134 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



it has begun to work there, is to treat the whole orchard, to prevent its 

 entering any of the other trees. We found, two years ago at South 

 Haven, a single tree in an orchard, showing the work of this borer, and 

 to prevent its spread the trunks and branches of all the other trees before 

 the first crotch in the trunk, were treated with a wash containing a large 

 amount of lime, and with lye. You can add wood ashes as well, and Paris 

 green. We have used in that case, for a barrel of water, from a peck to a 

 half bushel of the lime and wood ashes. We keep it well stirred and then 

 we add, for the thirty-two-gallon barrel, one quarter of a pound of Paris 

 green, and in some cases I have used carbolic acid. I think this is of the 

 least value, and it should be carefully used at best, and perhaps the wash 

 would be as well without it. It depends so much on the strength of the 

 acid that, as a rule, we mention only the harmless materials already 

 recommended. 



This same wash I have used on other trees to keep away borers, and 

 simply used more water. 



Q. How do you apply this? A. Put it on with a stiff brush or an old 

 broom. In regard to killing the borers, I think it is a good plan to go ever 

 the trunks of trees at this time of year, and use something of this kind, 

 or to take the common lye, prepared lye, and add to that Paris green, and 

 possibly carbolic acid, and dilute with water and apply with a pump. 

 You can spray the trunks and branches; and, unless you have observed 

 the effect of this, you will be surprised at the smooth and healthy appear- 

 ance of the trunks. 



(}. In what manner does the insect make its appearance, the pin-hole 

 borer? 



A. It is a little beetle, about one-eighth of an inch long. It bores 

 all through the wood; little pin-holes inside the wood. 



Q. I have seen some trees in my own orchard where there seemed to be 

 an insect which would work in and go clear around the tree on the 

 inside. A. Sometimes the ordinary borer will do that, but this goes all 

 through the wood, this pin-hole borer. Kegarding another difficulty 'with 

 which we have to contend, I have brought with me some twigs of trees 

 from Casco. Tliis disease is something that is proving very troublesome 

 there. It is nothing new, but has been very troublesome in sections of 

 New Jersey and Delaware, particularly, and is generally called " crown 

 gall."' It usually appears on the crown, but sometimes on the stems. This 

 generally appears first on the roots, and a tree planted with a number of 

 small galls is pretty sure to die within a couple of years. Don't mistake 

 this gall for the very small ones which often appear on the roots. These 

 are entirely distinct, but nearly as troublesome. Those are caused by 

 little worms, and appear all over the roots. These are just here and there, 

 but they are mighty in the end, }»ai-ticu]arly if they are at this point 

 (indicating the crown of the roots) or on the stems. The question comes 

 as to what causes them. There is no reason, so far as ascertained, to show 

 that they are of a fungus nature. l*ossibly they are. More than that, 

 it is not, so far as can be learned, the work of insects, ^^'llat has done it? 

 It has long been well known in Europe as well as in this country, and 

 twenty years ago a German botanist experimented with some trees', and 

 he was able to produce the same effect, galls which were in evei'v respect 

 the same as these crown galls that I have here. He found that by taking 



