The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1915-02-18
DAMAGE IS DONE
BY PEACH BORER
Board OF Entomology Also Tells What
To Do For curcuIic and
Brown Rot

Atlanta, Ga.-(Special) - Perhaps
next to San Jose scale The peach tree
borer is the worst enemy Of the peach
in Georgia. This insect, which works at
the base Of trees, does more damage
than any other Of its class, says the
Georgia State Board Of Entomology.
The adult peach borer resembles
the wasp in size and shape. Both
the male and female are steel blue in
general body color, but the abdomen
of the female is marked with broad
orange band which is absent on the
body Of the male The eggs are laid
In August or early in September, and
from these little worms hatch and
soon begin to bore in the bark near
the ground, causing the gummys ex-
udations so often noticed at the base
OF peach and other stone fruit trees
When full grown the worms are about
one inch in length, yellowish white in
color with the head brown.
Among the various remedies which
have been tried are protecting the
base of the tree with paper and rak-
ing up the dirt around it. scraping
the tree with worm hook, getting
off both the gum and worms, has also
been practiced in the fall and the
spring. After worming caustic pot
ash or lime-sulphur mixture is used to
kill remaining larvae.
Protect Base Of Trees
More recent experiments show that
the peach tree borer can be controlled
by protecting the area around the
base Of the tree to prevent the youne
larvae from crawling down to the
roots and laying their eggs on the
base of the tree, says State Entomol
ogist Il. Lee Worsham.
A device designed for this purpose
has recently been perfected by Prof
w. M. Scott, former State entomolo-
gist Of Georgia, which consists of a
cone-shaped shield inserted about the
base of the tree after removing the
dirt down to the roots. This shield
is then covered over with tarred pa
per and 4cemented to the tree with a
sticky or gummy substance so that
there is no chance for the borers to
work their way to the roots. This de-
vice seems to give absolute protection
and prevent the borers from getting
into the roots of the trees.
TO Keep Out The Worms
The plum curculio, small dark
brown. rough-back beetle, which is re.
sponsible for most of the wormy
peaches in this state, is another pest
with which the growers will have to
contend this spring. This beetle,
about a fifth of an inch in length and
with wings which enable it to fly a
considerable distance, will draw up its
legs when disturbed and remain SEEM
ingly lifeless. While playing 'pos-
sum- 1t is difficult to distinguish it
from a small dried bud
The female lays her eggs under the
skin of the fruit, usually only one to
each peach, and the worm bores to,
ward the center of the fruit, finally
lodging near the seed The fruit be.
comes gummy diseased and ripens
prematurely or is imperfectly formed.
The results of two years expert
ments by the State Board Of Ento-
mology show that curculio can be best
controlled by spraying with arsenate
of lead in the ratio of two pounds to
so gallons of water, to which is add
ed a milk of lime solution made from
three pounds of stone lime. The first
application is recommended when the
calyces or shucks are shedding and
the second two weeks later.
For long time the method of jar
ring the trees to shake down the bee
ties was used, but experiments have
proven this more expensive and less
effective than the spraying plan.
Curculio and brown rot are intimate
Iy associated. In many instances both
are active at the same time, and the
department recommends a system Of
spraying which will control or large
ly eliminate both Of these troubles.
DIpWN f1SL Ftila GHtGhitO
The brown rot is a fungus disease
which attacks the fruit as it APP
proaches maturity, causing it to rot
on the trees before it is ready to be
picked for market. The loss from
brown rot is frequently from 25 to so
per cent and sometimes as high as
IS per cent where its development is
encouraged by damp. wet weather.
For brown rot independently of cur.
culio there should be at least two
sprayings with a homemade lime-sul-
phur solution. 1t is most usual, how,
ever, and most often necessary to
spray for curculio and brown rot at
the same time, when three sprayings
are used as follows:
First Spraying.-About time calyces
or shucks are shedding, using solution
of 2 pounds arsenate lead and 8
pounds stone lime to so gallons water
Second Spraying. = About three
weeks later, using homemade lime
sulphur solution and arsenate Of lead
combined, in proportion OF s pounds
lime, S pounds sulphur and 2 pounds
arsenate lead to 80 gallons water.
Third Spraying.-About four weeks
after the second, using the homemade
lime-sulphur solution alone.
n-l focA snrovincr for brouy., 7,rs