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difficult if not absolutely impracticable. On the whole, I think 
the best resort of any now in use, is that which is most commonly 
practised, namely, opening the burrow with a chisel or a stout 
bladed knife, to where the worm lies, and destroying “ the vil¬ 
lain.” Experience shows that the wound thus made in the tree 
fa of little account, as it readily heals, and injures the tree far 
less than does a continuance of the worm therein. Even where 
three, four, or five worms are cut out of one small tree, the vigor 
with wnich it starts forward immediately afterwards sufficiently 
attests the benefit which has been rendered it. 
But when I came to examine the situation of this worm and 
the construction of its burrow, a remedy suggested itself to me so 
perfectly simple and sure, and so easy of application, as I have 
found on trial, that I am surprised it has never before been pro¬ 
posed. It consists in scalding the worm by pouring hot water 
into the top of its burrow. The upper end of the burrow can 
easily be found by puncturing the bark with an awl, or even with 
a stiff pin directly above the orifice where the castings have been 
ejected. It is commonly about three inches above this orifice, 
but may be an inch less or a few inches more. It is discovered 
by the point of the awl readily sinking in much deeper here than 
it will elsewhere. Then, with the point of a pen-knife cut away 
the bark, which is already dead, which covers the upper end of 
the burrow, and scrape out the saw-dust like eastings which are 
packed into this part of the cavity, loosening and removing them 
as far down as can conveniently be done. Then fi-^m a tea pot 
or other vessel having a small spout, pour hot water into the hole,, 
at intervals as it soaks downwards, for a few moments, uutil you 
are certain, from its oozing out at the lower orifice, or otherwise, 
that it has reached the worm sufficiently to kill it. By cutting, 
downwards into the wood, and extracting the worm, a few 
minutes after this operation, any one can satisfy himself that the 
culprit is, as Patrick says, “ killed dead,” and that 
“ A kettle of scalding hot water injected 
Infallibly cures the timber affected, 
The worm it will die and the tree will recover.” 
Indeed it is quite probable that merely opening the upper end 
at the burrow, in the manner above described, so as to permit the 
