PEACH. ROOT THE BORER. ITS HABITS. Ill 



the former. The insect, however, does not commence coming out 

 in its winged form so early as would be expected from the large 

 site and matured appearance of many of the worms in the winter 

 season. The stumps of five of my dead trees were allowed to 

 remain undisturbed. Around these thirteen chrysalids were 

 found upon the tenth of July, none of them having hatched the 

 perfect insects. They were removed to a pot of moist earth, and 

 the first winged moth came out upon the fourteenth of that month. 

 The first female appeared upon the twenty- fourth, six males 

 having hatched upon the preceding days. Twelve more chrysa- 

 lids were found at this dafe and were placed in the pot with the 

 others. Males and females continued to come out in about equal 

 numbers- afterwards, the two last of this stock making their ap- 

 pearance upon the fifteenth of August. The pupa state there- 

 fore lasts at least three weeks in the warmest part of the summer, 

 and it appears to be the latter part of July and in August that the 

 females come abroad to deposit their eggs in this latitude. Far- 

 ther south they doubtless begin to appear earlier in the season. 



The eggs are smooth, oval, slightly flattened, of a dull yellow 

 color and 0.025 long. Some of the dark blue scales from the tip 

 of the abdomen of the parent fire often glued to them. They are 

 deposited upon the bark at the surface of the ground, and the 

 worms hatching from them work downwards, at first in the bark 

 of the root, forming a slender flexuous channel which becomes 

 filled with gum. At a distance of an inch or two below the 

 surface the whole of the bark of the root be- 

 comes consumed in badly infested trees, and 

 the soft sap wood is also extensively gnawed 

 and eroded, so that frequently the root is 

 nearly severed, as shown in the accompany- 

 ing figure. The larger worms in the winter 

 season repose with their heads upwards, in 

 contact with the exterior surface of the root, 

 commonly in smooth longitudinal grooves 

 which they have excavated, their backs being covered over with 

 the castings mingled with the gum and with cobweb-like threads. 



