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Show Horticulture HARM DONE BY BARK BEETLE Like Other Members of Their Family They Always Attack Weakened and Starved Trees. In peach orchards frcm New York southward to Virginia and westward to Michigan the peach tree bark beetle bee-tle has given occasional trouble since about 1850. It is a hard-shelled insect in-sect about inch long, and when It emerges from the tree leaves tiny holes like small shot holes in the bark, hence it is sometimes called the shot-hole borer. The full-grown beetles appear In early spring, burrow through the bark to the sapwood, and lay their eggs. The larvae soon hatch and make little burrows of their owns in various directions. In about one month they emerge and start a second brood. The numerous burrows eventually srirdle and kill the trees. Like other members of their family, they rarely attack healthy trees, but promptly recognize weakened and starved trees, which soon show the gummy exudations at points of at- Peach Tree Bark Beetle. tack. This peculiarity suggests that orchard trees should be kept in the best possible vigor, and all that show serious infestation should be promptly prompt-ly cut out and burned at once, so as to destroy all the insects nnder the bark. Delay is sure to increase the risk to other trees from increased numbers of insects. If only slight infestations in-festations are noticed all trees should be closely examined to determine the original source of weakness, and should be stimulated with applications of fertilizer, and the trunk kept covered cov-ered with whitewash to which paris green has been added. Strong whale oil soapsuds with a little crude carbolic car-bolic acid also aid the effectiveness of whitewash. A recent bulletin by H. F. Wilson of the United States department of agriculture recommends severely trimming trim-ming back trees that are seriously Injured and the application of farmyard farm-yard manure and commercial fertilizer ferti-lizer prior to the application of a thick coat of whitewash to the trunks and limbs three times a year; first. In the last week -f March; second, during the second week in July; and third, about October 1. For apparently apparent-ly healthy but slightly attacked trees, Mr. Wilson recommends the whitewashing white-washing and the removal of all dead limbs and trees, not only in the orchard, or-chard, but in the neighborhood, so as to destroy the breeding places. |