1. the body. While it usually confines it- self to the roots of trees, it is sometimes found on the suck- ers that spring up around them, and sometimes also about the stump of an amputated branch, but in every instance it may be recognized by the bluish- white cottony matter with which its body is covered. If this cottony covering be forcibly removed, it will be found that in two or three days the insect will have again produced sufficient to envelop itself completely. Occasionally the ma- ture lice crawl up the branches of the trees during the sum- mer, where they also form colonies, and then are known as the Woolly Aphis of the Apple. This form of the insect will be referred to more fully under No. 9. The appearance of this root-louse is recorded in Downing's " Horticulturist" as early as 1848, at which time thousands of young trees were found to be so badly infested that they had to be destroyed. Since that period it has been gradually but widely disseminated, establishing colonies almost every- where, in the North, South, East, and West. Where a tree is sickly from any unknown cause, and no borers can be found sapping its vitals, the presence of this pest may be suspected. In such cases the earth should be removed from the roots about the surfiice, and these carefully examined, when, if warty swellings are discovered, no time should be lost in taking steps to destroy the insidious foe. Remedies. — Tlie most successful means yet devised for de- ATTACKING THE ROOTS. I5 stroying these root-lice is the use of scalding-hot water freely- poured around the roots of the trees. If the trees are re- maining in the soil, the roots may be laid bare and the water used nearly boiling without injury; but where they have been taken up for the purpose of transplanting, and are to be dipped in the hot water, the temperature should not exceed 150° Fahr. ; under these circumstances from 120° to 150° would suffice for the purpose, A mulch placed around the trees for soijie time previous to treatment has been found useful in bringing the lice to the surface, where they can be more readily reached by the hot water. Drenching the roots with soapsuds has also been recommended, to be followed by a liberal dressing of ashes on the surface. There are several friendly insects which prey upon the root-louse. A very minute four-winged fly, yljj/ie/mus mall (see Fig. 15), is parasitic on it, and the larva of a small beetle belonging to the Lady-bird family, Scymnus eervicalis, feeds on it. This friend is difficult to recog-nize amonple-bark beetle is a small insect about one-tenth of an inch long (see Fig. 9, where it is shown much magnified) ; ATTACKING THE TRUNK. 25 it is cylindrical in form, smooth and slender, and varies in color from dark chestnut-brown to nearly black. Its legs and antennae are pale-yellowish, and its thorax minutely punctated ; the posterior end of the body is abruptly notched or excavated. The insect bores under the bark of apple- trees, sometimes attacking young, thrifty trees, which, when badly aifected, are apt, soon after putting forth their leaves, to wither suddenly, as if scorched by fire ; the bark becomes loosened from the wood, and soon after, these small beetles appear crawling through minute per- forations in the bark like large pin-holes. This insect usually appears in Jidy ; it is seldom very common, but has been reported as destructive in some parts of Massachusetts, where many young trees are said to have been ruined by it. So little is yet known of the history and habits of this pest that it is difficult to say what would be the best remedy for it. Fig. 9. Fig. 10. No. 7.— The Eyed Elater Alans oculafus (Linn.). This is the largest of our Elaters, or " spring-beetles," and is found with its larva in the decaying wood of old apple-trees. The beetle (Fig. 10) is an inch and a half or more in length, of a black color, sprinkled with numerous whitish dots. On the thorax there are two large velvetv black eye-like spots, which have given origin to the common name of the insect. The thorax is about one-third the length of the body, and is powdered with whitish atoms or scales; the wing-cases are ridged with longitudinal lines, and the under side of the body and legs thickly powdered with white. It is found in the perfect state in June and July. 26 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. The mature larva (Fig. 11), which attains its full growth early in April, is about two and a half inches long, nearly four-tenths of an inch across about the middle, tapering Pjq jj slightly towards each extremity. The head is broad, brownish, and rough above ; the jaws very strong, curved, and pointed ; the terminal seg- ment of the body blackish, roughened with small pointed tubercles, with a deep semicircular notch at the end, and armed at the sides with small teeth, the two hindermost of which are long, forked, and curved upwards like hooks ; under this hinder segment is a large fleshy foot, furnished behind with little claws, and around the sides with short spines ; it has six true legs, — a pair under each of the first three segments. Early in spring the larva casts its skin and becomes a chrysalis, and in due time there emerges from it a perfect beetle. This beetle, when placed upon its back on a flat surface, has the power of springing suddenly into the air, and, while moving, turning its body, thus recovering its natural position. This unusual movement combines with its curious prominent eye-like spots to make it a constant source of wonder and interest. Since it feeds only on decaying wood, it scarcely deserves to be classed with destructive insects ; yet, being occasionally found in the wood of the apple-tree, it is worthy of mention hero. No. 8. — The Rough Osmoderma. Osmoderma scahra (Beauv.). This insect, also, lives in the larval state in the decaying wood of the api)le, as well as in that of the cherry, con- suming the wood and inducing more rapid decay. It is a large, white, fleshy grub, with a reddish, hard-shelled head. In the autumn each larva makes for itself an oval cell of fragments of wood, cemented together with a glutinous ma- ATTACKING THE BRANCHES. 27 Fia. 12. teria], in which it undergoes its transformations, appearing during the month of July as a large, purplish-black beetle (Fig. 12), about an inch long, with rough wing-cases. The head is hollowed out on the top, the under side of the body smooth, and the legs short and stout. It conceals itself during the day, but is active at night, feeding upon the sap which flows from the bark. Since the larva feeds only on decaying wood, the injury inflicted, if any, can only be of a trifling character. ATTACKING THE BRANCHES. Fig No. 9. — The Woolly-louse of the Apple. Schizoneura lanigera (Hausm.). This is the same species as the apple- root plant-louse (No. 1), but in this form the insects attack the trunk and limbs of the apple-tree, living in clusters, and secreting over themselves small patches of a cotton-like covering. (See Fig. 13, where the insects are represented magnified.) They are often found about the base of twigs or suckers springing from the trunk, and also about the base of the trunk itself, and around recent wounds in the bark. In autumn they commonly affect the axils of the leaf- stalks (Fig. 13), towards the ends of twigs, and sometimes multiply to such an extent as to cover the whole un- der surface of the limbs and also of the trunk, the tree looking as though whitewashed. They are said to affect most those trees which 28 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. yield sweet fruit. This woolly-louse is very common iu Europe, especially in Germany, the north of France, and Entrlancl, where it is more destructive than in this country, and, although generally known there under the name of the "American Blight," it is believed to be indigenous to Europe, and to have been originally brought from Europe to America. It appears to thrive only in comparatively cold climates, and in this country occurs in this form most abun- dantly in the New England States. Under each of the little patches of down there is usually found one large female with her young. When fully grown the female is nearly one-tenth of an inch long, oval, in form, with black head and feet, dusky legs and antennae, and yel- lowish abdomen. She is covered with a white, mealy powder, and has a tuft of white down growing upon the hinder part of her back, which is easily detached. During the summer the parents are wingless, and the young are produced alive, but about the middle of October, among the wingless specimens, appear a considerable number both of males and females with wings, and these have but little of the downy substance upon their bodies, which are nearly black and rather plump. The fore wings are large, and about twice as long as the narrower hind wings. In Fig. 14 the winged insect is represented much mag- nified ; also a group of the larvae magnified, and an apple-twig, natural size, showing one of the openings in the bark caused by this insect. The winged females fly from tree to tree to deposit eggs for another gen- eration the following spring, — a fact which should induce Fig. 14. ATTACKING THE BRANCHES. 29 fruit-growers to take particular pains to destroy these lice wherever found, for the colony that is permitted this year to establish itself upon some worthless tree, or on the shoots or suckers at its base, will furnish the winged parents of countless hosts that may establish themselves next year on the choicest trees in the orchard. The insects are extremely hardy, and will endure a considerable amount of frost, and it is quite probable that some of them survive the winter in the perfect state in the cracks of the bark of the trees. The eggs are so small that they require a magnifying-glass to enable one to see them, and are deposited in the crevices of the bark at or near the surface of the ground, especially about the base of suckers, where such are permitted to grow. The young, when first hatched, are covered with very fine down, and appear in the spring of the year like little specks of mould on the trees. As the season advances, and the in- sect increases in size, its cottony coating becomes more dis- tinct, the fibres increasing in length and ajDparently issuing from all the pores of the skin of the abdomen. This coating is very easily removed, adhering to the fingers when touched. Botli young and old derive their nourishment from the sap of the tree, and the constant punctures they make give rise to warts and excrescences on the bark, and openings in it, and, where very numerous, the limbs attacked become sickly, the leaves turn yellow and drop oif, and sometimes the tree dies. Remedies. — The very small four- winged Chalcid fly, Aphelinus mail ^^* Hald., which is highly magnified in Fig. 15, and which has already been referred to under No. 1, preys also on this woolly aphis. The lady- birds and their larvse, also the larvae of the lace-wing flies and syrphus flies, feed on all species of plant-lice, and are very useful in keeping them within bounds. These friendly insects will be fully treated of under the Apple- 30 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. tree Aphis, No. 57. The vigorous use of a stiflp brush wet with the alkaline solution of soap, recommended under No. 2, will also be found very efficient, or a solution made by mixing five pounds of fresh lime with one pound of sulphur and two gallons of water, and heating until the sulphur is dissolved. After destroying those on the trunk, and cutting away all suckers, the earth should be removed from about the base of the trunk, the parts below the surface cleaned, and fresh earth placed about the roots. Spiders devour large numbers of these lice, spinning their webs over the colo:ii(S and feeding at their leisure. No. 10. — The Apple Liopus. Liopns facetus Say. This is another of the long-horned borers which has been found in the larval state boring into the decaying limbs of apple-trees. The larva, when full grown, is a quarter of an inch long or more, is slender, with the anterior segments en- larged and swollen, is covered with fine short hairs, and has the end of the abdomen rather blunt. The beetle, which is shoNyn magnified in Fig. 16, is a handsome one, a slender little creature, rather less than a quarter Fig. 16. ^^ .^^^ jj^^j^ j^ length, of a pale ash-gray color with a purplish tinge. The long antennae are yellowish brown, except at the base and between the joints, where the color is darker. The wing-covers are smooth, and on their anterior por- tion is an irregular rounded dark spot; a broad black band crosses the hinder portion, leaving the tip pale gray ; there are also .several additional blackish dots and streaks distrib- uted over the upper surface. The beetles ai)pear late in June and early in July, and lay their eggs on the bark of the branches, from which the young larvae hatch and bore in under the bark, where they become ATTACKING THE BRANCHES. 31 full grown and undergo their transformations before the fol- lowing midsummer. This is a rare insect in most parts of America, and is not likely to prove a serious trouble anywhere. No. 11. — The Apple-tree Pruner. Elaphidion villosum (Fabr.). This is also a long-horned beetle, of cylindrical form, of a dull-blackish color, with brownish wing-cases. The antennae in tlie male are longer than the body, and in the female, which is represented in Fig. 17, are equal to it. The entire body is covered with short grayish hairs, which, from their denseness in some places on the thorax and wing-covers, form pale spots. The under side of the body is of a chestnut-brown color. The insect affects chiefly the oak-tree, but also attacks the apple, and, although not often found in great abundance, is very generally distributed over most of the Northern United States and Canada. ^i«- ^'^• The peculiar habits and instincts of this insect are very interesting. The parent ' beetle places an egg in the axil of a leaf on a fresh green twig proceeding from a moderate-sized limb. When the young larva hatches, it burrows into the centre of the twig and down towards its base, consuming in its course the soft pulpy matter of which this part of the twig is com- posed. By the time it reaches the main limb it has become sufficiently matured to be able to feed upon the harder wood, and makes its way into the branch, when the hollow twig it has vacated gradually withers and drops off. The larva, being now about half grown, eats its way a short distance through the middle of the branch, and then proceeds de- liberately to sever its connection with the tree by gnawing away the woody fibre to such an extent that the first storm of wind snaps the branch off. This is rather a delicate operation for the insect to perform, and requires wonderful instinctive skill, for should it gnaw away too much of the 32 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. Fig. 18. Fig. 19. M'oody interior the branch might break during the process, — -^\\ accident which would probably crush the workman to death ; but the insect rarely miscalculates : it leaves the bark and just enough of the woody fibre untouched to sustain the branch until it has time to make good its retreat into the burrow, the opening of which it carefully stops up with gnawed fragments of wood. If the limb be short, it severs all the woody fibres, leaving it fastened only by the bark ; if longer, a few of the woody fibres on the upper side are left ; and if very long and heavy, not more than three-fourths of the wood will be cut through. Having performed the operation and closed its hole so that the jarring of the branch when it falls may not shake out the occupant, the larva retreats to the spot at which it first entered the limb. After the branch has fallen it eats its way gradually through the centre of the limb for a distance of from six to twelve inches, when, having completed its growth, it is transformed to a chrysalis with- in the enclosure. Sometimes this change takes place in the autumn, but more frequently it is deferred until the spring, and from the pupa the beetle escapes during the month of June. The larva (Fig. 18) when full grown is a little more than half an inch long, thickest towards the head, tapering gradually backwards. The head is small and black, the body yellowish white, with a few indistinct darker markings. It has six very minute legs attached to the anterior segments. In the figure the larva is shown magnified. The pupa is about the same size as the larva, of a whitish color, and is shown in Fig. 19, also magnified, in its burrow. Remedies. — Birds are active agents in the destruction of these larvee ; they seek them out in their places of retreat and ATTACKING THE BRANCHES. 33 devour them. Should they at any time become very numer- ous, they may easily be disposed of by gathering the fallen branches and burning them before the insect has time to mature. No. 12. — The Parallel Elaphidion. Elapliidion parallelam Newni. This insect in the larval ^tate occasionally bores into the twigs of apple and plum trees. The beetle (Fig. 20, c) is a little more than half an inch long, of a dull-brownish color, closely resembling No. 11 in appearance and habits, but smaller in size. The egg is laid by the parent insect near the axil of one of the leaf-buds, where the young larva, when hatched, l)ores into the twig, enlarging the channel as it increases in size, finally transforming to a chrysalis within its burrow, and es- caping at maturity in the perfect state. In the figure, a shows the larva, b the twig split open, showing the enclosed chrysalis, k the end of the twig cut off, c the beetle, * the basal l^'i«- 20. joints of the antenna, j the tip of the wing-case, d the head, e maxilla, / labium, g mandible, and h the an- tenna of the larva. This Elaphidion is rather a rare insect, and, although it may occasionally be found injurious, it is not likely to become so to any considerable extent. No. 13. — The Apple-twig Borer. Amphicerns bicaudattis (Say). The apple-twig borer is a small cylindrical beetle (Fig. 21), from one-fourth to one-third of an inch in length, of a dark chestnut-brown color above, black beneath. The fore part of its thorax is roughened with minute elevated points, and, 3 34 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. in the males, furnished with two little horns ; the male may also be furtiier distinguished from the female by its having two small thorn-like projections from the extremities of the wing-covers. Unlike most other borers, which do their mischief in the larval state, this insect works in the beetle state, boring into the branches of apple, pear, and cherry trees, just above a Fig. 21. Fig. 2:2. bud, and working downwards through the pith in a cylindri- cal burrow one or two inches long. (See Fig. 22, c and (/.) The holes appear to be made partly for the purpose of obtain- ing food, and partly to serve as places of concealment for the beetles ; they are made by both sexes alike, and the beetles are found in them occasionally in the middle of winter, as well as in the summer, usually with the head downwards. They work throughout the summer months, causing the twigs operated on to wither and their leaves to turn brown. Upon examination, a })erforation about the size of a knitting-needle is found near one of the buds from six inches to a foot from the end of the twig. This insect does not often occur in such numbers as to inflict any material damage, but occasionally as many as ten have been found working at once on a two- or three-year-old tree ; they also affect the twigs of larger trees. The twigs so injured are very liable to break off with high winds. There is not much known as yet about the earlier stages of this insect ; the larva is said to have been found feeding upon grape-canes, into which also the beetle occasionally bores. The beetle is found from Pennsylvania to Mississippi, also in ATTACKING THE BRANCHES. 35 the orchards of New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, and Kansas. Should it at any time inflict serious injury, the only remedy as yet suggested is to search for the bored twigs in June and July, and cut them off and burn them. No. 14. — The Imbricated Snout-beetle. Epicceriis 4mhricatus ( Say ) . This is a small snout-beetle or weevil, which is common in some localities on apple and cherry trees and injures tiiem by gnawing the twigs and fruit. It is most frequently ^^" found in the Western States, especially in parts of Iowa and Kansas. It is a very variable beetle; usually it is of a silvery- white color, with dark mark- ings, as shown in Fig. 23, but sometimes these latter are wholly or partly wanting. Nothing is as yet known of its history in the earlier stages of its existence. Should this weevil ever occur in sufficient numbers to ex- cite alarm, they could probably be collected by jarring the trees, as in the case of the plum-weevil, and then destroyed. No. 15. — The Seventeen-year Locust. Cicada septendecim Linn. The seventeen-year locust is an insect very well known throughout the United States, and is sometimes met with in Canada. As its name implies, it generally requires seventeen years in which to complete its transformations, nearly the whole of this period being spent under ground. The perfect insect measures, when its wings are expanded, from two and a half to three inches across. It is represented at c in Fig. 24. The body is stout and blackish, the wings 36 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. transparent, the thick anterior edge and large veins are orange-red, and near the front margin, towards the tip, there is a dnsky, zigzag line resembling a W. The rings of the abdomen are edged with dull orange, and the legs are of the same hue. The locusts appear in the South earlier than in Fig. 24. the North ; their usual time is during the latter part of May, and they disappear early in July. After pairing, the female deposits her eggs in the tAvigs of different trees, puncturing and sawing small slits in them, as shown in Fig. 24, d, which she does by means of her sharp beak, which is composed of three portions; the two outer are beset with small teeth like a saw, while the centre one is a spea-pointed piercer. In these slits she places her eggs. These (e, Fig. 24) are of a pearly-white color, one-tw-elfth of an inch long, and taper to an obtuse point at each end. They are deposited in pairs, side by side, with a portion of woody fibre between them, and placed in the cavity some- what obliquely, so that one end points upwards. When two ATTACKING THE BRANCHES. 37 eggs have thus been deposited, the insect withdraws her piercer for a moment, and then inserts it again and drops two more eggs in a line with the first, and so on until she has filled the slit from one end to the other. She then removes to a little dis- tance and makes another similar nest: it is not uncommon to find from fifteen to twenty of such fissures in the same limb. The cicada thus passes from limb to limb and from tree to tree until her store of. four or five hundred eggs is exhausted, when, worn out by her excessive labors, she dies. The punctured twigs are so weakened by the operations of the insect that they frequently break oiF when swayed by rough winds, and the injury thus caused to young fruit-trees in orchards or nurseries is sometimes very serious ; in most in- stances, however, if the trees are vigorous, they eventually recover from their wounds. The eggs hatch in about six weeks or less, the young larva being of a yellowish-white color, and appearing as shown in Fig. 25. It is active and rapid in its movements, and shortly after its escape from the Q^g drops to the ground, and immediately proceeds to bury itself in the soil by means of its broad and strong fore feet, which are admirably adapted for digging. Once under the surface, these larvse attach themselves to the succulent roots of plants and trees, and, ■^^"- -■^■ puncturing them with their beaks, imbibe the vegetable juices, which form their sole nourishment. They do not usually descend very deeply into the ground, but remain where juicy roots are most abundant, and the only marked alteration to which they are subject during the long period of their existence under ground is a gradual increase in size. As the time for their transformation approaches, they as- cend towards the surface, making cylindrical burrows about five-eighths of an inch in diameter, often circuitous, seldom 38 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. exactly })erpendicular, and these are firmly cemented and varnished so as to be water-tight. As the insect progresses, the chamber is filled below by the earthy matter removed in its progress, but the upper portion, to the extent of six or eight inches, is empty, Fig. 26. and serves as a dwell- ing-place for the insect until the period for its exit arrives. Here it remains for some days, ascending to the top of the hole in fine weather for warmth and air, and occasionally looking out as if to reconnoitre, but descendino; again on the occurrence of cold or wet weather. In locali- ties that are low or im- perfectly drained, the insects sometimes continue their galleries from four to six inches above ground, as shown in Fig. 26, leaving a place of egress at the surface, e, and in the upper end of these dry chambers the pupae patiently await the time for their next change. This period, although an active one, is the pupal stage of the insects' existence, and finally, when fully matured, they issue from the ground (see a, Fig. 24), crawl up the trunk of a tree or any other object to which tiiey can attach them- selves securely by their claws, and, having rested awhile, prepare to cast their skins. After some struggling, a longi- tudinal rent is made on the back, and through this the en- closed cicada pushes its head, and then gradually withdraws itself, leaving the empty pupa skin adhering, as shown at b in Fig. 24. The escape from the pupa usually occurs between six and nine in the evening, and about ten minutes are occupied by the insect in entirely freeing itself from the enclosure. At ATTACKING THE BRANCHES. 39 first the body is soft and white, excepting a black patch on the back, and the wings are small and soft, but within an hour are fully developed, and before morning the mature insects are ready for flight. They sometimes issue from the ground in immense numbers; above fifteen hundred have been known to arise beneath a single apple-tree, and in some places the whole surface of the soil has, by their operations, appeared almost as full of holes as a honey-comb. Remedies. — On escaping from tlie ground, they are attacked by various enemies. Birds and predaceous insects devour them; hogs and poultry feed on them greedily; and in the winged state they are also subject to the attacks of parasites. It seems that human agency can efiect but little in the way of stay- ing the j)r(>gress of these invaders, and the only time when any- tliing can be done is early in the morning, when the winged insects newly escaped and in a comparatively feeble and help- less condition may be crushed and destroyed ; but when once they have acquired their full power of wing, it is a hopeless task to attempt to arrest their course. The males have a musical apparatus on each side of the body just behind the wings, which acts like a pair of kettle-drums, producing a very loud, shrill sound. Although partial to ook-trees, on which they mast abound, they are very destructive to other trees and shrubs, and frequently , ' ^ ^ Fig. 27. injure ap{)le-trees. A popular idea prevails that these insects are dangerous to handle, that they sting, and that their sting is venomous. As their beaks (a. Fig. 27) are sharp and strong, it is pos- sible that under provocation they may insert these, but, since there is no poison-gland attached, there is little more to fear from their puncture than from the piercing of a needle. 40 Ji\SECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. FiG. 28. No. 16. — The Oyster-shell Bark-louse. Mytilaspis pomorum Bouche. This is a very destructive and pernicious insect, which pre- vails throughout the Northern United States and Canada, and in some of the Southern States also. It was introduced from Europe more than eighty years ago. It appears in the form of minute scales, about one-sixth of an inch long, of a brownish or grayish color, closely resembling that of the bark of the tree, and somewhat like the shell of an oyster in shape, adhering to the surface of the bark, as shown in Fig. 28, and placed irregularly, most of them lengthwise of the limb or twig, with the smaller end upwards. In some instances the branches of apple-trees may be found literally covered and crowded with these sca'es; and where thus so prevalent they seriously impair the health and vigor of the tree, and sometimes cause its death. Under each of these scales will be found a mass of eggs varying in number from fifteen or twenty to one hundred or more; these during the winter or early spring will be found to be white in color, but before hatching they change to a yellowish hue, soon after which the young insects appejir. This usually occurs late in May or early in June, and, if the weather is cool, the young lice will remain several days under the scales before dis- persing over the tree. As it becomes warmer, they leave their shelter, and may be seen running all over the twigs looking for suitable locations to which to attach themselves. They then, under a magnifying- glass, present the appearance shown at 2, Fig. 29, their actual length being only about one- hundredth of an inch ; to the unaided eye they appear as mere specks. A large proportion of them soon become fixed around the base of the side-shoots of the terminal twigs, where, inserting their tiny shar[) beaks, they subsist upon the sap of ATTACKING THE BRANCHES. 41 the tree. In a few days a fringe of delicate waxy threads issues from their bodies, when they have the appearance shown at 3. Gradually the insect assumes the form s^iown at 4 ; 5 and 6 represent the louse as it approaches maturity, and when detached from the scale; 1 shows the egg highly magnified ; and 8 one of the antennae of the young lice, also much enlarged. Before the end of the season the louse has secreted for itself Fig. 29. the scaly covering shown at 7, in which it lives and matures. The scale is figured as it a])pears from the under side when raised and with the louse in it. By the middle of August this female louse has become little else than a bag of eggs, and the pi'ocess of depositing these now begins, the bodv of the parent shrinking day by day, until finally, when this work is completed, it becomes a mere atom at the narrow end of the scale, and is scarcely noticeable. The scales of the male louse are seldom seen ; they are most frequently found upon the leaves, both on the upper and under sides ; they are smaller in size than those of the female, and different also in shape. The male scale is shown at G, Fig. 30, in which cut is also represented the male insect, much magnified, with wings closed and expanded. Only one brood is produced annually in the North, the eggs remaining unchanged under the scale for about nine mouths ; but in some parts of the South the insect is double- 42 IIS'SKCTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. brooded, the first brood hatching iu May, the second in September. As tlie oyster-shell bark-louse retains power of motion only for a few days at most after hatching, it is mainly disseminated to distant places by tiie distribution of young trees from infested nurseries. In the orchard and its immediate neighborhood it may be spread by being carried on the feet of birds, or attacheil Fig. 30. to the larger insects, or may be aided by the wind in passing from tree to tree, while it is itself so brisk in its active state that it can travel two or three inches in a minute, and hence might in this way reach a point two or three rods distant be- fore it would perish. Although this insect essentially belongs to the apple-tree, it is frequently found on the pear, and sometimes on the ])lum and the currant-bush. Remedies. — A sjiecies of mite (Fig. 31), Tyroglyphus mains (Shinier), })reys on the louse as well as on its eggs; and this mite, so insignificant that it can scarcely be seen without a magnifying-glass, has probably done more to keep this or- chard-pest within bounds than any other thing. Under the scales may sometimes be found a small active larva devouring the eggs. This is the jirogeny of a small four-winged parasite, belonging to the family Chalcididfe, named Aphelinus mytilaspidis Le Baron. In Fig. 32 we have a representation of this insect highly magnified. ATTACKING THE BRANCHES. 43 Another friend is the twice-stabbed lady-bird, Chilochorus bivulnerus Muls. (Fig. 33), an insect easily recognized by its Fig. 31. Fig. 32. Fig. 33. polished black wing-cases with a blood-red spot on each. Its larva, a bristly-looking little creature (Fig. 34), of a grayish color, is very active, and devours large numbers of the lice; the p rfect beetle also eats them. The bark -lice and their eggs are devoured also by some of our insect-eating birds. During the winter the trees should be ex- amined and the scales scraped off, and thus a large proportion of the insects may be destroyed. Still, it is almost impos- sible to cleanse the trees entirely in this way, especially the smaller branches; and hence the insect should be fought also at the time when the eggs are hatch- ing and the young lice crawling over the limbs, as then they are tender and easily killed. With this object in view, the time of hatching of the remnants left after the winter or spring scraping shonld be watched, and, while the young larvae are active, the twigs should be brushed with a strong solution of soft-soap and washing-soda, as recom- mended under No. 2, or syringed with a solution of M'ash- ing-soda in water, made by dissolving half a pound or more Fio. M. 44 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. ill a pailful. Painting the twigs and branches with linseed oil has also been tried with success. As a precautionary measure, every young tree should be carefully examined before being planted, and if found infested should be thoroughly cleansed. No. 17. — The Scurfy Bark-louse. Chionaspis furfur us (Fitch). This insect, which has long been known under the name of Harris's Bark-louse, Aspidiotus Harrisii Walsh, is now found to have been first described by Dr. Fitch, and hence must in future bear the name given to it by him. It resembles in some respects the oyster-shell bark-louse, yet is sufficiently dissimilar to be readily distinguished from it. In this species the scale of the female, which is by far the most abundant, is oblong in form, pointed below, very flat, of a grayish-white color, and about one-tenth of an inch long. (See Fig. 35, 1 and 1 c; the latter represents a scale highly magnified.) The eggs under the scale of the oyster-shell bark-louse during the winter are white, while these are purplish red. The eggs of this species hatch about the same date as the other, but the larvse are red or reddish brown in color. This insect does not mature so rapidly as the oyster-shell species ; the eggs are said not to be fully developed under the scale until the middle of September. The scale of the male, which is very much smaller and narrower, and not more than one-thir- tieth of an inch long, is shown in the figure, magnified, at 1 a; the male insect in the winged state, highly magnified, at 1 b. This is a native insect, which has existed from time imme- morial in the East, West, and South, its original home being on the bark of our native crab-trees. In the warmer parts of the South it is more common than the oyster-shell bark- louse. It is found chiefly on the apple, but sometimes affqcts the pear and also the mountain-ash. It is far less common than tiie imported oyster-shell bark-louse, and is nowhere anything like so injurious as that insect. ATTACKING THE BRANCHES. 45 Remedies. — The scurfy bark-louse is said to be preyed upon by the same mites which attack the oyster-shell species;' it is Fig. 35. also devoured by the larva of the twice-stabbed laay-bird. The same artificial remeilies should be used in this instance as are recommended in the other. No. 18 — The Buffalo Tree-hopper. Ceresa huhalus (Fabr.). This insect belongs to the order Hemiptera. It is an active jumping creature, about one-third of an inch long (Fig. 36), of a light grass-green color, with whitish dots and a pale- 46 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. Fig 36. yellowish streak along each side. On the front there is a siiarp process or point jutting out horizontally on each side, reminding one of the horns of a bull or buffalo, which has given to the insect its common name of buffalo tree- hopper. Its body is three-sided, not unlike a beech-nut in form, and it is furnished with a sharp- pointed beak, with which it punctures the bark and sucks the sap from the trees. It is common on apple and many other trees from July until the end of the season. The eggs are said to be laid in rows, in a series of punctures made by the ovipositor of the female; and the young larvse, which are grass-gieen like their parents, feed also on the sap of the leaves and twigs. In tlie larval state, before the power of flight is acquired, the insect is easily caught and destroyed; but it is not easy to suggest a remedy for so active a creature as the perfect insect is. It cannot be killed by any poisonous application, as it feeds only on sap. It has been suggested that where they are so numerous as to injure fruit-trees they may be frightened away by frequently shaking the trees, as they are very shy and timorous. It is, however, scarcely probable that this insect will ever become a source of much annoyance to the fruit-o-rower. No. 19.- FiG. 37. -The Thorn-bush Tree-hopper. Thelia crata'fji Fitch. This is an insect similar in structure and habits to the buffalo tree-hopper. It is common on apple-trees, but more conunon on thorn-bushes, in July and August, when it may be seen resting upon the small limbs and sucking the sa]). When approached, it leaps away with a sudden spring, and is lost to view. ATTACKING THE LEAVES. 47 It is a little more than one-third of an inch long (see Fig. 37), with a three-sided body, black, varied with chestnut- brown, with a large white spot on each side, which extended forward becomes a band across the front. There is also a white band across the hind part of its back, and a protuber- ance extending upwards on the front part of its body. ATTACKING THE LEAVES. No. 20. — The Apple-tree Tent-caterpillar. Clisiocampa Americana Harris. This insect is a native of the more northern Atlantic States, and has probably been carried westward in the egg-state at- tached to the twigs of young trees. It inhabits now almost Fig. 38. Fig. 80. te^ '^i#«*^" all parts of the United States and Canada. The moth is of a pale dull-reddish or reddish-brown color, crossed by two oblique parallel whitish lines, the space between these lines being usually i)aler than the general color, although some- times quite as dark, or darker. In the male (Fig. 38) the antennae are pectinate, or feather-like, and slightly so in the female (Fig. 39). When fully expanded, the wings of the female will measure an inch and a half or more across ; the male is smaller. The hollow tongue or tube by which mo hs and butterflies imbibe their food is entirely wanting in this species; hence it has no power of taking food, and lives but a very few days in tlie winged state, merely long enough to 48 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. provide for a future generation by the deposition of eggs. The moth remains at rest and concealed during the day, but becomes very active at night, when it enters lighted rooms, attracted by the glare, and becomes so dazzled and bewildered that it darts crazily about, here and there, thumping itself against the walls, furniture, and floor of the room in the most erratic manner, then circles around the lauip or gas-light with great velocity, finally dashing into the flame, when, with wings aud antennae severely singed, it retreats into some ob- scure corner. Tl :e moths are most abundant during the first two weeks in July. The eggs are deposited during that month upon Fig. 40. the smaller twigs of our fruit-trees in rino;-like clus- ters, each composed of from fifteen to twenty rows, containing in all from two to three hundred. The effffs are conical and about one-twentieth of an inch long, firmly cemented together, and coated with a tough varnish, impervious to rain, the clusters pre- senting the ap])earance shown in Fig. 40. In Fig. 41, at c, a similar cluster is shown with the gummy covering removed, showing the manner in which the eggs are arranged. The young larvse are fully matured in the egg before winter comes, and they remain in this enclosure in a torpid state throughout the cold weather, hatching during the first warm days of spring. They usually appear during the last week in April or early in May, depending much on the prevailing temperature. Their first meal is made of por- tions of the gummy material with which the egg-masses are covered, and with the strength thus gained they proceed at once to work. At this time the buds are bursting, thus pro- viding these young larvae with an abundance of suitable tender food. It sometimes happens, however, that after they are hatched cold weather returns and vegetable growth is tempo- rarily arrested. To meet this emergency they have the power of sustaining hunger for a considerable time, and will usually ATTACKING THE LEAVES. 49 live from ten to twelve clays when wholly deprived of food ; hut severe frost is fatal to them in this tender condition, and multitudes of them sometimes perish from this cause. These larvae are tent-makers, and soon after birth they begin to con- struct for themselves a shelter by extending sheets of web across the nearest fork of the twig upon which they were Fig. 41. hatched. As they increase in size, they construct additional layers of silk over those previously made, attaching them to the neighboring twigs, and leaving between the layers space enough for the caterpillars to pass. The tent or ne.st when completed is irregular in form, about eight or ten inches in diameter, and the holes through which the caterpillars enter are situated near the extremities or angles of the nest, and into this they retreat at night or in stormy weather, also at other 50 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. times when not feeding. In five or six weeks they become full grown, and then measure about an inch and three-quarters in length, and present the appearance shown in Fig. 41. The body is hairy and black, with a white stripe down the back, and on each side of this central stripe there are a number of short, irregular, longitudinal yellow lines. On the sides are paler lines, with s|)ots and streaks of pale blue. The under side of the body is nearly black. These caterpillars have regular times for feeding, issuing from the openings in their tent in processional order, usually once in the forenoon and once in the afternoon. In very warm weather they sometimes repose upon the outside of the nest, literally covering it and malang it appear quite black with their bodies. They are very voracious, and devour the leaves of the trees they are on with great rapidity; it is esti- mated that each larva when approaching maturity will con- sume two leaves in a day, so that every day that a nest of such marauders is })ermitted to remain on a tree there is a sacrifice of about five hundred leaves. Where there happen to be several nests on one tree, or if the tree itself is small, they often strip every vestige of foliage from it, and in neglected orchards the trees are sometimes seen as bare of leaves in June as they are in midwinter. As the caterpillars arrive at maturity they leave the trees and wander about in all direc- tions in search of suitable places in which to hide during their chrysalis stage. A favorite place is the angle formed by the projection of the cap-boards of fences or fence-posts. Here they construct oblong oval cocoons (Fig. 41, d) of a yellow color, formed of a double web, the outer one loosely woven and slight in texture, the inner one tough and thick. In its construction the silk is mixed with a pasty substance, which, when dry, becomes powdery and resembles sulphur in appearance. Within these cocoons the larvae change to brown chrysalids, from which, in about two or three weeks, the moths escape. This insect feeds on many different trees, but is particularly fond of the apple and wild cherry. ATTACKING THE LEAVES. 51 Remedies. — Since the tent-cateqiillar is so easily detected by its conspicuous nest, it need never become very trouble- some, as the larvae may be easily destroyed while sheltering within it. They seldom leave the nest to feed until after 9 A.M., and usually return before sundown ; hence the early and late hours of the day are the best times for destroying them. With a suitable ladder and^a gloved hand the living mass may be seized and crushed in a moment, or the nest may be torn from the tree and trampled under foot. Where a ladder is not at hand, the nests may be removed by a pole with a bunch of rags tied around the end of it. This work is most easily done while the larvae are young, and should be at- tended to as soon as the cobweb-like nests can be seen. Some- times when the nest is destroyed a portion of the caterpillars will be absent feeding, and within a few days it may be found partly repaired, with the remnants of the host within it : so that to subdue them entirely repeated visits to the orchard should be made, and not a fragment of a nest permitted to remain. Governments might well enforce under penalties the destruction of these caterpillars, as their nests are so conspic- uous that there can be no excuse for neglecting to destrov them, and it is unfair that a careful and viijilant fruit-ffrower should be compelled to suifer from year to year from the neglect of a careless or indolent neighbor. Neglected trees are soon stripped of their leaves, and become prematurelv exhausted by having to reproduce at an unseasonable time their lost foliage ; with fruit-trees this is so great a tax on their vital powers that they usually bear little or no fruit the following season. The egg-clusters may be sought for and destroyed during the winter months, when, the trees being leafless, a practised eye will readily detect them. A cloudv day should be selected for this purpose, to avoid the incon- venience of too much glare from the sky. Several parasites attack this insect. A minute Ichneumon fly, about one-twenty-fifth of an inch in length, is parasitic on the eggs. By means of a long ovipositor it bores through 52 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE the outer gummy covering and egg-shell, and deposits its eggs within the egg of the tent-caterpillar, where the young grubs of the parasite hatch and feed upon the contents of the egg- shell of our enemy. A small mite, very similar to that shown in Fig. 31, is also very destructive to these eggs, eating into them and feeding on their occupants. Two larger Ichneumon flies prey upon the caterpillar, Pimpla conquisitor (Say) (Fig. 42) and Ichneu- mon Isetus Brulle, as well as one or more species of Tachina flies, two-winged in- sects a little larger than the common house-fly, similar to Fig. 46. All these latter parasites watch their opportunity when the growing caterpillar is feeding, and deposit their eggs on or under the skin of their victim, which shortly hatch, when the grubs burrow into the bodies of the tent-caterpillars and feed on them, carefully avoiding the destruction of the vital organs. The infested larvae usually reach maturity and construct their cocoons, but after a time, instead of the moth, one or more of these friendly insects make their appearance. Several preda- ceous insects also devour the larvae ; these are referred to in detail under No. 21. No. 21. — The Forest Tent-caterpillar. Clisiocampa sylvatica Harris. This insect closely resembles the common tent-caterpillar. No. 20. The moth (6, Fig. 43) is of a similar color, but paler, or more yellowish. The space between the two oblique lines is usually darker than the rest of the wing, and the lines themselves are dark brown instead of whitish. In the figure, a represents the egg-cluster, c one of the eggs, much enlarged, as seen from the top, d a side-view of the same. The eggs of this species may be distinguished by their almost uniforsn diameter and by their being cut off squarely at each end. The number of eggs in each cluster is usually ATTACKING THE LEAVES. 53 Fiu. 4:]. from three to four hundred ; they are white, about one-twenty- fifth of an inch Jong, and one-fortieth wide, rounded at the base, gradually enlarg- ing towards the apex, where they are mar- gined by a prominent rim, and have a sunken spot in the centre. The eggs are deposited in circles, and with each one is secreted a small quantity of gummy matter, which firmly fastens it to the twig and also to the adjoining egg, and upon becoming dry forms a coating of brown varnish over the pale egg. Like the tent-caterpillar, the young larvae become fully formed in the egirs before winter, and remain within them in a torpid condition until spring. The larvae in this instance also hatch about the time of the bursting of the buds, and in the absence of food are endowed with similar powers of endurance. It is said they have been known to survive a fast of three weeks' duration. While young, they spin a slight web or tent against the side of the trunk or branches of the tree on which they are situated, but, from its peculiar color or slight texture, it is seldom noticed. In this early stage they often manifest strange processionary habits, inarching about in single or double column, one larva so immediately following another that when thus crossing a sidewalk or other smooth surface they appear at a little dis- tance like black streaks or pieces of black cord stretched across it. From the time they are half grown, until they approach maturity, they seem to have a great fondness for exercise, and delight to travel in rows along fence-boards, Nvhich they do at a very brisk pace when in search of food. In about six weeks this larva becomes full grown (Fig. 44), and is then an inch and a half or more in length, of a 54 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. Fig. U. pale-bluish color, sprinkled all over with black i)(>iuts and dots. On the back is a row of" ten or eleven oval or diamond- shaped white spots, by which it may be at once distinguished from tiie common tent- caterpillar, while on the sides there are pale- yellowish stripes, somewhat broken, and mixed with gray. The hairs on the body are fox-colored, mixed with coarser whitlsli hairs. The caterpillars attain full growth about the middle of June. Occasionally, during the latter part of May, when about iialf grown and extremely voracious, these larvae will appear in per- fect swarms and attract general attention. During the latter part of the day, and fre- quently also in the morning, they collect on the trunks and larger branches of the trees in large black masses, which are so easily reached that they seem to invite destruction. While j)articularly injurious to the apple, they also attack various species of forest-trees, such as oak, thorn, ash, basswood, beech, plum, cherry, walnut, hickory, etc., and sometimes large clumps of wood may be seen in June quite bare of" foliage from the devastation caused by this insect, while underneath the ground is covered with small black grains of exuvia. It is often very abundant in the West, and occasionally equally destructive in the South, especially in Georgia and Tennessee. When full grown, this larva spins a cocoon (see Fig. 45) closely resembling that of the tent-caterpillar, usually within the shelter of a leaf, the edges of which are partly drawn togetlier. Within such an enclosure there is generally one cocoon, but in times of great abundance, and where the en- closure is large enough, there are often two or three cocoons together. At such periods almost every leaf or fragment of a leaf is so occupied, and, the whitish-yellow cocoons being only partly hidden, and the leaves hanging with their weight, one is impressed with the idea that the tree is laden with some ATTACKING THE LEAVES. 55 Fig. 4.: strange sort of fruit. If leaves cannot be had for slielter, the €oeoons will be found under the bark of trees, in every suit- able crevice or hiding-place in fences, or under logs. In two or three days the enclosed larva clianges to a chrysalis of a red- dish-brown color, densely clotlied with short pale-yellowish hair, and in the course of two or three weeks the moth appears, which, like the insect last described, Ko. 20, is nocturnal in its habits, and lives but a few days, when, having provided for the contin- uance of its s{)ecies, it perishes. Remedies. — The egg-clusters should be sought for and de- stroyed during the winter months. When the caterpillars are young, they will drop, sus- pended by a silken thread, in mid-air, if the branch on which they are feeding be suddenly struck ; advantage may be taken of this habit, and by swinging a stick around, the threads may be gathered in with the larvse attached to them. When the caterpillars have become half grown, the trees should be frequently inspected, early in the morning, and the congregated masses crushed and destroyed with a stiff broom or some other equally suitable implement. During the day they are so constantly on the move, that a young tree thoroughly cleansed from them in the morning may be crowded again before evening. To avoid the necessity of constant watch- ing, strips of cotton batting, three or four inches wide, should be tied around the tree about half-way up the trunk ; these 56 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. bands should be tied tightly in the middle. Each cater{)illar is furnished with four pairs of fleshy ])rolegs, which are fringed with small horny hooks, and on the insect's trying to pass over the cotton these hooks get so entangled in the fibres that further [)rogress becomes very difficult, and is seldom persisted in. A shower of rain will pack the fibres of the cotton somewhat, but where the string fastening it is tied around the middle, the up})er half washes down and makes a sort of roof overhanging the lower portion, which in great measure |)rotects it from the weather. These larvae are seldom abun- dant for many years in succession, for ill times of great plenty their natural enemies multiply with i^jcTN^ amazing rapidity. Several par- asites destroy them. Two species of Ichneumon flies prey on them, also a two- winged Taehina fly, closely resembling the E,ed-tailed Taehina fly, Nemorxa leucanise (Kirkp.) (Fig. 46), which attacks the army-worm, but this fly is without the red tail. Fig. 4G. Fig. 47. Fig. 48. A species of bug (Hemiptera) attacks the larvae just Avhei: they are constructing their cocoons, and sucks them empty, ATTACKING THE LEAVES. 57 while some of the insect-feeding birds devour them greedily, especially the black-billed cuckoo. There are several species of predaceous insects belonging to the Carabkhe, or ground- beetles, which are very active in their habits, and diligently hunt for them and eat them, notably the Green Caterpillar- hunter, Calosoma scrutator (Fabr.) (Fig. 47), and the Copper- spotted Calosoma, Calosoma calidum (Fabr.) (Fig. 48). Tiiey are sometimes destroyed in great numbers by a fungoid disease, which arrests their progress when about full grown, and the affected ^^g. 49. specimens may be found attached to fences and trees, retaining an ap- pearance almost natural, but wiien handled they will often be found so much decayed as to burst with a gentle touch. An Ichneumon fly, Pimpla jjedalis Cresson (Fig. 49), is a parasite on this larva, while mites prey upon the eggs, identical with those which feed on the eggs of the common tent-cater[)illar. No. 22.— The White-marked Tussock-moth. Orgyia leucosfigmu (Sm. & Abb.). The orchardist, walking among his fruit-trees after the leaves have fallen, or during the winter months, will fre- quently find a dead leaf or leaves fastened here and there to the branches of his trees ; on examination, these will usually be found to contain a gray cocoon, with in most instances a mass of eggs fastened to it. On breaking into this mass, which is brittle, it will be found to include from three hun- dred to five hundred eggs, ahout one-twenty-fifth of an inch in diameter, of a white color, nearly globular, and flattened on the upper side. They are placed in three or four layers, the interstices being filled with a frothy, gelatinous matter, which makes them adhere securely together, and over all is a thick coating of the same material, with a nearly smooth grayish-white surface, of a convex form, which effectually 58 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. ])rev"ents the lodgment of any water on it. The egg-mass is attached to an empty gray cocoon, the former abode of the female wljich deposited them. About the middle of May the eggs hatch, when tiie young larvse at once proceed to devour the leaves of the tree on which they are placed, when distuibed letting tliemselves down by a silken thread, remaining suspended until danger is past, when they climb up the thread and regain their former position. When mature, they are very handsome, and present the appearance shown in Fig. 50, are more than Fig. 50. an incli long, of a bright-yellow color, with the head and two small protuberances on the hinder part of the back of a bril- liant coral-red. Along the back there are four cream-colored brush-like tufts, two long black plumes on the anterior part of the body, and one on the posterior. The sides are clothed Avith long, fine yellow hairs. There is a narrow black or brown stripe along the back, and a wider dusky stripe on each side. There are two broods during the season, the first completing their larval growth and spinning their cocoons about the middle of July ; the second hatching towards the last of July and completing their growth by the end of August, the moths from these latter depositing the eggs, which remain on the trees during the winter. The cocoon, as already stated, is spun in the leaf; it is of a loose texture, gray in color, and has woven into it numerous hairs derived from the body of the caterpillar. The enclosed chrysalis is of an oval form and brown color, sometimes whitish ATTACKING THE LEAVES. 59 on tlie under side, and is covered with short hairs or down. In about a fortnight the motii of the summer brood is hatched, when one might reasonably expect that from so handsome a caterpiUar there would appear a moth with some correspond- ing beauty, but any such expectation is doomed to disappoint- ment. In Fig. 51, c shows the chrysalis of tiie female, and d that of the male. The female moth is wingless, or provided with the merest rudiments of wings ; her body is of a light-gray color, of an Fig. 52. Fig. 53. oblong-oval form, with rather long legs, and is distended Avith eggs; indeed, she is more like an animated bag of eggs than anything else. (See Fig. 52, where she is represented attached to the empty cocoon from which she has escaped.) After her escape, she patiently waits the attendance of the male, and then begins to place her eggs on the outside of her own cocoon, fastening them there in the manner alreadv described. During this process her body contracts very much, and soon after her work is finished she drojjs down . to the ground and dies. The male moth (Fig. 53) is of an ashen-gray color, the fore wings being crossed by wavy bands of a darker shade ; there is a small black spot on the outer edge near the tip, an oblique blackish stripe beyond it, and a minute white crescent near the outer hind angle. The body is gray, with a small black tuft near the base of the abdomen. The wings, when expanded, measure about an inch and a quarter across. 60 JNSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE APPLE. Since the female is wingless, and invariably attaciies her eggs to the ont^ide of her own cocoon, the insect can only- spread by the wanderings of the caterpillars, or the careless introduction of eggs on young trees. No doubt the latter has been the most prolific source of mischief. Although not usually very injurious, it becomes at times a perfect pest to the fruit-grower, stripping the trees almost bare of leaves and disfiguring the fruit by gnawing its surface. While very partial to the apple, it attacks also the plum and pear, and is said to fee