The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-04-15
DEALING WITH
THE PEACH BORER.

Prof. H. A. Surface, State Zoolo-
peach tree borer is the most serious
pest that the peach tree has in this
State. AS to dealing with it, he gives
the following instructions:
AT this time of the year the east
est way to deal with borers is to re-
move them from the peach tree with
pointed knife blade, cutting up and
down the tree where necessary. but
not cutting across any more than
must be done. Wherever gum is
seen oozing from the tree and con-
tanning fine grains, like sawdust, you
may be sure this is due to borers;
moreover, gum without such grains
does not come from the holes of
borers. Remove all the pests; then
wash or spray the trunk of the tree
with a thick or heavy solution of
the boiled lime-sulfur wash. made as
you would make it for San Jose
Scale, only using twice as much lime
This means II pounds of sulfur and
"A pounds of lime, boiled one hour
with enough water to boil it, and
then add water to make so gallons
Stir it up and strain it; paint the
sediment that remains around the
trunks of some trees, and spray the
others with the strained liquid con-
tanning all sediment that will go
through the nozzle You thus have
enough substance to make a body
that will stick to the trees almost
like paint. By applying it with a
coarse nozzle and a spray pump, you
can throw it well into the crevices
and cracks where eggs may be de-
posted, or where there may be
young borers that have not yet enter
ed beneath the bark
This treatment will also prevent
moths from laying their eggs there
in the summer season, and may even
be continued during the summer or
winter. What is more, it will be
valuable in helping to prevent de-
struction by rabbits and mice gnaw-
ing the trees next winter. 1t will
be a fungicide on that portion of the
tree which it touches, and will be
| well worth the effort of the appli-
cation. The more of the bark that
is covered, the better Apply from
pint to a quart to the trunk of
each tree, according to the size of the
tree, spraying it to a distance of two
feet above the ground and down to
! below the level of the ground. where,
of course, the soil was removed for
the purpose of letting you get down
low to examine the borers' holes.
After the trees have been treated
fill in the ground, not only TO the
/ level of the soil, but to a height OF
three or four inches, mounding the
earth around the trunk of each
| tree. If this method is repeated
about the last of next June, you will
/ find there will be but few borers
| indeed, to remove, and almost nc
| cutting to be done to the trees, and
the application will prevent the Dor
ers attacking the trees during the
/ summer Mound the trees immedi.
ately after applying the lime-sulfuI
wash and keep them thus mounded.
I'm my experiments with hundreds
of substances, nothing has proven
more efficient than this. Not two
per cent. of the trees so treated have
been attacked by borers. However
l should advise you to avoid care
fully the use of oils on peach trees
killed most of mine upon which
| used experimentally certain oils
OF course. this also killed the bor
ers, but by using other materials
the pests were destroyed and the
trees saved"