THE PEACH TREE BORER 



215 



sloping sides and is used abundantly for the bulk of peaches 

 shipped to market from many peach sections. These are used by 

 some growers for packing the third grade or poorest fruit. The 

 covers are made of wood and protect the fruit well when shipped. 



ENEMIES. 



The San Jose scale is very destructive to the peach orchard. It 

 is prevalent in all parts of the country, and attacks nearly all kinds 

 of fruit trees and shrubs, and is very serious on many forms of 

 shade and ornamental plants. Figures 144 and 145 show the insect. 



The pest is not so 

 serious that it requires 

 the destruction of the 

 trees by man, as meth- 

 ods of control are now 

 well understood. Thor- 

 ough spraying in the 

 winter with lime-sulfur 

 or with miscible oil will 

 usually keep this pest in 

 check. We can never 

 get rid of the insect en- 

 tirely, but the annual 

 spraying is beneficial for 

 other purposes, and the 

 extra cost of the battle 

 due to the presence of 

 the scale is very slight. 

 The trees should be 

 sprayed very thoroughly 

 just after the winter pruning is completed. Select a warm, bright 

 day in winter and spray thoroughly from top to bottom of the 

 tree. Let no spot be skipped. If the scale is very severe two 

 sprayings may be necessary. The first spraying may be applied in 

 the late fall or early winter just after the leaves have dropped. At 

 this time use the miscible oil. See Chapter XXV. The next 

 spraying can be with lime-sulfur. This should be completed before 

 the buds begin to swell in the spring. 



The peach tree borer is a serious pest in nearly all orchards. It 

 bores in the soft wood near the surface of the ground, sometimes 

 several inches underground, and sometimes as much as a foot or so 

 above ground. It attacks trees of all stone fruits. 



Fig. 143. — Two styles of packing peaches in Georgia 

 carriers. Diagonal pack at left, popular with dealers. 

 Flat and tight pack at right, fruit oiten bruised. 

 (Michigan Station.) 



