104 THE TREE BOOK 



by means of mouth-tubes; the third burrows 

 deep channels beneath the bark into the very 

 heart of the tree, where it feeds upon life ele- 

 ments. Chewing insects are easily destroyed 

 by poisoning their food. Paris green and arse- 

 nate of lead are the two best remedies for this 

 purpose. They are dissolved in water and 

 sprayed upon the foliage, flowers, and fruit. 

 Sucking insects, of course, cannot be reached by 

 this method. They are best destroyed by spray- 

 ing with lime-sulphur solutions. The sulphur 

 suffocates the insects by stopping their breath- 

 ing pores; the lime is a destructive agent of 

 their delicate bodily tissues. Boring insects 

 are not readily reached by sprays. Indeed, for 

 this destructive little miner there is nothing 

 quite so effective as a flexible wire thrust into 

 his burrow, that surprises him at work and de- 

 stroys him without a hearing. A bunch of saw- 

 dust or a discharge of wax or gum are pretty 

 sure indications of a borer. Locust borers 

 commonly render that tree unfit for lumber. 

 Fruit trees are often so honey-combed at their 

 bases by borers that they break off close to 

 the ground. Peach growers make a practice 

 of drawing the earth away from the base of 

 the trees every spring and wiring out the 

 borers. 



