The Peach-Tree Borer. 209 



develop into a sufficient number of the moths to often re-stock the 

 orchard with as many borers as were dug out the preceding fall or 

 spring. In April, 1895, we went over our experimental orchard 

 thoroughly and got about 240 borers, and yet in June a second 

 "digging out" revealed nearly 100 more large ones. This has been 

 our experience every year that we have clone the work early in the 

 spring, and we should expect similar results from fall work, although 

 we have had no experience in digging them out then. If the " dig- 

 ging-out " method is to be practiced but once a year, we would do 

 it in June in New York or northern localities. It is true that the 

 borers have usually done most of their destructive work by June ; 

 yet most of them are then so large tliat one can locate and kill 

 them quicker and will miss but very few of them . This also means 

 a greater reduction of the crop of borers for the next year than if 

 the " digging out " was done only in September or April. We 

 believe if the borers are thoroughly dug out in June in northern 

 peach-growing districts, if one has equally as enterprising neigh- 

 bors, and if all " old relics " of peach trees in the neighborhood are 

 destroyed or thoroughly " wormed," that, under these almost millen- 

 nial conditions, one could reduce the numbers of the pest in an 

 orchard below the danger limit in a few years so that the process 

 would become less and less arduous each year. But if the method 

 were neglected for a year or two, the pest would soon regain its 

 Jormer prestige and destructive powers. We doubt if the insect 

 could ever be exterminated in a locality by the "digging out" or 

 any other method yet devised. To reduce the damage done and the 

 number of borers to the minimum, the digging out should be done 

 twice a year, once in September or later or in April and again in 

 June in northern localities. In the South, apparently the best time 

 to dig them out would be in March or April as it is reported that 

 the moths begin to fly in April and May. Baker (1898) states that 

 in Alabama " it should be done during late fall or winter ; surely 

 before the middle of April." Perhaps July or August would be 

 the proper time to get at the smaller borers before they had done 

 much damage. There is need of more knowledge of the life-history 

 of the insect in the South before one can make definite recommen- 

 dations regarding the best time to apply remedial measures there. 

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