The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-05-28
Horticulture.
PEACH TREE BORER.
A Description of It's Appearance-How to
Prevent It's Ravages.

Description of It's Appearanoe-How to
Prevent It's Ravages.
Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer
One Of its subscribers writes to
The Progressive Farmer as follows {:
"Will you please tell me what is
the matter with my peach trees2
They are dying, and upon examina-
ton we find from one to two large
white worms, 1 to ~ inches in
length, at the roots of the trees, just
beneath the surface of the soil. Is
the above described pest the cause of
the trouble? IF so, please give
remedy"
The letter gives a good description
of the work of the peach borer,
Stamina e.rjtiOSG), which we may do
we'll to consider for few moments,
as it is the cause of much loss to
peach growers.
The adult of the borer is a moth,
which, with wings spread, measures
about an inch across. The female is
steel blue in color, with a yellow
band around the middle of the body,
while the male is grayish in color,
and lacks the yellow band The
moths fly during the day, and may
be seen in the orchards during warm
days, afternoons especially, in the
summer. The hind wings are trans
parent in the female, and both pairs
of wings are transparent in the male,
thus giving the moths a close re-
semblance to wasps. The female is
considerably larger than the male.
The eggs are laid on the bark near
the surface of the ground, and when
the worms hatch, they enter the
bark at the surface, and feed be-
tween the rough bark and the wood.
The worms mature and transform to
moths in the spring in this State,
according to growers who have been
in this State longer than the writer).
The full-grown caterpillar spins a
cocoon of silk, that is covered with
bits of chips of eaten bark, and this
stage of it's existence is passed at the
base of the tree, usually surrounded
by gum that has exuded from the
tree as result of it's injuries.
This is one of the few pests from
which spraying gives no relief. The
most common method of fighting the
pest is TO dig the worms out by hand
with a knife in the spring. The dirt
should be removed from the base of
the trees in the fall, and the worm
ing should be done not later than the
first of April, SO as to get it done be-
fore the worms leave the tree to
transform. This point in the opera
tiOn is very important and must not
be neglected. After worming tree,
sprinkle a handful of lime at the
base of the tree, and replace the dirt,
hilling it up little around the base.
This operation must be repeated
each year, though after one or two
years, the worms will not be so
abundant as when the operation is
done for the first time in an orchard.
Though this requires considerable
labor, the result more than pays, as
is testified by the fact that the best
growers find it to their advantage to
follow this method year after year.
Another good method of fighting
the pest is by covering the trunk of
the tree from below the surface to
height of about Is inches above the
ground, with a coating of tar. IF
this be done in connection with the
worming and the use of the lime as
already suggested, the injury from
the borer will be reduced to mini
mum. FRANKLIN SHERMAN, JR.
Entomologist Dept of Agriculture,
Do NJ