INSECT ENEMIES. 99 
dering on intelligence, the larva now fills the upper part 
of its hole with its woody dust against the bark ; then 
turns round and fills it below with woody fibers of the 
heart-wood, when it again turns its head upward, and 
there rests till, in the next spring, the matured larva 
casts off its skin and reveals the chrysalis. In three 
weeks more the pupa has become a beetle, the soft parts 
soon harden, and in a few days it makes its way through 
the castings in the upper end of its passage, cuta a 
smooth round hole through the bark, about three-six- 
teenths of an inch across, from which it escapes. 
Remedies.—The best remedy is to prevent the beetle 
laying the eggs in the bark of the tree. This may be 
done by wrapping petroleum paper, or any like substance, 
around the collar of the tree, letting it reach from the 
ground high enough to protect it. Alkaline washes 
have been found distasteful to this insect ; and a wash 
of strong soap-suds thickened with washing-soda will 
keep it away. Wash as early as May and June, and 
keep the ground clear of grass and weeds for a harber. 
I have found clean culture a good protection when 
neglected trees were badly infested, and some were de- 
stroyed. A good formula for a wash is two pounds 
of soft soap and a quarter of a pound of sulphur in a 
pail of water. Apply with a swab or brush. 
Christopher Shearer, a very successful horticulturist 
of Pennsylvania, recommends a wash of four gallons of 
whitewash, two quarts of clay, two quarts of fresh cow 
dung, and one quart of strong lye, with water enough to 
mix well. Scrape the earth away from the collar of the 
tree, and apply with a swab or brush in May and August, 
reaching well up the tree. Return the earth that was 
removed. He finds it effective with the peach and 
apple trees as well as the quince. The main thing is to 
prevent the laying of the eggs, and this does it. 
Harris recommends plugging up their holes with came 
