AGRICULTURAL ZOOLOGY. 373 



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have imported the weevil, but not its destroyer. Can we not bring this parasite across the 

 Atlantic ? This certainly appears to be the most feasible plan of destroying the weevil. The 

 lecturer then expressed his intention of endeavoring to obtain this parasitic insect. ' We trust 

 he may succeed. 



How to clean Animals and Plants of Vermin. 



M. RASPAIL, the eminent French chemist, gives an account of a plan for destroying vermin 

 on animals, and also on trees and plants. The process he recommends is to make a solution 

 of aloes, (one gramme of that gum to a litre of water,) and by means of a long. brush to 

 wash over the trunks and branches of trees with this solution, which will speedily, he says, 

 destroy all the vermin on them, and effectually prevent others from approaching. In order 

 to clean sheep or animals with long hair, they must either be bathed with this solution, or 

 be well washed with it. The writer mentions several trials which he made of the solution 

 with the most complete success, and very strongly recommends it to general use. 



Mr. E. S. Mygott, in the "Germantown Telegraph," recommends an infusion of quassia, 

 applied cold, as a means of freeing plants and trees of lice and other insects. 



The Apple-Borer. 



THE impression has been prevalent, especially at the West, that little need be feared from 

 the apple-borer. And for this reason among others, this apparently insignificant insect has 

 been stealing a march on us which has resulted in great damage. We learn from different 

 quarters that its ravages have been terrible. If these things are so, our readers will permit 

 us to make a few remarks on the natural history of the borer, and on some other matters 

 which may throw light on the best mode of resisting its attacks : 



What is the borer? The borer is the larva or grub which is hatched from the egg of a 

 beetle, belonging to the family of Buprestidse or Buprestians. The beetle itself is about 

 half an inch long, with brown and white stripes, and flies at night. 



When does it lay its eggs? In the latter part of May, and first part of July, it pierces the 

 bark of the tree with its spear, and deposits its eggs under the bark. This it does near the 

 root of the tree, in perhaps the greater number of cases, especially in small trees. Indeed, 

 some writers, whose observations seem to have been confined to one or two classes of opera- 

 tions performed by the beetle, state that it deposits its eggs only at the root of the tree. This 

 is a mistake. We have dug them within the last few weeks from all parts of the trunk, from 

 the ground to the branches ; they seem to have a special liking for those parts of the tree 

 which are decayed. On the south-west side of the tree, where the sun has scorched the bark 

 or the wood beneath, also where the bark has been bruised by cattle or in any other way, 

 also where the tree is naturally weak and shows signs of early withering and death wherever 

 any or all of these inducements are offered, the beetle seems quite ready to accept the invita- 

 tion and make its investment. Let no one imagine, therefore, that his trees are free from the 

 borer, because he finds none about the roots; let him examine all parts of the trunk carefully, 

 and especially the weak, wounded, or decayed parts. He may find them in any of these por- 

 tions of the tree. 



Appearance of the grub, and way of doing its work. The egg seems to be hatched by the 

 natural warmth of the season. The appearance of the grub is the following : It is whitish in 

 color, with large head and body, whose diameter is about half that of the head, and whose 

 length is about four times that of the head ; its general shape resembles that of a tadpole. 

 We have seen them of different sizes, from half an inch to more than an inch long. Their 

 ravages are committed in getting their food, which is the inner bark of the tree and the ten- 

 der wood. Sometimes they feed on the solid wood, especially in small trees. They are fur- 

 nished with a strong pair of jaws, with which they eat their way along, leaving behind them 

 a thin track of powder, like sawdust ; they may be easily followed by these signs when they 

 confine their operations to the surface-wood. They may remain in the tree several years be- 

 fore they emerge in the form of the beetle ; for it is in the tree that they get their entire 



