46 



Remedies. 



The moth lays its eggs at the base of the tree, in the months of May and 

 June, and by preventing access to this we have a remedy. The fact of 

 their presence being hardly felt on light, sandy soil points to the advisa- 

 bility of the placing of sand from four to five inches deep around the base 

 of the tree. But better than this would be a complete wrapping of the 

 trunk, from several inches downward to six inches upward, with stout 

 paper or paraffine paper, which is tied well or held in place by a collar of 

 mortar. 



Remove the earth from around the tree to the depth of a few inches and 

 a few inches from the tree, and fill the basin with air-slacked lime, piling 

 it up a couple of inches above ground. Possibly ashes may serve the same 

 purpose. All trees affected should have the wounds plastered over with 

 damp clay after all the worms have been killed, and then protected as 

 indicated above. 



I do not favor the use of gaslime — it may do as much harm as the 

 borers themselves. 



CALIFORNIA STRAWBERRY ROOT BORER. 



j^geria Impropria. Order, Lepidoptera ; Family, jEgeridse. 



Fore wings, bronze black (Figure No. 33), with the internal margin 

 rather broad and inclosing an orange line. The intronervular marks of 

 the posterior margin are also orange, as are the edge of the discal mark; 

 fringes of both wings, bronze black; antennae, steel blue; head and thorax, 

 brownish black, with the collar and narrow lateral stripes pale yellow; abdo- 

 men, with second and fourth segments, edged posteriorly with pale yellow; 

 caudal tuft, black above, orange at the sides, black beneath, except the tip, 

 which is orange; palpi, yellow above, black beneath; tip also black; legs as 

 in Ag. perplex. Figure No. 32, chrysalis. 



Figure No. 31. , Figure No. 32. Figure No. 33. 



This insect is found in various portions of the State doing considerable 

 damage, forcing the growers to resort to replanting much earlier than other- 

 wise would be necessary. The life history of this insect has been but im- 

 perfectly studied, so as to be a proper guide for means of prevention. The 

 grub (Figure No. 31) passes the winter through in the larva state, feeding 

 on the root. In June, probably, the mature insect issues, which lays its 

 eggs right at the edge of the ground, after the manner of other «gerias. 

 The common practice of flooding the vines has a great tendency to kill out 

 the worms, and if the water was retained, say four to five days during the 

 winter, all over the plants, doubtless all the larva? would be killed. 



