CABBAGE WORMS 405 



A prevention against the work of both these borers is to tie 

 fine wire netting or tar paper about the trunks of the trees. The 

 bands should extend two feet or so above the soil and there be 

 closely tied to keep out the adult beetles when trying to lay their 

 eggs on the trunk. 



The flat-headed borer attacks many other trees besides the 

 apple, while the round-headed borer seems to prefer the quince, 

 but is also found in the pear. 



Peach tree borers attack peach, plum and cherry trees, 

 usually near the surface of the soil, but less commonly several feet 

 above. The adult is a true moth but has membranous wings, re- 

 sembling very large bees. The larvae dig chiefly in the sap wood, 

 and when several are present in one tree, it is seriously damaged 

 or killed. When the borers are full grown they spend a short time 

 in the pupal stage near the bark or in crevices outside, or rarely 

 in litter on the ground, before emerging as moths. 



The remedies consist in digging out the borers when their work 

 can first be discovered by the exuded gum and by the borings; 

 and by protecting the trunks with wire netting or heavy paper to 

 prevent the deposit of eggs there. 



Old peach trees often become very badly infested and a few 

 may supply enough adults each summer to badly infest any young 

 orchard trees growing near them. The egg laying season extends 

 throughout the warm summer months, but the annual brood seems 

 to be most active in early summer. 



Cabbage worms are the larvae of cabbage butterflies. The 

 eggs are laid on the leaves of cabbage, kale, cauliflower, turnip 

 and a few other plants. The chief damage is done to the late cab- 

 bage crop. The ' 'worms " eat their way into the heads, doing much 

 damage. There are several broods in a season. The adult butter- 

 flies appear in early spring, emerging from the pupa stage, in which 

 the insect has passed the winter. The first adults may lay their 

 eggs on wild mustard and other similar weeds. The second brood 

 of adults appears about a month later and these are usually most 

 damaging to the garden crops which they attack. 



The best remedy is to spray the plants before much damage is 

 done, using arsenate of lead 6 ounces to 50 gallons of water. On 

 cabbage, such a spray can be used without any danger of poison- 

 ing human beings, because plants grow from within forming the 

 heads and pushing the outer leaves containing the most poison 

 away. These are trimmed off before being used on the table. 



