The female has no wings, is oval in
form, dark-ash colored above, and gray underneath. These rise from the
ground as early in spring as the frost is out. Some few rise in the
fall. The females travel slowly up the body of the tree, while the
winged males fly about to pair with them. Soon you may discover the eggs
laid, always in rows, in forks of branches and among the young twigs.
Every female lays nearly a hundred, and covers them over carefully with
a transparent, waterproof glue. The eggs hatch from May 1st to June 1st,
according to the latitude and season, and come out an ash-colored worm
with a yellow stripe. They are very voracious, sometimes entirely
stripping an orchard of its foliage. At the end of about four weeks
they descend to the ground, to remain in a chrysalis state, about four
inches below the surface, until the following spring. These worms are
very destructive in some parts of New England, and have been already
very annoying, as far west as Iowa. They will be likely to be
transported all over the country on young trees. Many remedies are
proposed, but to present them all is only to confuse. The best of
anything is sufficient. We present two, for the benefit of two classes
of persons. For all who have care enough to attend to it, the best
remedy is to bind a handful of straw around the tree, two feet from the
ground, tied on with one band, and the ends allowed to stand out from
the tree. The females, who can not fly, but only ascend the trunk by
crawling, will get up under the straw, and may easily be killed, by
striking a covered mallet on the straw, and against the tree below the
band. This should be attended to every day during the short season of
their ascent, and all will be destroyed. Burn the straw about the last
of May. But those who are too indolent or busy to do this often till
their season is past, may melt India-rubber over a hot fire, and smear
bandages of cloth or leather previously put tight around the tree. This
will prevent the female moth from crossing and reaching the limbs. Tar
is used, but India-rubber is better, as weather will not injure it as it
will tar, so as to allow the moth to pass over. Put this on early and
well, and let it remain till the last of May. But the first, the process
of killing them, is far the best.

_Gathering-and preserving._--All fruit, designed to be kept even for a
few weeks, should be picked, and not shaken off, and laid, not dropped
into a basket, and