The Peach-tree Boker. 



235 



Gas tar. — Tar was among the lirst washes to be used agahist the 

 peach-tree borer, and several (Merriani and Meehan, 1859 ; " J. li. 

 G." in Count. Gent., XXX, 14; and " E. H. S." in Pairal New 

 Yorker for 1893, p. 622) liave recorded that it w^as a first-class 

 preventive wash, and it did not injure their trees. Some, however, 

 liave fonnd that the tar injured or killed young trees. 



We used it as a wash for three years, heating it slightly so that it 

 could be more easily painted on, and <~tpply'^"iig 'it to the same trees 

 each yem\ with these results : 



1894-1895. 



When applied. 



May 31, :894. 



Number 

 of trees 

 treated. 



21 



When examined. 



April, 1895 ) 



May 1, 1895 ... - 

 May 24, 1895... ) 



Effect of 



! I Largest 



Number Number number ,. 



of trees of borers|of borers ,n ,, V:"^" 



infested. found. in one """^^ 



tree. ^'^^• 



2 (10^) 



Noue. 



June 18, 1895 . 



July 14. 1896. 



21 



] 



1895-1896. 



June 6, 1896. . . / 

 June 11, 1896... - 

 June 15, 1896. . . ) 



1896-1897 



( I June 22, 1897. . . ) 



21-^ June 23, 1897... - 



f June 28 1897... ) 



5 (24;?) 







6 











None. 



None. 



Years. 



1894-1895 

 1895-1896 

 1896-1897 



Untreated or cheek trees. 



128 

 128 

 128 



Same dates. 



The tar apparently kept out from four-fifths to all of the borers, 

 only a small percentage of the trees became infested, and no injury 

 resulted to the trees. These are the best results we obtained from 

 the application of any wash which did not injure the trees. Our 

 trees had been growing for a year, and hence were well established 

 \'A\e\\ the tar was applied ; we suspect some of tliose who injured 

 their trees aj^plied the tar to unthrifty or recently-set trees. In our 

 experience the tar did not intei-fei-e with the growth of the trees in 



