Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1886-06-17
THE ORCHARD.
Farm and Ranch.

Now is the time TO do good work
in the orchard. We will take it
for granted that the orchard. vine
yard and berry patches have been
plowed. Saw off all the dead
branches. Now is the time TO cX-
anime for the borcr. We will ven
turc the assertion that more trees
arc destroyed by this insect than
from all other causes combined.
Thousands of old and young trees
are killed every year by 1t. For
description of this insect and
the remedy we quote from Down
ing's Fruits and Fruit Trees Of
America: "Tho insect in its per-
| feet state is slender, dark blue,
four-winged mouth, somewhat like
wasp. II commences dopositing
its egg in the soft and tender bark
at the base of the trunk, usually
about the last of June, but at diff
ferent times from juno 10 Octo-
Der. The egg matches and becomes
small white borer or grub, which
eventually grows to thrce-fourths
of an inch long, penetrates and de-
yours the bark and sap wood, and,
after passing the winter IN the
tree, it enfolds itself in a cocoon
under or upon the bark, and
emerges again in q perfect or
.winged form in June, and COM
mences depositing its eggs for an
other generation. 1t is mt diff
cult to rid our trees of the enemy.
In fact, nothing Is easier to HIM
who is willing TO devote Il few
moments every season to each tree.
The eggs which produce the borer,
it will be recollected, are deposited
in the soft portion of bark, just at
the surface of the earth. Expert
ence has conclusively proved that
if n quanty OF leachcd ashes, char
coal, or even common soil, be
heaped TO the height of one foot
around the trunk of each tree at
the end of May and suffered TO re-
main until October, the borer will
not attack it. 1t has been tried
most successfully in large orch
ards, where the protected trees
have long remained sound, while
those unprotected have been speed
lily destroyed by the borer. The
remedy undoubtedly lies chiefly in
covering the most vulnerable por-
ton of the tree from attack of the
insect. These mounds or heaps OF
earth, ashes, etc, should be spread
over the surface every autumn on
approach of winter, thus exposing
the larv@ of the insect, if any
have entered the tree. TO cold and
destruction. Many careful and
rigid cultiSators prefer regular
examination of the trees every
spring and autumn. On remov-
| ing the earth for q few inches, the
appearance OF gum or castings
quickly indicates where the borer
has made his lodging. A few mo-
ments with the knife will then
eradicate the insect for the season"
The only comment VIC wish to
make on the quotation above is
that in this latitude the eggs are
deposited from one to two months
earlier, say about LIST of April or
October and you can begin the
war on the borer about the middle
of April I'd 1st of May. In the
spring of 1882 We bought a place,
upon which there were about l6O
old peach and apple trees. These
trees had not been examined for
two or three years. During the
month of May they were ex-
amined for the boror, none of
them had less than ten, and many
as high as thirty-fvc bOrors in
each tree. Without attention most
of these trees would have died
that season. Attention at the
proper time saved them and they
are bearing good crops every year
We have perhaps devoted more
space to this subject than is nee
essary IN the opinion of some /;
but We want TO impress upon the
minds of the new beginner the
Importance of a thorough kpowl-
edge OF the habits and widespread
destruction caused by this enemy
of the fruit grower. Many plant
ers attribute the loss of their
trees to scme defect in the soil,
while the fact is that the boror is
literally eating them up.