6 
9 
How to Figlit Insect Enemies. 
BY PICKET. 
Now is the time our insects are most act¬ 
ive, and to secure the fruits of our toil we 
must be up and on the warpath. To be 
a successful insect-fighter a man must he pa¬ 
tient, industrious and persevering. I have 
wrestled with insect enemies many years, 
and by keeping my eyes and ears open 
have become tolerably successful, yet no 
sooner do I learn how to effectually settle 
one species than another steps to the front 
and demands immediate attention. I will 
explain my method of dealing with a few 
insect pests which are now, or soon will 
be, especially active. 
THE APPLE-BORER. 
This pest is now busily engaged in work¬ 
ing ruin to thousands of apple and peach 
orchards, in all parts of the United States. 
A single specimen in a small two or three- 
year-old tree will ruin it in short order, 
or at least work an injury to it that will re¬ 
quire years to repair. They enter the tree 
at or very near the surface of the ground, 
and work down or sidewise just under the 
bark. Three or four will totally ruin a good 
sized tree in one season. 
To find the “varmint,” carefully exam¬ 
ine at, and an inch or so below the surface 
of the ground. If there is one at work, you 
will discover a small quantity of sawdust 
at the entrance to his workshop. Take a 
sharp-pointed knife and cut out a very nar¬ 
row strip of bark, running up and down 
about half an inch; then with a fine wire 
you can reach and poke him out. Some 
advise punching around in his track until 
the end of your wire-probe looks juicy 
when you may consider him finished; but I 
always make sure by following him up 
with knife and probe until I actually see 
his mashed remains. Then fill the hole full 
with grafting wax, or bank the earth up 
around the tree until all scratches and cuts 
are w T ell covered. 
I have found it a good plan to bank each 
tree up with earth about six inches high, 
and when I go around looking for borers 
(which should be done at least three times 
each season) I remove the upper part of the 
mound, dig out the enemy, and again cov¬ 
er up. BatehanTs remedy, or rather preven¬ 
tive for borers, is invaluable to the orcliard- 
ist, and if used not a dozen borers will be 
found in a hundred apple-trees. It is this: 
Into a tight barrel put two or three gallons 
of soft soap, and add as much hot water; 
then stir in half a pint of crude carbolic 
acid, and let it stand a couple of days to 
combine. Add six gallons of rain w r ater, 
and it is ready for use. Stir it well and ap¬ 
ply to the base of the tree with an old 
brush, working it well into all the crevices. 
The latter part of June is the time to ap¬ 
ply it in this latitude; later farther north. 
It will effectually prevent the moth from 
depositing its eggs wherever used. 
If the crude acid cannot be obtained 
one third of the amount of pure will an¬ 
swer. This remedy will save thousands of 
apple and peach trees every year, and 
make it possible to grow a fine even orch¬ 
ard. 
THE CURCULIO. . 
The same remedy may be used with good 
effect on this troublesome insect. Fill a 
pail half-full of the mixture, then fill up 
with water, and with a broom whisk it 
through the trees just as ihe blossoms are 
falling, repeat every three or four days un¬ 
til the fruit is one-fourth g > vn. A fail- 
crop of plums may be secured m this man¬ 
lier. The old manner of jarring the tree 
in the early morning, then picking up and 
destroying these pests is too slow and labor¬ 
ious for most people. 
THE CURRANT WORM. 
When this rascal begins operation lie must 
be summarily dealt with, or he will soon 
ruin the finest bushes in the garden. 
Among the many mixtures I have tried 
there is one which I have never known to 
fail. Use it, and you will need no other. 
Dissolve a heaping tea-spoonful of helle¬ 
bore in a pail of water, and sprinkle it on 
the bushes wherever you notice worms. 
THE ROSE SLUG. 
This is a terrible pest. It will attack a 
rosebush, and multiply so rapidly as to 
totally destroy the foliage in a few hours. 
They eat the surface of the leaf, leaving 
