Manual of agriculture, for the school, the farm, and the fireside . n this account. 792. The ground-beetles are very active in theirmotions, and although varying greatly in size, more or\ess resemble in their general outline and conformation,igure 51, which is one of the largest of its class, and iscommonly called the caterpillar-hunter. THE APPLE-TREE CATEEPILLAE. 223 793. Ichneumon-flies are of various species and dimen-sions, but they all have four wings of membranoustexture, and the general appearance of a wasp. Someof them pierce the eggs of other insects and deposittheir own within them;
Manual of agriculture, for the school, the farm, and the fireside . n this account. 792. The ground-beetles are very active in theirmotions, and although varying greatly in size, more or\ess resemble in their general outline and conformation,igure 51, which is one of the largest of its class, and iscommonly called the caterpillar-hunter. THE APPLE-TREE CATEEPILLAE. 223 793. Ichneumon-flies are of various species and dimen-sions, but they all have four wings of membranoustexture, and the general appearance of a wasp. Someof them pierce the eggs of other insects and deposittheir own within them; others insert them beneath theskin of a living caterpillar, where they hatch into littlemaggots, which devour its flesh and soon • put an end toits life. Figure 52 represents a species (natural size andmagnified) which deposits its eggs in the body of thecommon grape-vine caterpillar. Figure 53 shows thecaterpillar after the maggots of the ichneumon havefinished eating and, returning through the skin of thecaterpillar, have spun their cocoons upon its Fig. 51. Fig- 53. 794. The apple-tree caterpillar may be guardedagainst by carefully removing all the nests as soonas perceived, and crushing both larvae and this practice be well followed up, they may beeradicated from a whole neighborhood. A roundbrush fixed to the end of a long pole is the mostconvenient instrument for reaching the nest. The eggs,(Fig. 54,) which are laid the previous season, may be 20 224 DISEASES AND ENEMIES OF GROWING PLANTS. seen in the form of a small bracelet or broad ring around the slender twigs when the leaves have fallen from the trees. With a little observation these can be readily distinguished, and by means of a light ladder the twigs containing them may be reached, when they should be cut off and burned. This, if done any time during the winter, will save much trouble in the spring after they have hatched. 795. The best means of protecting trees Fig. 54. against the canker-wo
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade, booksubjectagriculture, bookyear1912
