122 THE QUINCE. 



ous means of prevention have been resorted to. 

 The application of charcoal, blacksmith's cinders, 

 tar, and unleached ashes, have been tried with va- 

 rious degrees of success. It has been proposed to 

 inject upon them a strong solution of soap, or a de- 

 coction of tobacco; but their efficacy may be ques- 

 tioned, as some larva continue to live even when 

 immersed in sulphuric acid or a solution of corro- 

 sive sublimate. The application of oil, by choking 

 their air-vessels, might do well. 



The best method appears to be direct attack. 

 Scrape the soil from the trunk, and cut with a 

 knife lengthwise, and not across the bark and wood, 

 till the insects are found. Repeat the operation 

 once a week for several times, as a part escape the 

 first examination. Then cover the wounded parts 

 with a mixture of warm tar with ochre or brick- 

 dust. It is a great saving of labor to arrest early 

 their progress ; hence trees should be examined 

 frequently. They may sometimes be extracted by 

 a flexible barbed wire, when cutting out would too 

 much mutilate the tree. 



Grafting the quince on pear stocks would proba- 

 bly prevent the evil, as the pear is not attacked by 

 the borer. 



