260 



THE APPLE CULTURItiT. 



way is to employ a small gouge and mallet, and cut grooves 

 up and down the tree, until every borer is removed. Then 

 fill every recess with grafting-wax, and bind it around with 

 cloth. We might record a dozen other remedies which will 

 not be effectual. But we know cold steel will never fail to 

 do the job effectually. 



A Preventive of the Borer. In case a person is certain 

 no eggs have been deposited in his young trees, it will not 

 be difficult to keep beetles from depositing their eggs in 

 the bark by scraping away the earth an inch below the col- 

 lar of the tree, then wrapping two or three thicknesses of 

 heavy brown paper around the body of the tree for two or 

 three feet high, tying it in three places with elastic wrap- 

 ping-thread, and smearing the paper with a heavy coat of 

 coal-tar. (See page 166.) No beetle or bug will deposit 

 eggs in a tree thus protected. It is said that the bugs are 

 very shy, and work only in the night. But we have often 

 met with them in the day-time, and have easily caught them. 

 Fig. 97 represents the parent bug, or beetle of the Flat- 

 headed Borer (Chrysobothris buprestis), and Fig. 98 is the 



borer of life size. Although the 

 Flat-headed Borer evinces a man- 

 ifest partiality for the various 

 sub-varieties of the Pyrus mains 

 trees and Pyrus baccata, as well 

 as for our own indigenous crabs, 

 it must not be imagined that it 



disdains Other food ' We have 

 found these borers preying upon 



Flat-headed . 



Apple-tree the pear, though seldom; and oc- 

 casionally upon the Mazzard and 

 other cherry-trees. The same means are used to combat 

 both ; although of course allowance must be made for the 

 peculiarities in the habits and modes of life of each. 



Fig. 97. 



Fig. 98. 



g 



Flat-headed Ap- 

 ple-tree Borer. 



