BUGS, INSECTS, ETC.r-REMEDIES FOR. 



very minute size; and they invariably 

 live, for the first year of their lives, on the 

 sap-wood and inner bark, excavating 

 shallow, flat cavities which are found to 

 be stuffed full of their sawdust-like cast- 

 ings. The hole by which the newly- 

 hatched worm penetrated is so very min- 

 ute that it frequently fills up, though not 

 till a few grains of castings have fallen 

 from it; but the presence of the worms 

 may be generally detected, especially in 

 young trees, from the bark, under which 

 they lie, becoming darkened, and suffi- 

 ciently dry and dead to contract and 

 form cracks. Through these cracks some 

 of the castings of the worm generally 

 protrude, and fall to the ground in a little 

 heap, and this occurs more especially in 

 the spring of the year, when, with the 

 rising sap and frequent rains, such cast- 

 ings become swollen and augment in bulk. 

 As winter approaches, the young borer 

 descends as near the ground as its bur- 

 row will allow, and doubtless remains in- 

 active till the following spring. On ap- 

 proach of the second winter it is about 

 one-half grown, and still living on the 

 sap-wood; and it is at this time that 

 these borers do the most damage, for 

 where there are four or five in a single 

 tree, they almost completely girdle it. In 

 the course of the next summer when it 

 has become about three-fourths grown, it 

 generally commences to cut a cylindrical 

 passage upwards into the solid wood, and 

 before having finished its larval growth, 

 it invariably extends this passage right to 

 the bark, sometimes cutting entirely 

 through a tree to the opposite side from 

 which it commenced ; sometimes turning 

 back at different angles. It then stuffs 

 the upper end of the passage with saw- 

 dust-like powder, and the lower part with 

 curly fibres of wood, after which it rests 

 from its labors. It thus finishes its gnaw- 

 ing work during the commencement of 

 the third winter, but remains motionless 

 in the larval state till the following spring, 

 when it casts off its skin once more and 

 becomes a pupa. After resting three 

 weeks in the pupa state it becomes a bee- 

 tle, with all its members and parts at first 

 soft and weak. These gradually harden 

 and in a fortnight more it cuts its way 

 through its sawdust-like castings, and 

 issues from the tree through a perfectly 

 smooth and round hole. 



Remedies— From this brief sketch of our 

 round-headed borer, it becomes apparent 

 that plugging the hole to keep him in, is on 

 a par with locking the stable door to keep 

 the horse in, after he is stolen ; even sup- 

 posing there were any philosophy in the 

 plugging system, which there is not. The 

 round smooth holes are an infalliable in- 

 dication that the borer has left, while the 

 plugging up cf any other holes or cracks: 

 where the castings are seen, will not affect 

 the intruder. This insect probably has; 

 some natural enemies belonging to its own 

 great class, and some of our wood-peck- 

 ers doubtless seek it out from its retreat 

 and devour it; but its enemies are cer- 

 tainly not sufficiently under our control,, 

 and to grow healthy apple trees we have 

 to fight it artificially. Here again pre- 

 vention will be found better than cure, 

 and a stitch in time will not only save 

 nine, but fully ninety-nine. 



Experiments have amply proved that 

 alkaline washes are repulsive to this in- 

 sect, and the female beetle will not lay 

 her eggs on trees protected by such wash- 

 es. Keep the base of every tree in the 

 orchard free from weeds and trash, and 

 apply soap to them during the month of 

 May, and they will not likely be troubled 

 with borers. For this purpose soft soap 

 or common bar soap can be used. The 

 last is perhaps the most convenient and 

 the newer and softer it is, the better. This, 

 borer confines himself almost entirely to 

 the butt of the tree, though very rarely it is 

 found in the crotch. It is, therefore, only 

 necessary in soaping, to rub over the low- 

 er part of the trunk and the crotch, but 

 it is a very good plan to lay a chunk of 

 the soap in the principal crotch, so that it 

 may be washed down by the rains. In 

 case these precautions have been unheed- 

 ed, and the borer is already at work, 

 many of them may be killed by cutting 

 through the bark at the upper end of 

 their burrows, and gradually pouring hot 

 water into the cuts so that it will soak 

 through the castings and penetrate to the 

 insect. But even where the soap pre- 

 ventive is used in the month of May, it is 

 always advisable to examine the trees irt 

 the fall, at which time the young worms 

 that hatched through the summer may 

 be generally detected and easily cut out 

 without injury to the tree. Particular at- 

 tention should also be paid to any tree 



