ORCHARDS. 195 



even where the soap preventive is used in the month of May 

 it is always advisable to examine the trees in the Fall, at 

 which time the young worms that hatched through the Sum- 

 mer may be generally detected, and easily cut out without in- 

 jury to the tree. Particular attention should also be paid to 

 any tree that has been injured or sun-scalded, as such trees 

 are most liable to be attacked. Mr, Wier who has had con- 

 siderable experience with this insect, thus describes his method 

 of doing this work, in the article already alluded to : 



"I will suppose I have a young orchard of any number of 

 trees, say a thousand, the second season after planting, about 

 the last of July or during the first half of August, with a 

 common hoe, I take all the weeds and other trash, and about 

 an inch of soil, from the crown of the trees ; then, any time 

 from the first to the middle of September, with a pocket- 

 knife, examine carefully the stem of each tree ; the borer can 

 readily be found by the refuse thrown out of the hole made 

 on entering — this refuse of a borer, of the same season's 

 growth, will be about the size of a pea, and being of a glutin- 

 ous nature, sticks around the mouth of the hole, and can 

 readily be seen ; older ones throw out coarser chips that fall 

 to the ground. (As already shown, these chips are not thrown 

 out by the borer, but are forced out by the swelling.) When 

 he is found, take the knife and cut him out. If an orchard 

 is carefully examined in this way each year, there need be but 

 very few, if any, borers missed ; and, as they are more easily 

 found the second Fall of their growth, and can have done but 

 little damage up to that time, we could never receive any 

 serious injury from them. Now, it is no great task to do 

 this; a man will clear the litter and soil from around a thou- 

 sand trees in a day, and take the borers out in another day. 

 I will agree to do both jobs carefully in one day's time. A 

 great undertaking, is it not ?" 



He also has observed that some varieties of the apple tree 

 have a greater immunity from the attacks of this borer than 

 have others ; on account of the young larva, when it is first 

 hatched, being drowned out by the sap, but he does not men- 

 tion any particular varieties other than those that are the 

 "more vigorous and late growing." 



