PEACH TREE BORER. 



these borers are hatched, are deposited, in the 

 course of the summer, upon the trunk of the 

 tree near the root; the borers penetrate the 

 bark, and devour the inner bark and sap-wood. 

 The seat of their operations is known by the 

 castings and gum which issue from the holes 

 in the tree. When these borers are nearly one 

 year old, they make their cocoons either under 

 the bark of the trunk or of the root, or in the 

 earth and gum contiguous to the base of the 

 trees ; soon afterwards they are transformed 

 to chrysalids, and finally come forth in the 

 winged state, and lay the eggs for another ge- 

 neration of borers. The last transformation 

 takes place from June to October, most fre- 

 quently, however, during the month of July, in 

 the state of Massachusetts. Here, although 

 there are several broods produced by a suc- 

 cession of hatches, there is but one rotation 

 of metamorphoses consummated within a year. 

 Hence borers, of all sizes, will be found in the 

 trees throughout the year, although it seems to 

 be necessary that all of them, whether more or 

 less advanced, should pass through one winter 

 before they appear in the winged state. Un- 

 der its last form, this insect is a slender, dark- 

 blue, four-winged moth, having a slight re- 

 semblance to a wasp or ichneumon-fly, to which 

 it is sometimes likened. The two sexes differ 

 greatly from each other, so much so as to have 

 caused them to be mistaken for two distinct 

 species. The male, which is much smaller 

 than the female, has all the wings transparent, 

 but bordered and veined with steel-blue, which 

 is the general colour of the body in both sexes ; 

 the palpi or feelers, the edges of the collar, of 

 the shoulder-covers, of the rings of the ab- 

 domen, and of the brush on the tail, are pale 

 yellow, and there are two rings of the same 

 yellow colour on the shins. It expands about 

 1 inch. The fore-wings of the female are blue, 

 and opake, the hind-wings transparent, and 

 bordered and veined like those of the male, and 

 the middle of the abdomen is encircled by a 

 broad orange-coloured belt. It expands 1 $ inch 

 or more. This insect does not confine its 

 attacks to the peach tree. I have repeatedly 

 obtained both sexes from borers inhabiting the 

 excrescences which are found on the trunks 

 and limbs of the cherry tree ; and moreover, 

 I have frequently taken them in connection on 

 the trunks of cherry and of peach trees. They 

 sometimes deposit their eggs in the crotches 

 of the branches of the peach tree, where the 

 borers will subsequently be found ; but the in- 

 jury, sustained by their operations in such 

 parts, bears no comparison to that resulting 

 from their attacks at the base of the tree, which 

 they too often completely girdle, and thus cause 

 its premature decay and death. The following 

 plan, which was recommended by me in the 

 year 1826, and has been tried with complete 

 success by several persons in this vicinity, will 

 effectually protect the neck, or most vital part 

 of the tree, from injury. Remove the earth 

 around the base of the tree, crush and destroy 

 the cocoons and borers which may be found in 

 it, and under the bark, cover the wounded parts 

 with the common clay composition, and sur- 

 round the trunk with a strip of sheathing paper 

 8 or 9 inches wide, which should extend 2 

 111 



PEAR TREE. 



inches below the level of the soil, and be se- 

 cured with strings of matting above. Fresh 

 j mortar should then be placed around the root, 

 I so as to confine the paper and prevent access 

 j beneath it, and the remaining cavity may be 

 filled with new or unexhausted loam. This 

 I operation should be performed in the spring or 

 ' during the month of June. In the winter the 

 strings may be removed, and in the following 

 spring the trees should again be examined for 

 any borers that may have escaped search be- 

 fore, and the protecting applications should be 

 renewed. 



PEACOCK (Pavo cristatns.) The peacock 

 need scarcely be mentioned as a bird of eco- 

 nomical use. Pea-hens and pea-chickens, in- 

 deed, are occasionally used for food, but this 

 splendid creature is, and ought to be, regarded 

 solely as an object of beauty. The advantages 

 to be derived from rearing it for food are not 

 to be thought of. See FOWL, THE PEA. 



PEARL-WORT (Sagina ; from sagina, fat- 

 ness; in allusion to its presumed nourishing 

 qualities for sheep). These are hardy annual 

 weeds, growing in any soil. There are in Eng- 

 land three indigenous species. 



PEAR TREE (Pyn/a, from piren, the Celtic 

 word for pear). Like other species of culti- 

 vated fruits, there are now a very great num- 

 ber of varieties, more than 600 being enume- 

 rated in the Horticultural Society's catalogue. 

 A deep, rich loam is necessary for pear trees. 

 They are increased by seeds, or by budding 

 and grafting, which is the more common me- 

 thod, upon stocks of their own kind, or upon 

 the quince. The established kinds are multi- 

 plied by grafting the choicer on the common 

 kinds. Almost the same treatment is required 

 in pruning and training the pear as the apple. 

 When we reflect on the labours of the horti- 

 culturists, who have by cultivation made the 

 pear tree forget its natural thorns, and instead 

 of an acerb berry, produce us a fruit so fair 

 and nectareous, we find our warmest gratitude 

 an insufficient return. 



The wild pear tree (P. communis) is a tall, 

 handsome tree, growing in woods and hedges, 

 with thorny branches, and simple, ovate, ser- 

 rated leaves ; downy beneath, and fringed with 

 soft, white hairs. The flowers are copious, ter- 

 minal, in corymbs, snow-white, with pink an- 

 thers. Fruit obovate, generally hard and aus- 

 tere, but liable, even in a wild state, to many 

 varieties, and sometimes eatable. The wood 

 is light, of a fine grain, and tolerably hard. It 

 is used by turners to make joiner's tools and 

 picture-frames to be dyed black, and is also 

 frequently stained and substituted for ebony. 

 The white wild pear tree (P. aria), we have 

 already noticed under the head BEAM TREE. 

 The expressed juice of the pear, when ferment- 

 ed in the manner of cider, constitutes the well- 

 known beverage, perry. 



Graf ling and Inoculating. In Europe it is very 

 common to set the pear on a quince stock for 

 I clayey and light soils, whilst for trees intended 

 , for sandy and calcareous soils, the free stock 

 , pear is preferred. Grafted on the white thorn 

 j (which, like the quince, renders them dwarf- 

 ish), pears come very early into bearing, con- 

 tinue prolific, and, in respect to soil, will thrive 

 4 E 2 8SI 



