118 



THE POMOLOGIST. 



Sept. 



The Apple Tree Borer— (Saperda Bivitata) 



The most insidious enemy the orclmrdist 

 has to encounter, is the subject of this arti- 

 cle. Warmed into life, the larvse at once 

 seeks concealment heneath the hark of the 

 tree. This pest of the orchard attacks the 

 apple, quince, 

 thorn and some 

 other trees, hut 

 the apple tree 1 



appears to he its fevorite. The larvae enters 

 the tree in" July, or thereabouts, and buries 

 itself under the bark for the first season- 

 that is, remains there until the follow- 

 ing spring. If not dislodged, the next 

 season we find him boring into the wood 

 of the tree, and with 

 strong jaws cutting a 

 sylindrioal passage up- 

 ward, six to twelve 

 inches, and terminating 

 his burrow at some 

 point in the bark. Here 

 the worm undergoes transformation, and 

 rests till its wings are completed, when it 

 comes forth from the tree a winged beetle. 

 How long the worm remains in the tree is 

 not definitely known. Harris and other 

 learned entomologists think nearly' three 

 years— not less than two. The perfect insect 

 comes out of the tree pretty uniformly in 

 the month of June, and in a few days theie- 

 after the female de- 

 posits her eggf 

 upon the trui.k of 

 t h e tree at, or a 

 little below the sur- 

 fece of the ground, 

 and from which her 

 progeny soon 

 hatches. The 

 beetle does not stir 

 about much by day- 

 liglit, but like the 

 moth of the canker 

 worm, is active at 

 night. She flies 

 about among the 

 trees, seeking food 

 and laying her eggs. 

 B y September, 

 the grub or larva^ 

 will have cut its 



way thr,>ugh Ihe i^i^ Ji.iMA^UilX 

 b:irk, and may h.' 3 



fiiiiul belvvecn the bark and the sap wood 

 ::.s j.r viiii.l,- t-ijitcd. iU Ihis stage of its 

 pi.-fgr'S', the grub may be easily ferreted 



out and destroyed, and with little or no 

 damage to the tree. But if allowed to push 

 on for another season, the tree is vitally 

 weakened, if not killed outright. A little 

 practice will enable any person to find out 

 his whereabouts. A little hole, or a speck 

 upon the bark resembling very fine saw-dust 

 will, on removal, reveal the burrow of the 

 enemy. With a sharp pointed knife cut 

 through the bark and take him out, but if 

 burrowed into the wood, follow him up with 

 a flexible wire. In looking after this borer' 

 first, carefully remove the earth from around 

 the tree down three or four inches. We 

 have never found the entrance of the grub 

 above ground, but almost invariably about 

 one inch below. In some cases we have 

 taken no less than fourteen grubs from a 

 single tree at one hunt. 



Various remedies are prescribed against 

 the attacks of this insect, such as a coating 

 of whitewash to the trunk of the tree in 

 May. The application of a wash made of 

 soft soap, tobacco water and sulphur is also 

 recommended. If such appliances are made 

 use of, the wash should extend below the 

 surfiice, for we are convinced that the grnb, 

 if hatched above ground, descends below 

 before entering the bark. But with all the 

 watchfulness and preventives recommended, 

 our chii. f reliance is a careful examination 

 of the trees annually, sometime in the month 

 of September or October. To make 

 thorough work, leave the earth away from 

 the trees, and in the course of a week or 

 two repeat the hunt. Trees may be infested 

 by this borer for a year or two before show- 

 ing much evidence of its presence. The first 

 indications of injury are manifest in a feeble 

 giowth and yellowish cast of the leaves- 

 Now, and for a month or two to come, is the 

 time to hunt out and des'roy this jiesi, and 

 no one having an apple tree should fail to do 

 it. 



Explanation op Cuts.— Fig. 1. The larvce 

 or grub. Fig. 2. Ttie beetle or perfect insect, 

 Fig. 3. Section of a tree sliowing tlie grub, or 

 worm working its way up into tlie interiorof the 

 tree. A, surface of the ground. The blacls spots 

 below the surface line, entry places of the grubs. 



For the Western Pomologist. 



Fruits and Insects. 



Friend Miller:— Our fruit crop this 

 year is extremely light, and most of the va- 

 rieties that this would be the bearing season 

 for have some fruit upon them. Tiie Wine 

 Sai) for the fir.st time is a total fiiihire. Last 

 season they promised flue, but the scab 

 ruined them, and in this variety 1 am dis- 

 appointed. I looked for the Wine Sap 

 never to fail, and now for its future. I have 

 set largely of this kind. This tree has been 

 hurt either by the wet last season, or the 

 freeze, or both ; and to these I ascribe its 

 failure, and I now think it will recover its 

 liealth again, and give us good crops. I do 



not dispair of it, and think it will come out 

 as good as ever. My younger trees do not 

 show these sad results. My White W. Pear- 

 mains are doing better this season than 

 common, save the apple moth. All of our 

 standard varieties are doing as well as could 

 be expected under the circumstances There 

 are many of the tender kinds that should be 

 touched tenderly, the Rambo, for instance 

 As for Jinsccts, the Canker worm, I have 

 given my treatment of them in former times, 

 which has proved eminently successful with 

 me ; and also borers, they do me no damage. 

 I have a large number of trees set, and 

 manage these fellows successfully. The 

 apple leaf louse, {Aphis mali,) is doing a 

 great deal of damage to young trees, killing 

 many. I know of no remedy, unless it 

 should be a dip in hot water. I fondly hope 

 some parasite may yet appear to feast upon 

 them. 



The foil Web worm {Eyplian tria texior,) 

 has been very prevalent this season, both 

 upon young and old trees in the orchard, 

 and are equally numerous outside on the 

 oaks, hazles, etc. These will make nude 

 our trees in a few days, and then starved 

 out, they have to evacuate. 



The Core worm, spoken of by you, I 

 apprehend to be the Codling moth, ( Coi'po- 

 eapsa pomondla). I hardiy know m3'self how 

 to combat these'; they will probably destroy 

 one half the fruit grown this season. Their 

 presence is so recent, and their work so 

 insidious, that we have had but little oppor- 

 tunity to experiment with them. I recom- 

 mend that old rags be placed in the forks of 

 trees, and examined from time to time, and 

 doubtless during the season we may have a 

 chance to destroy many insects that come to 

 prey upon our trees, being careful not to 

 hurt those that come to lend us a helping 

 hand in the good work ; and right here the 

 orehardist needs light to know when he is 

 right and when wrong. No doubt fires 

 kindled in the spring and summer would do 

 mucli to help us kill our enemies. 



Our trees in this region have had a hard 

 time for two years past — the floods and the 

 early fall freeze. I do not think it is the 

 winter, yet during the winter the ground 

 became very dry, and froze deep, which is 

 injurious to young trees whose roots are 

 shallow ; yet I do not despair for fruit, as 

 many do. We have mauj' varieties that do 

 well, and time will develop many more. So 

 I say let us persevere, and Iwe will have 

 plenty of fruit for ourselves and little ones, 

 and to treat our friends who come to see us, 

 and a man who devotes a reasonable share 

 of his time to fruit will get as well rewarded 

 as at any thing else, and of Ihis he ought not 

 to complam. Simply planting out a fruit 

 tree, and then let it take its own chance for 

 the l)alance of its life-time won't do. That 

 kind of fruit raising won't pay. He must 

 attend to it, and so of any thing else. He 

 must dress his orchard as well as liis garden, 

 or he will have nothing in either case. 



Alhia, Iowa. W. G. Clahk. 



