Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-10-08
For the Freeman.
A Chat with Farmers.
BY AGRICOLA.
ARour NoXIoUs NsEcTs.


Borers of the apple tree have made ex-
tensive ravages in New England and the !
Middle States. They are the larva of
species of striped beetle which is from one
half to three-quarters of an inch in length. |
These beetles leave the tree in perfect
state, early in June. and leave in the
night. They never fly in the daytime.
The native thorns are their natural food,
but thew attack the apple tree, the ounce.
the mountain ash, the hawthorn and
other thorn bushes. They lay their eggs
in June and July, near the root of the
tree. The grubs Matched from these eggs
have q small, horny brown head, but no
legss With their strong jaws they cut
through the bark and bore upward into
the wood. They continue in the larva
state two or three years, during which
time they penetrate eight or ten inches
into the solid wood and burrow near the
bark. There their transformation takes
place. 1t is curious fact that they al
WAYS reach the bark before they are trans
formed, otherwise they could never get
out of the tree. Great pains have been
taken to exterminate these borers, but
still they survive. Often, however. entire
neglect of our orchards leave them to car
nv on their work of devastation unmolest-
ed.
These methods of destroying the borers
have been resorted to, which may be of
interest to those who cultivate choice trees.
First, to thrust wire into the holes they
have made. thus destroying the grubs !;
second, to cut out the grubs with knife
or gouge; third, to plug the holes with
soft wood after injecting camphor.
The coated species of sappers attack
and destroy the linden tree. A case is
mentioned of one of these trees measur-
ing eight feet and five inches in circum-
ference, three feet from the ground, which
was destroyed by these grubs. 1t was
pierced and grooved with counties num-
Der of holes wherein the borcrs had been
bred AS the beetles come from their en-
closures, they fly into the top Of the tree
and feed upon the tender twigs and leaves,
until they destroy them. They deposit
their eggs in small incisions made in
the bark of the tree, two or three in Il
place. Ninety eggs are laid by single
beetle. Three years are required TO ma
ture this insect, but his destructive ability
is mature from birth. All means to destroy
them have proved, at least, a partial fail
ure.
There is another species of beetle de-
scribed rs of dark brown color with a
carved line behind the eyes, and a three
branched stripe on the outer edge of each
wing-cover, which have appeared to an
alarming extent on the elm trees on Bos-
ton common, and threaten their entire
destruction. The canker worms, no doubt,
have aided the borers in this ruinous work
upon these trees. Perhaps more blame
has been charged to these two classes OF
destructive insects than is due them. The
Impoverished condition of the soil in
which the trees stand and the removal Of
the decaying leaves, on the ground Of
neatness, have had their influence to pro
duce the same result. The tall blackberry
which is extensively cultivated in some
gardens and which is so rich in fruit, an(
the raspberry also, suffer much from the
sappers which live in the pith of the
stems. These insects differ somewha
from those just described, being cylindri
cal in the middle aud thckened little n
each end. They have larger heads ant
differently proportional wings upon the
body.
The third family of capricorn beetle
have u narrower body and a different
formed eye, with head not SO deeply
sunk. They are gayly colored and fiji
among the flowers in the daytime, an
feast upon the pollen and tender leaves
their grubs live in the trunks and stumps c
trees aud have six short legs. The larges
and most beautiful of these beetles in New
England appear on the flowers and leave
of the common elder during the first hal
of July. Their color is of II deep violet O
Prussian-bue CLOSED with green, wit
half the wing covers orange yellow. Thei
head is narrow and their antenn@ have
knotty appearance. The larva live in tn
lower part of the stems of the elder an
devour the pith The grubs of the liptu
reous live between the bark and wood c
the pitch pine tree, where they underg
, their transformation.