242 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Along about the middle of July, depending somewhat upon the 

 season, the young borers have begun to develop. Take a butcher 

 knife, or if the ground is hard take a hoe, and also a good, keen, sharp 

 pointed pocket knife. Tbere will usually be little need to search below 

 the surface if the trees have been properly managed in the spring. But 

 to make sure that none are below the surface, the dirt is removed from 

 the trunk two or three inches, and again returned after a thorough ex- 

 amination. But more than ninety per cent will be several inches above 

 the general level of the ground, and can be removed in a very short 

 time. A good hand can "worm" about a thousand trees, five years old 

 and younger, in a day, and will often find more than a thousand "worms." 

 In three or four weeks the same process is repeated to catch what may 

 have been left, and also those hatched later. Again about the last of 

 September the trees are carefully examined for winter quarters, and 

 the few that have escaped are taken out. This last work will probably 

 not leave more than twenty-five borers in seven thoasand trees, and 

 these are usually undeveloped. 



I have no faith whatever in wire screens or wraps made of cloth 

 or wood, as a preventive to borers. I have seen them tried and 

 found wanting. Furthermore, I have but little faith in washes. Doubt- 

 less they do sometimes help, and are, if the right kind, beneficial to 

 the trees. But I have unbounded faith in two keen eyes and a good, 

 sharp knife industriously applied. 



To protect from rabbits I have tried elm wraps, paper, lime wash 

 and corn stalks. The elm wraps invite mice and the woolly aphis; 

 paper becomes wet and the wind blows it off; the rabbits seem to like 

 the lime and eat the trees with more avidity, if possible, than if no lime 

 were on them; bat corn stalks stuck well into the ground, and well 

 tied near the top with twine are satisfactory. It cost me now about 

 three dollars a thousand to protect with stalks. Grease, blood and 

 some other substances will keep off rabbits as long as they remain on; 

 but before one is aware of it the substances are washed off and the 

 rabbits have killed your trees ; or an old sow comes along and makes 

 a good square meal of the grease and blood on them. 



Thus far I have usually cultivated corn in the young orchard. 

 My trees, most of them, are set twenty-seven feet apart. This gives 

 room for six rows of corn between the rows of trees and one row of 

 corn in the row of trees. When small, each tree takes the place of 

 just one bill of corn, and does not damage any other hills. In this way 

 the marker can go twice between the rows of trees, and the corn 

 planter three times. It is then necessary to plant but one row in seven 

 with a hand planter. I cultivate six rows with a common two-horse 



