THE APPLE-ROOT BORER. 95 



There will, however, be no occasion to again describe 

 this species in its various stages of existence, but as the 

 discovery is of such great importance to growers it has 

 been decided to have a brief notice of it in No. VI. of 

 the Agricultural Department's publications Guides to 

 Growers, lately issued, so that any one interested might 

 not be kept waiting until the publication of Part II. of 

 this book. 



As showing the large numbers of these beetles which 

 may now be found by a careful search, it may be 

 mentioned that no less than 1,600 of the perfect insects 

 have been found in one orchard within a very few months, 

 and when we consider that a large proportion of these 

 beetles have proved to be females, and each one of them 

 deposits such a number of eggs, it will be at once seen 

 with what a dangerous foe we have to deal. 



A few months since, having learned of the very serious 

 condition of the apple trees in many of the orchards 

 around Doncaster and other places near Melbourne, I 

 paid a visit to the former district, and, in one of the best 

 kept orchards that I have seen in the colony, I found that 

 a large number of the trees, as had been noticed by other 

 growers, also through the medium of the public press, 

 were in a very bad state. The tops of the apple, pear, 

 and cherry trees having commenced to die off, the top 

 branches showing the first indication of the presence of 

 some insidious foe attacking the roots of the tree, and 

 having had some experience with trees in the Geelong 

 and other districts in which the trees seemed to be 

 similarly affected, I at once came to the conclusion that 

 the same culprit was at work in these orchards also. I 

 now find that my surmise has proved to be correct, as 

 Mr. Thiele, proprietor of one of the orchards referred to, 

 has just written me to say that, in digging up some of 

 the apple and other trees, he found all the roots which 

 were within 8 inches of the surface to be perfectly 

 sound, and, from a casual examination, would appear to 

 have nothing wrong with them, but as soon as the roots 

 took a "dip" downwards they were eaten more or less to 



