WEST OXFORD SOCIETY, 287 



the borer in his orchard, and yet on examining the stochs near the 

 ground, found them, in some instances nearly destroyed. I have had 

 two large apples trees in this county literally eaten off by them so 

 as to fall down. I would simply add here, that if any of you on 

 your return home, should find, on examining your tre:s near the 

 ground, a quantity of chit resembling saw-dust, that the borer is 

 there, and that the jack-knife and wire should at once be made to 

 attack him in the rear and rout him from his unlawful possession, 

 and the ground be kept clear of grass and weeds around the trunk 

 to prevent their future depredations. 



There is still another more aggravating pest called by altogether 

 too good a name. I mean the curculio. Many a farmer has pointed 

 out to me his plum trees, and told me despairingly, that although 

 they blossomed well, and the plums set well, that after they had 

 about one-quarter grown they all blighted and dropped oiF. Should 

 any of you be troubled in that way, if you will take the pains to 

 look at your plums the next year, when about two weeks out of 

 blossom, you will find every plum with one or more circular cuts 

 through the skin. In that, an egg is deposited, which soon develops 

 itself into a worm that eats into and destroys the fruit. If you 

 •watch carefully early in the morning, you may see a black, piratical 

 looking fellow, busy at work puncturing the plums, and depositing 

 his eggs. That man will confer a great blessing who will devise 

 some remedy against their ravages, for the indications now are, that 

 "we shall lose our npples as well as plums by their depredations. 



A ncio:hbor of "mine tells me that he finds the leaves of his cab- 

 bage and turnip plants cut ofi", and wonders how it is done. This 

 morning one leaf is cut off, and to-morrow morning anoth:r, until 

 the plant is destroyed. I tell him to dig around the plants with his 

 hands and he will find a lusty looking worm, who in the night ap- 

 peared ab:ve ground, made his meal and retreated, to be repeated 

 the following night. This is the cut-worm, and a knowledge of his 

 habits may often be the means of saving a favorite plant. 



A knowledge of the habits of the weevil, has enabled the farmer 

 in a measure to avoid his ravages, but still much is yet to be learned 

 even there. 



Then there is the wir&worm, which is usually found very de- 

 Btructive to corn plants on land that has recently been broken up. 



