TUSSOCK MOTH. The white marked tus sock moth (Orygia costigma) is often most destructive in orchards Dr. Riley, in his First Missouri Report, describes them as follows: Du ring the winter little bunches of dead leaves are fouud to be quite numerous on our apple trees. They are generally fastened to the twigs, a,nd upon examination are found to contain gray cocoons. The greater portion of these cocoons have an egg mass glued to them, which is com posed of numerous perfectly round, cream-col ored eggs, of about 0.03 diameter, and partly covered with glistening white froth-like matter; while the other proportion of these cocoons have no such egg mass. About the I:Diddle of the month of May these eggs begin to hatch in different parts of the orchard for over a month. The young caterpillar which hatches from these eggs at first measures 0.10 in length, and is of a dull, whitish gray color, with the underside paler or of a dirty white, and with the tufts on the back of a dark brown. In two days aft,er hatching, orange spots commence to appear along the back. On the seventh day after having re mained stationary for about two days, fastened to some part of the tree with silk, it casts its skin for the first time, after which operation the hairs are more numerous, the dark portions more in tensely black, the orange parts of a brighter orange, and the two tufts near the head longer. As it approaches the time of the second molt, the underside becomes more glaucous, a yellow line begins to appear at the sides, and in some cases the orange marks become yellow, with the exception of a small, perfectly round spot on the ninth and tenth segments, which always remain orange; the neck or first segment, where it joins the head also becomes orange or yellow. Six days from the time of the first molt the second molt takes place, the worm having become lighter colored by regular stages, each day. Six days after the second molt the third molt takes place with but little change in the appear ance of the caterpillar, further than that the different colors becouie still more bright and dis tinct and the different tufts still larger. Up to this time all the individuals of a brood have been alike, and of a size, so that it was impossible to distinguish the sexes. Six days from the third molt, however, the males measure not quite three quarters of an inch, and begin to spin their cocoons; while the females undergo a fourth molt about this time, and in about six days more they also spin up, having acquired twice the size of the male when he spun up. The annexed figure represents the full grown female caterpillar, it differing from the full grown male only in its larger size. At this stage of its exis tence the caterpillar is a most beautiful object, with its vermilion-red head and collar, its cream colored brushes and its long black plumes. When young these caterpillars make free use of a fine web which they spin, and by which they let themselves down when disturbed, and it is quite amusing to watch them ascend again whenever they have become sufficiently assured that there is no clanger. It may puzzle some persons to divine how such a hairy and tufted caterpillar can possibly cast off its skin and yet retain these pretty appendages. After having remained sta tionau without food for about two days, the old skin becomes dry and somewhat loose. If at this time this old skin be carefully removed, it will be found that an entirely new set of these appendages has been forming underneath it ; the two long plumes curled over the head, down by the feet and up again to near the scaly collar; the four white brushes folded close together inwardly crossing each other; the anal plume folded below the anus, and all the other hairs laid in thread-like bunches close to the body in a posterior direction. In due time the old skin
splits on the back, near the head, and the cater pillar gradually works it off posteriorly-. The moment they are exposed the appendages which had been compressed, as described, to the body, commence to straighten out, and in a few min utes the new dress is displayed in all its beauty and freshness. The long plumes at the head do not straighten out of their own accord, however, for the caterpillar by a curious curling of the body, while resting on a few of its. abdominal prolegs, cunningly brushes them with its tail end, first on one side, then on the other. It fur thermore presses them, for the same end, one after the other, against any surface on which it is at the time walking, and having once thoroughly straightened out its toilet it rests a few minutes from its efforts and then commences to feed with surprising vigor, apparently determined to make up for its two days' fast. The male cocoon is white or yellowish, and sufficiently thin to show the insect within it. It is formed of two layers, the outer one having the tufts and plumes which adorned the maker, scattered through it. The female cocoon is twice as large and more solid and dense. Soon after completin_g his cocoon the male changes to a chrysalis. The female, in due time, changes to a very different chrysalis. In about two weeks after spinning up, the moths begin to issue. In this state the sexes are still more dissimilar. The male produces a winged moth, while the female is furnished with but the merest rudiments of wings, aud is destined to simply crawl to the outside of her cocoon, IN here, after the male has met her, she deposits her eggs, gluing and protecting them with the white frothy matter, which, has every appearance of spittle. In relation to remedies, Dr. Riley says: Dr. Pitch has described two parasites, which attack this caterpillar, and that he is acquainted with seven others, making in all nine distinct parasites, which prey upon this species. In collecting the cocoons in the winter in order to destroy them, none but those which have the egg-masses on them should be taken, as all the others, either contain the empty 'male chrysalis or else some friendly parasite. From the fact that the female never travels beyond her cocoon, it becomes obvious that, since the insect can only travel in the caterpillar state, it would require over a cen tury for it to spread even a hundred miles. Hence we may rightly conclude that it has been intro duced to different parts of the country in the egg state on young imported trees. How essential it is then to examine every tree in planting out a young orchard, and how easy it is with the pro per precautions to forever keep an orchard free from its destructive work. As already stated, the young worms let themselves down upon slightly jarring the tree, and though after the third molt they lose this habit to a great extent, yet they may always be brought down by a good thorough shake, and where they have once invaded an orchard, this will he found the most feasible mode of killing them; though prevention by destroying the egg-masses in the winter when they are easily discerned, is infinitely the best and surest remedy against its attacks. In deal ing with all insects destructive to vegetation it is necessary to take them early, since then two ends are served: the product upon which they feed is saved and the insects are prevented from • doing further damage. Hence the persistence with which the best cultivators hunt and destroy the perfect insect or egg of any species. This is the easiest and best plan in any case, for from the great number of eggs laid by individual species, the destruction of the female moths, butterflies or beeCes, as the case may be, would soon decimate the species.