130 PEACH CULTURE. 



The most certain and obvious sign is the gum at the neck 

 of the tree. Whenever this appears, you may certainly 

 conclude the borer is entrenched. But sometimes very 

 little gum, if any, indeed, may be there, and still this 

 treacherous enemy may be destroying the very vitals of 

 your beautiful and productive tree. But, generally, there 

 will be a disturbed, raised, or loose appearance of the 

 ground immediately around the neck of the tree. When 

 this is the case, inspect carefully. On the other hand, if 

 the surface of the ground is flat, close, compact and hard 

 at the neck, you may almost certainly conclude that no 

 borer is there. One accustomed to examine for, and de- 

 stroy these grubs, can tell at a glance whether or not the 

 borer is present. Several remedies have been prescribed 

 for the borer ; but the best yet discovered, where the insect 

 has penetrated to the wood, is 



A Hoe, a Bill-hooked Knife, and a Punch, The first 

 to scrape away the earth from the root ; the second to 

 cut away the gum and decayed bark and wood ; and the 

 last to kill the borer. The knife should be large, strong and 

 sharp. Either a pruning or butcher knife does very well. 

 The punch may be of hard, seasoned wood or heavy wire ; 

 but a whalebone one is the best, because it is pliable and 

 elastic, and may be thrust into a curving cavity, when a 

 straight one could not, and thus reach the borer without 

 cutting away the wood. But the borer must be destroyed 

 at all events. There must be no truce, no mercy, if you 

 wish to save your tree. If you leave even one, it will 

 probably be the death of your tree, for it will eat, and 

 eat away, until it has destroyed it. The greatest care 

 should be taken to remove all. Sometimes quite a num- 

 ber will be found in one tree. Five and six are not 

 at all unfrequent ; and even more will sometimes be 

 found. In removing the borer, the operator should be 

 careful not to bruise or cut away any of the sound bark 

 or wood, as it will all be little enough for the renovation 



