52 



The trees are now beginning to blossom and as the larva mostly 

 enter the fruit through the blossom end, the poison spray is used, 

 applied from above to fill the cup in the blossom end or calyx before 

 it closes, as it will do when the fruit is well set. As the bloom is 

 often not even, this spray may have to be repeated to poison all the 

 cups, and even a third spraying may be necessary. As the eggs 

 begin to hatch, spray again to kill all the worms possible, as some 

 will enter the fruit at the side, not through the calyx, and this spray 

 may be repeated in three weeks, and even a third time with profit. 

 These sprayings should wet the whole tree thoroughly with a very 

 fine spray, but be stopped long before dripping begins, as if too much 

 is used the liquid runs together, is not so effective, and is more 

 liable to burn the foliage. This early treatment is the important 

 one as one worm destroyed now prevents the breeding of one or 

 two hundred later. This should get about all the worms but if some 

 escape and pupate later, forming moths to deposit eggs, spray again 

 in midsummer when these eggs are hatching. The condition of 

 moths, larva and eggs are best watched by placing cocoons in a 

 screen covered box, as the aggs are hard to find on the leaves. 



The best spray is the arsenate of lead, as it adheres to the leaves 

 better and longer and is less liable to injure the foliage than paris 

 green spray. 



All sorts of rubbish in which the cocoons can winter should be 

 religiously cleaned up, in and around the orchard, and places in 

 which infested apples are stored should be made tight enough to 

 prevent the worms escaping to breed again in the orchard. Win- 

 dows even should be screened. 



Peach Root-Borer 



(Sanninoidea opalescens) 



This is a very injurious insect in the Santa Clara Valley, and of 

 course liable to be brought here on nursery stock at any time. Stone 

 fruit trees are its prey, and it can always be detected by the mass of 

 gum exuding from the tree near the base where it is working. They, 

 of course, injure the tree in proportion to their numbers, sometimes 

 girdling and killing it. The usual method of treatment is to dig 

 out the worms, probe all the burrows possible with a wire, and 

 fill them with coal oil, then apply a thick whitewash made by slack- 

 ing 16 Ibs. of lime and pouring in 1 gallon of 16 Beaume crude oil 

 while doing so. 



If the worms are very numerous, the trees are likely to be much 

 injured in getting them out. A blacksmith's hook-pointed hoof knife 



