William Denning, Efq. on the decay of Apple Trees, 221 



full of fruit, tho' again they difcovered fymptoms of the 

 difcrder, but not in fo great a degree as in former years. 



Still purfuing my enquiries, I have had fomc apple trees cut 

 down, that were far decayed. In the firil I difcovered two 

 worm holes, running perpendicular from the tap-root up 

 through the heart j thefe holes were large enough to admit a 

 common pipe-flem, and reached about fourteen inches above 

 the furface of the ground, and from each hole I fcrewed out 

 a worm. All the other trees I found perforated with worm- 

 holes, Cuch as have been already defcribed, and in fome to 

 the number of eight or ten. Having extracted fome of thefe 

 worms entire, I find them nearly of the fame iize and fpecies 

 of thofe fo common and io well known to be the conftant 

 attendants on peach trees ; indeed fo fimilar are they to 

 thofe worms, tliat I am of opinion, they are of the fame kind. 



I have loft feveral valuable trees by this m.ofl pernicious 

 worm, and my v/hole orchard is in a flate of decay. This 

 diforder appears to me to be of a more ferious nature than 

 any thing that has ever infefted orchards. The canker-v/orm, 

 only deilroys the leaves and fruit for the feafon, and perhaps 

 every fourth year, if not attended to when a fly ; but this 

 worm radically deilroys the tree itfelf. I have inquired of 

 many farmers in my travels, whofe orchards I have obferved 

 in this flate, what they fuppofed the caufe of it ? they generally 

 anfwered, the trees were blafled by lightning, and this I found 



