80 BIGGIyE ORCHARD BOOK 



following the setting- of the trees, and, during 1 the life of the 

 trees, this annual inspection should be continued. Carry a 

 sharp, small-bladed knife, a piece of stout, flexible wire, and a 



when found, show that one or more borers probably lurk within. 

 So, down you-go on your knees ; the soil is pulled away from the 

 trunk to a depth of several inches and the war is on ! With 

 knife and wire the borers' burrows are 

 probed until the enemy is found and 

 killed. Then on to the next tree. A 

 few carel ul cuts in the bark do the tree 

 far less injury than the damage an 



unmolested borer will do. So don't be afraid. (Note : Some 

 species of borers notably the flat-headed apple-tree borer and 

 the plum-tree borer often attack the upper part of the trunk, 

 and even the lower portions of the main limbs. The peach-tree 

 borer and the round-headed apple-tree borer usually attack 

 the trunk at a point close to the ground.) Among preventive 

 measures are several methods which are sometimes successfully 

 used to keep borers out of the trees : Mound up the earth to a 

 height of a foot or more around each tree, in May, and then 

 allow the earth to remain until September. Or, protect the 

 lower part of each trunk (during the same period of time) with 

 closely- wrapped building paper. This paper should extend an 

 inch or so below the ground surface, and about two feet above 

 it, and be securely tied in place. Or try this wash : Dissolve 

 one pound of hard soap in two gallons of boiling water; then 

 add one pint of crude carbolic acid, an ounce of Paris green, and 

 enough lime to make a thin paste ; apply with a brush to trunks 

 and larger branches of trees ; if bark is rough, scrape trunks 

 before applying wash. Professor Surface says that the ordinary 

 lime-sulphur mixture, sprayed or brushed on the trunks, is an 

 excellent preventive of borer, mice and rabbit injury. 



Spring frosts of various kinds are most successfully fought 

 by the use of about 100 oil-burning metal pots evenly distributed 

 on each acre. Coal-burning metal baskets are preferred by some 

 orchardists. Several excellent forms of both devices are now on 

 the market, and the expense of a satisfactory outfit is not pro- 

 hibitive. I believe that these heaters will come into use more 

 and more by up-to-date fruit-growers everywhere. For further 

 information on this subject, write to your State Experiment 

 Station. 



