1846. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
217 
THE PEACH WORM. 
From the repeated inquiries made relative to this in¬ 
sect and the great fear which its ravages occasion, we 
have reason to believe that a comparatively small por¬ 
tion of fruit cultivators understand its habits, and the 
mode of its destruction. Indeed, the opinion is still 
very prevalent, that the truly destructive and contagi¬ 
ous malady, the yellows, is caused merely by the work 
of the peach worm. 
The presence of the peach worm, which in nearly all 
cases, confines its operation to the trunk of the tree, at, or 
a little below the surface of the earfh, may be easily de¬ 
tected by the oozing ol the gum from the tree at the 
surface, or at the place of injury, mixed with matter re¬ 
sembling saw-dust. Unlike the apple, quince, and lo¬ 
cust borers, it confines itself entirely to the bark ; and 
hence may be readily followed in its hiding place with 
the knife without injury to the trunk of the tree. Inexpe¬ 
rienced operators often fail in 
discovering its presence, as it 
leaves a thin shell on the outer 
bark as its covering; but one 
thing is certain, that early in 
the season, whenever the gum¬ 
my sawdust is seen, the worm, 
(or rather larva,) may be al¬ 
ways detected, if the hole is 
carefully followed by the knife 
to the termination. The an¬ 
nexed figure (fig. 62,) repre¬ 
sents the most frequent mode 
of its operating, in young trees, 
the dotted lines showing the 
holes cut in the bark beneath 
the outer shell, a , is the worm, 
b, the gummy matter. 
From the early part to the middle of summer the 
worm passes to the pupa state, the appearance of which 
is shown by figure 63, which represents the follicle 
en closing the dormant animal, and composed of 
pieces of bark cemented by the 
web; and soon after to the perfect 
insect, belonging to the miller 
and butterfly tribe, but more near¬ 
ly resembling a wasp to a super¬ 
ficial observer. It then deposits 
its egg in the bark of the tree for another generation. 
The perfect insect is rarely seen, but it may be obtained 
by enclosing the pupa, which is easily procured, in 
gauze covered frame, until the fly emerges. 
The remedy for the peach worm is very simple and I 
effectual, by cutting out with a knife as already de¬ 
scribed. A single hand will clear hundreds of trees in | 
a day. Passing round among the trees two or three j 
times a year for this purpose is sufficient; early in the ; 
season being the proper time. To prevent the fly de¬ 
positing its eggs, Downing says, that half a peck of air- 
slacked lime or ashes heaped round the tree early in 
the season, and left till mid-autumn, has been found 
successful* The lime or ashes may be spread back 
over the ground, and serves as a good manure for the 
trees. It must however be observed that this rem&aiy 
will be ineffectual for insects or eggs already in the 
tree. They must first be eradicated. It only acts as a 
preventive. We have never used this remedy, as from 
the fewness of the trees attacked, we have found it 
easier to examine those few with the knife. James 
Worth, as quoted in Say’s Entomology, says—“The 
best plan of guarding against the ravages of this insect, 
which I have found, is to examine the trees early in 
July; take a bricklayer’s trowel, and opening the 
ground around the trunk, the lodgment of the insect 
will be at once discovered by the appearance of the 
gum, and it can be readily destroyed; one person will 
thus examine more than a hundred trees in less than 
half a day, and very few if any will escape.” Say 
* In some cases, however, the efficiency of this mode may be 
questioned, as we have seen the worm at work three feet above 
ground, at the junction of an apricot graft with a plum stock. 
Fig. 63. 
adds, “Mr. Worth examined his fruit trees on the 10th 
of July, and obtained twenty follicles, and about thirty 
larvae; of the folicles, four were empty, the insect hav¬ 
ing assumed the winged state.” 
The protection of wheat from the rain, while yet re¬ 
maining in the field, is often a matter of great import¬ 
ance. Wheat cut as early as it should be, to secure it 
from danger of shelling, and to obtain the heaviest 
weight of grain,—which has been found by careful ex¬ 
periment to be while one-third or one-quarter of the 
chaff yet remains green,—is not dry enough to be 
drawn at once into the barn. In districts liable to sud¬ 
den and heavy rains, it must be well put up, until tho¬ 
roughly dried for the stack or mow. 
Various modes have been adopted. The simplest is 
to set up the sheaves in double rows, the heads of the 
two opposite resting against each other. But this af¬ 
fords no protection from long or heavy rains, and in 
rainy districts thousands of bushels have been lost in 
some seasons from the adoption of this imperfect mode. 
Another Avay, and which is figured and recommended 
in Low’s Element’s of Agriculture, consists of setting 
up a double row, until twice the length of a sheaf, and 
then placing two sheaves nearly horizontally upon this 
row, the heads of the covering sheaves being placed 
together in the middle. These served to protect the 
lower or upright sheaves in light rains, but are entirely 
inefficient in heavy showers and indeed when well 
soaked through, prevent the whole from drying, and 
which are often spoiled in consequence. A third, and 
a very effectual way, is to set up about half a dozen 
sheaves in a round compact form, to bind another very 
firmly near the lower end, break down the straw 
equally on all sides from the centre, and then to place 
the cap, thus formed, inverted, upon the shock. Much 
time is however required for this mode. A fourth, 
equally efficacious and secure, and much more exped - 
tious, is represented by the above figure. It is well 
known and is practised by many farmers, but a large 
portion are unacquainted with it. It consists simply of 
a round shock of half a dozen sheaves, which are 
covered by two others, broken in the middle and laid 
on in the form of a cross, spreading out the ends so as 
to form a perfect shield from storms. 
BARN-CELLARS FOR ROOTS. 
Mr. Editor. —When I see a farmer lugging a bas¬ 
ket of carrots or roots of any kind, from the house to 
the barn, a distance perhaps of ten or fifteen rods, I 
think such an one would know how to appreciate this 
necessary barn appendage. The plan which I have 
adopted, is one which for cheapness, the most penuri¬ 
ous could not find fault with. 
In the first place, in the month of May, when the 
bay of my barn is empty, I dig a place in the centre of 
it three and a half feet deep, eight feet wide, and four¬ 
teen long. I then take hemlock scantling, four by four, 
and make a frame eight by fourteen, and place it in the 
bottom of the cellar which I have dug. Then make 
another frame of the same dimensions, and place it 
directly over the other, five feet from the bottom of 
