THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



^05 



he notes the white thorn is in full berry; on 

 the 20th, he begins to clear the pine groves 

 of undergrowth. 



In February he transplants ivy under the 

 walls of the garden, to which it still clings. 

 In March he is planting hemlock trees, that 

 most beautiful species of American ever 

 greens, number of which had been brought 

 hither from Occoquan. In April, he is sow 

 ing holly berries in drills, some adjoiiiing a 

 green brier hedge on the north side of the 

 garden gate.others in a semicircle on the lawn. 

 Many of the holly bushels thus produced 

 are still flourishing about the place, in full 

 vigor. He had learned the policy, not 

 snfiBciently adopted in this country, of 

 clothing his ornamented grounds as much 

 as possible with evergreens, which resist the 

 rigors of our winters and keep up a cheer- 

 ing verdure throughout the year. Of the 

 trees fitted for shade in pasture land, he 

 notes the locust maple, black mulberry, 

 bl ack walnut, black gum, dogwood and sas- 

 safras, none of which, he observes, material- 

 ly iajure the grass beneath them. 



Is, then, for ouce a soldier's dream real- 

 ized? Is he in perfect enjoyment of that 

 seclusion from the world and its distrac- 

 tions, which he had so often pictured to 

 himself amid the hardship and turmoils of 

 the camp? Alas, no! The "post," that 

 "herald of the noisy world," invades his 

 quiet, and loads his table with letters, un- 

 til correspondence becomes an intolerable 

 burden. 



-••»- 



The Apple Tree Borer. 



This is a great pest. It is believed to 

 have been imported from Europe. Orchards 

 are often ruined before the cause is suspected 

 The farmer should have an eye upon his 

 orchard at all times; — especially should he 

 examine the trees for the borer during the 

 spring, summer and fall months. 



An exchange contains the following 

 which furnishes as much information on the 

 subject in a small compass, as can be found 

 any where; — 



Messrs, Editors — Can you or any of 

 your numerous correspondents, give me any 

 information in regard to "borers" in apple 

 trees — their nature, and the remedy to be 

 applied? In examining my trees I find 

 that nearly all are more or less injured by 

 "borers," and some past reco>ery. In a 

 • new country like ours, this is a very serious 

 matter, and I should like much to hear from 



some of your correspondents upon this sub- 

 ject. I find in talking with my neighbors, 

 that the trees all through this part, are 

 troubled like my own. C E. BLOSS. 

 Shiawasse, Mich., July 15, 1857. ; 



There is no doubt that the apple tree 

 borer has become widely spread through 

 several States, and that many have their 

 orchards infested with it, who do not at all 

 suspect its presence, who never saw it, and 

 indeed who may know that such a depreda- 

 tor exists. Its inconspicuous appearance 

 leads to this overshight. 



The perfect insect or beetle varies from 

 5-8ths to 3-4ths of an inch in length, the 

 males being smaller and more slender. It 

 is covered with a fine whitish down, and 

 has three brownish stripes. These insects 

 deposit their eggs in the bark of the tree, 

 near the surface of the earth, in the early 

 part of summer, and only by night, when 

 they are numerous, they often lay their 

 eggs higher up, and in the forks of the 

 larger branches. To prevent laying their 

 eggs, soft soap deposited in the forks and 

 rubbed about the bottom, has been found 

 efficacious. Downing applied a mixture of 

 tobacco, water, sulphur and soap, with suc- 

 cess; but Dr. Fitch thinks all its virtue lay 

 in the soap. When the eggs hatch, they 

 produce a small maggot, whitish, with a 

 a yellowish head. It eats into the bark, 

 and discolors it for a small distance around 

 and if the dry outer bark be scrjiped off at 

 the end of summer or first of autumn, 

 these dark spots will show where they are 

 commencing their depredations, and now is 

 the time to kill them most easily, which 

 may be done at this stage by washing the 

 scraped bark with strong ley. 



At a latter stage they cut into the sap- 

 wood, and throw out their saw-dust, when 

 they may be punched to death with a small 

 twig. Still later, and when larger, they go 

 into the heart wood, and now for the first, 

 pack their, saw-dust excrements into the hole 

 after them, rendering it more difficult to 

 reach them. Hence the importance of tak- 

 ing them early. 



We would recommend every orchardist 

 to look closely to his trees at all times — to 

 coat with soft soap early in summer — to 

 scrape the outer bark later in summer, for 

 the dark spots, if he has any reason to fear 

 their presence, and to kill the young mag- 

 got at once. If left later, their presence 

 is shown by the saw-dust appearances 

 around their holes ia the bark, when they 

 must be out out with a knife, or punched to 

 death. At any stage the knife may be 



