Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-09-04
From the New England Farmer.
THE BORER,

Mr.. Observation-Disclosures through the
columns of your most useful paper, to lay
before your readers some facts respecting
that most destructive insect called the borcr.
l am sensible that much has already been
said in relation to this insect but, as the
saying is, it may not be amiss to stir up the
minds of some by way Of remembrance
being aware that this insect and fruit trees
are too much neglected.
As to the origin ofthis insect, almost all who
have ever writtenrespc ctngit, have widely diff.
tered. Some have supposed it originated in
the manure, and have therefore prepared
compost of several ingredients to put abou,
the roots of the tree, in order to nourish it,
and provided there were any of them in the
manure which was put into tho compost, the
reby kill them. Again others have supposed
that they originated from the fruit which falls
upon the ground before ripe, and leaving
that it commences its attack upon the tree
and therefore in order to secure themselves
in thisrcspect, they have taken pains to pick
up once a week all the fruit which falls from
the tree before it is ripe. And finally such
is the diversity OF minds in respect to the
borer, that to cnumerate them all and enter
into particulars respecting them, would fill
bulky volume. Therefore will pass over
the opinions of others on the subject in qucs-
ton, and proceed to give my own. That
the borer does not originate in some degree
in the manures put about the tree, am not
disposed to deny indeed, l think it very
probable that such is the case, from the fact
that all manures contain more or less worms ;
and as a safeguard, l think it highly COM
mendable as we'll as beneficial to secure the
tree about the roots with good compost
made of something which would, as a natural
consequence, result to the tree.
Again that the borer does not originate
from the windfalls which lie about the roots
Of the tree, | cannot deny, although if this
is the fact, have never learned it from prac-
teal experience. However as it is not i'm
possible that the insect may originate in this
way, [ thing it would be we'll to be on our
guard, and secure ourselves by picking up
all the apples which fall from The tree and
five do not in this way prevent the depre-
dations Of the borer, l am sensible from ex-
perience that we shall secure our trees from
various other insects, which if the fruit was
not gathered up, would in the course of the
fall or next year, appear again to make their
ruthless attacks upon the fruit if not on the
tree itself.
have said that I did not deny but that in
some degree the borer originates from the
manures put about the tree, or from the fruit
which falls before il is ripe but that they
originate solely in either ofthese ways, l do
not, | cannot believe because have ex-
tracted borer from the tree, from the roots
upward to the height Of ten feet. Now if
they originate from the manures altogether,
how does it happen that they get so high up
on the tree, especially when there has been
no manure put about the tree for a year, and
are found also at the small size of half incl
in length lfthey had been in the manure
when it was put around the tree, they would
have commenced their depredations before,
and been of larger size than half an inch in
length. Agan, that they originate in the
fruit altogether, lisa great mistake, as have
found vast many in trees which did nor bear
at all, and those too Of very small size.
But you may ask, from what then does it
originate That is more than | can tell: but
| can tell you what think about it. think
by what | have seen myself and learned from
others who were acquainted with the borer,
that in general it originates from certai in
insect, (of what description cannot tell }
Which in the month of June deposites an egg
in the bark of the tree, in various places 4,
which egg in the month Of July matches, or
in other words becomes a worm, and that
worm is the borer. What makes me think
Al, 81 ho. u,r,to, IN, tb,, q, a..
fact that soon after washing my trees with
potash water, as was one day examining
them, | perceived several small yellow spots
upon the back of the tree, about the size of
pin head, or little larger it may be, and
being led by curiosity to examine them, |
found they contained worm, but at the same
time had no thought of the borer, as it was
altogether out Of the season to find any, ex-
cepting those which had remained in the tree
during the winter. But as time passed on,
was again looking at this tree (which Isaw
the spots {: when to my surprise saw that
the yellow spots were gone, and in theirstead
there were holes. ltook my knife and made
search, when to my greater surprise, found
that the very small worms had found before,
were now bOrer, three quarters Of an inch in
length, and had commenced eating very vo-
raciously between the bark Of the tree and
the wood. Finding there were many in the
trees, though hardly perceivablc, l went to
the shop and selected as an instrument for
extracting them, gouge, one half inch in
width, which found upon usage answered
my purpose well and if | remember right,
at the time extracted as many as fifteen
borors from one tree-three old ones and
twelve small ones, and since then | have
taken out several more, some of which were
higher than could reach without climbing
still later have examined more trees, and
though have found none so bad as the one
above mentioned, yet perceive, as the pros
pect is now, that it will be fine year for
them, have written this, in order that the
farmer and gardener might be on the look
out, especially for the young borcrs if at
tended to in season, their extraction may be
accomplished without apparently inuring the
tree. The first time 1 attended to the borcrs
was on the 2Sth of July last, and more or
less ever since and Though September is
thought TO be the best time to attend to them,