The Richmond Indiana palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1854-1855, 1855-06-28

The Apple Tree Borer.
1t appears from an article IN the OAto fGr-
mer thai .hIs destructive insect has already
done grea, injury to the apple trees in some
parts Of Ohio. Here some Of the facts
given:
I'm the fall Of 1854, a gentleman Of our
acquaintance, an amateur il gardening, re-
marked 10 friend that nearly half Of his
apple tIees were attacked, and that several Of
them were past cure. lie advised his friend
to look about the roots Of his trees, and see
whether they were not infested too. His friend
followed his advice, but found This
spring, however, The friend examined his trees
more carefully, and found to his dismay that
large proportion of his apple trees seriously
damaged. He found too, that beyond all
doubt the borer had begun its ravages years
ago, and that they had multiplied greatly in
his trees, while he was congratuIating himself
on his imaginary exemption from them.
Another fact shows the same state of things
A nursery man, doing an extensive business in
neighboring county, found, on examining his
young apple trees this sprng, that IN some
parts of his grounds, eight in ten of all of
them were hopelessly ruined by the borer.
Another gentleman has told US that
siderable number of his apple trees, and some
mountain -ash-trees on his grounds are greatly
injured or lost, IN the same way.
The paper alluded to concludes an article
on the subject as follows:
Hoso shall IRE resist he Borer2 In all ways;
no one thing will do the whole work; under
the head Of prevention, we would suggest sew
eral things:
/. Buy none but sound trees; sound, we
mean, in every sense; trees of vigorous growth,
Of fine roots, of unbroken bark, and that new
er have been stung by the beetle.
2. After setting the trees out carefully, pro-
tect them from the attacks Of the beetle, by
washing them with the following preparation:
To two quarts Of soft soap, add half pound
Of sulphur, and dilute the mass till it is
thin as paint, by pouring in strong tobacco
water. The tobacco water may be prepared
by breaking up fine. two ounces of strong to-
bacco, and pouring on two or three quarts OF
soft warm water, and letting it stand two or
three days before the wash is made; apply the
wash with an old broom freely to the trunk
and lower branches. after the rough bark mas
BEEN scraped off Make one application about
the middle of May, and another about the
first Of June 1t is said that the beetle will
not touch a tree that has thus been treated.
3. Before the weather becomes very hot,
we think the trees should be well whitewash /
ed with lime, or protected from the sun by
board. or by wrapping wisp of straw or
hay round the portions most exposed to the
heat. White does not absorb heat as darker
colors do. If the trees are whitewashed, I
and ono Of the other covers for the young
trees used, very few. we think, will be in (
jured; always supposing that the preventives
mentioned first, are faithfully employed.
A. A little circle Of ashes should be placed
at the root Of the tree close around the collar.
This, it is believed, will prevent the beetle
from disturbing the tree at that point. if it be
done early enough in the season.
Hoso shall ape destroy The Borers are hage2-I
In the case of trees that have been serious
ly injured. say nothing better, than
that they should be pulled up. root and branch
and the part that contains the grubs destroy
ed. If they have been but little hurt, the
grubs should be carefully extracted and killed,
and the wounds covered with grating wax or
shellac, and the tree washed as above sug
gested.
If young trees have been much punctured.
we believed they had better be destroyed at
once. IL viii be of little use to try to save
them; and if they do live, they would be weak
and nearly worthless.
We repeat, that the trees already infested
should be treated with the wash mentioned
above, after the grub have been taken out.
This would, it is hoped, prevent their return.
We have made remarks on this topic
longer than we designed. But we cannot
close without begging all our nurseymen. and
fruit growers, 10 attend 10 this matter speedily.
They may avoid great disappointment, by
prompt attention TO the trees, and shrubs, this
year. They may suffer great loss, and sub
sequent Encouragement by neglecting it for
one month longer.