The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-03-24
Fruit Culture.

THE BoRER-HIS HABITS AND ANTIDoTE.
Next to that greatest of pests In the or
oh ard, the curculio, the borer is probably
doing the most damage. Like the curcuho,
the borer is sly fox, works in the dark and
under cover, and thousands of trees perish
annually from his attack, while the unfortu-
nate owners are utterly ignorant of the cause
of their loss, and not unfrequently attribute
to uncongeniality of climate or soil, what
should be charged to their own want of at
tention. The borer is no exotic. He is
native American, and before the introduction
of the apple, made his home in the thorn,
mountain ash, and other similar trees. lie
is found from Maine to Arkansas, but his
greatest depredations are committed In the
Eastern and Middle States. The apple-tree
borer is the arva or grub of an insect, first
described by Mr.. Say in 1924, and named by
him the "two-striped sapuda, from its hav-
ing two white stripes running down its back.
The perfect insect varies from half to three
fourths of an inch in length, is lumber coored
above and white underneath. He makes his
appearance early in June, and flies only In
the ight. The wings are large, and are
nightly used in search of food, and in the
day time he hides from his natural enemies,
the birds, among the leaves. During the
months of June and July, the beetle deposits
her eggs in the bark, one in place, gener-
ally near the foot of the tree but sometimes
as far up as the crotch of the lower branches.
The larvae Matched from these eggs, are small
white grubs, or maggots, rather, as they
have no feet, with brownish head and a
body composed of twelve circular segments,
that gradually diminish in size from the
head to the posterior extremity. In this
first stage of its existence, it is properly
named the borer, as with its strong jaws, it
bores its way through the bark to the sap
wood, throwing its chips, resembling fine
saw dust, behind it. These chips betray the
presence of the enemy, and now is the time
to attack him, before he gets intrenched in
the hard wood. An awl will now pierce his
vitals, whereas, if the attack is delayed till
he has penetrated into the heart of the tree,
it is more difficult to follow his wanderings.
The sapwood seems to be stage in his pro-
gress.
The burrow which he makes when he first
reaches the sapwood seems to be a base for
further operations, and is very injurious to
the health of the tree, as the encampment
is made just where it most interferes with
the circulation of the sap. One borer may
not sensibly affect the circulation of the
vigor, but let dozen borers, or even half a
dozen, make their abode in small tree, and
it is pretty much girdled, and decay and
death must inevitably ensue.
So far as human ingenuity can diminish
the borers, the treatment is twofold, preven-
ton and cure; and of these, prevention is
far the most simple and effectual. 1t is
merely washing the trees with soft soap, the
latter part of May. This prescription is
not the result of mere individual expert
ence. The late A. B. Dickinson, of Bing-
hampton, New York, as good farmer as he
was statesman, first brought this simple pre-
ventiye to public notice. He recommended
placing handful of soap at the axis of the
lower limbs and at the shoulder of the roots.
Downing recommended washing the trees
with mixture. of soap, sulphur, and tobacco
water. AS the virtue of this compound re-
sides in the soap. we can dispense with the
other articles. DR.. Fitch, being offered a
hundred dollars if by his researches he could
discover an effectual protection against the
borer, replied, "Ihave already experimental.
Rub the bark of your trees, the latter part
of May each year, with soft soap, and will
guarantee that not borer will touch them. :"
We have tried soft soap on our trees for ten
years, and found it an excellent stimulant
to growth as well as sure preventive of the
borer. Our mode of applying it is, for quite
Young trees, mixture of half water, thor
oughly rubbed on with an old broom; for
older trees having a rough bark, undiluted
soap is used. If the borer has already
gained Judgment, it will not answer to soft
soap him, he must be bayoneted. For this
purpose a small iron wire is the best instru-
ment. Wherever his chips are found elected,
there insert the wire, and it will generally
impale the intruder. His burrow may also
be opened with sharp knife, and the villain
thus be exposed, looking as meek and inno-
cent as though incapable of mischief. His
innocent look, however, should never exempt
him from capital punishment, when thus
caught in the act.-Springfeld Republican.
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