Connecticut western news., 1878-07-25
a Enemies to the Orchard.

eral insects which are destructive and injurious to the apple tree is very i'm portant to the orchardist Once under stood and treated accordingly, much of the damage sustained every year from the borer, caterpillar, canker-worm, bark -louse, codling moth and woolly aphis would be prevented. The apple borer is one of the most obstinate pests the pomologist has to contend with. It is usually seen in the trunks of apple, quince and thorn trees, | heshy white grub which enters the tree at the collar just at the surface of the ground, where the tree is tender, and either girdles the tree or perforates it through every part of the stem, finally causing it's death. This grub is the larva of brown and white striped beetle half an inch long, and it remains in the grub state two or three years, coming out of the tree in butterfly form early in June It flies in, the night only from tree t tree after its food, and finally deposits it's eggs, during this and the next month, in the collar of the tree. >:.. a.r~ e .s
 The most effectual mode of destroying the borer, according to both Downing and Harris, and attested to by farmers all ove er the country, is picking it out with the point of a knife, or, when it can- not thus be reached, killing it by thrusting flexible wire as far as possi- ble into it's hole. Dr. Harris recom- l lii oF in ho mouth of the aperture and plugging the hole with soft wood. But the best way with this, as with all the pests of the kind, is to prevent the deposit of the eggs. This may be done. by digging and pulverizing the ground under the tree, and applying good top dressing of lime and ashes as far as the branches extend.
 When precautions have not been ob- served and the orchards are already in- fested with this insect, the beetles may be destroyed by the thousands in June by building small bonfres of shayings or other material in various parts of the orchards. The attack of the borer can also be in 8 great measure prevented by washing the trunks of the trees in May, quite down to the ground, with 8 solu- tion of potash j two pounds. to eight quarts of water is the proportion gen orally observed.
 The bark louse, an oval scale-like in- sect of dull white color, and about 8 tenth of an inch long, appears in great 2 numbers. not only on the stems of young apple trees, but on pear trees also, and retards their growth. s These are de- stroyed by wash of soft-soap or the potash solution referred to in the treat ment of the borer. The best time to ap- ply this is in the present month when the insects are young.
 The so-called American blight or ERoolly aphis is destructive enemy to the apple-tree. Strangely enough, in spite of the name given it in England of
 "Amefican blight" it is not indigenous to this country, but was introduced here with imported trees. It makes it's ap- pearance in the form of a minute white down in the crotches and crevices of the branches. This down is merely great number of exceedingly small woolly lice, which if allowed to remain soon produce sickly and diseased state of the entire tree. There is no need, however, o1
 suffering from this enemy, for it is readily destroyed. Whale-oil, soap o1 lime-wash are the usual applications. An effective wash is composed of three. fourths of an ounce by measure of sul- phuric acid of the shops, with seven o1
 eight ounces of water. Rub the mixture
 into the parts affected with rag tied to a stick. After the bark has been washed
 with this mixture the first rain will re- dissolve it and send it into the inner most crevices.
 The apple worm, or codling moth,
 also introduced in this country from Flu. rope, appears in the early apples and
 pears in the form of a reddish-white
 grub and causes the fruit to drop pre-
 maturely. The perfect insect is a small moth, the fore-wings gray, with large round spot on the hinder margin. These moths appear generally about the first : of the present month and lay their eggs , in the blossom end of the young fruit.
 The eggs soon hatch and the grub bur. rows its way to the core of the apple ol f pear. The fruit in consequence ripens prematurely and falls to the ground At this stage the worm leaves the fruit ? and crowds into the crevices of the tree , and spins it's cocoon, from which an. a other spring the young moth merges el When practicable, experienced farmers l turn swine and poultry at large in the orchards at the time the fruit is falling should be picked up daily and disposed D of in such a manner as to kill the worms r Among other devices resorted to fol - catching the codling moth is placing ole S cloths in the crotches of the trees abou j. the time the fruit begins to drop; many s of the worms retire to these cloths anG V may thus be caught and killed. Int e prudent cultivator will in this case alst s look to prevention rather than a cur' e after the moth has been allowed to come n By keeping the bark of the trunk of thu d tree smooth with scraping and washing o 1n the early spring he will remove tn l. loose old bark under which the cocoon
 are chiefly deposited. Small bonfire
 during the month of June, lighted il [ the evening when myriads of this ant
 other moths ara about, cannot be to-
 much insisted upon, that the insects ma, }, be destroyed before they have time t.