^IS PRUNUS DOMESriCA. 



to which alhisidii is niadr iindor the head of " Insects." in our article on the 

 peach-tree. Dr. Harris describes the pert'eet insect as a htth-, roiigli, dark-hrown, 

 or blackish beetle, lookinj? like a dried bnd, when it is shaken from the tree, 

 which re.scmhlancc is increased by its habit of drawing np its legs, and bend- 

 ing its snout close to the lower side of its body, and remaining for a time 

 without motion, and seemingly lifeless. In stinging the fruit, before laying its 

 eggs, it uses its short, curved snout, which is armed at the tip with a pair of 

 very small nippers; and by means of this weapon, it makes, in the tender 

 skin of the young plum or apple, a crcscent-sha])ed incision, similar to what 

 M'ould be formed by indenting the fruit with the finger nail. Very rarely is 

 there more than one incision made in the same fruit; and in the wound, the 

 weevil lays oidy a single egg. The insect hatched from this egg is a little 

 whitish grub, destitute of feet, and very much like a maggot in appearance, 

 except that it has a distinct, rounded, light-brown head. It appears from some 

 observations made by Dr. Harris and others, that the large, black, warty tumours 

 found on the small branches of plum and cherry-trees, are infested not only by 

 these insects, but also by another kind of grub, provided with legs, and occasion- 

 ally by the larvaj of the JEgeha. exitiosa, or peach-tree borer. When the grubs 

 of the plum-weevil are fully grown, which occurs at various periods from May 

 to September, they usually fall with the punctured fruit, and go into the earth, 

 where they are changed into chrysalides of a white colour, having the legs and 

 wings free, and capable of motion ; and finally they leave the ground in the form 

 of a little beetle, exactly like those above described, which takes place in Massa- 

 chusetts from the early part of March till towards the middle of June, according 

 to the nature of the season and the exposure of the situation.* Among the 

 various remedies recommended for checking the ravages of these insects, are the 

 paving of the ground directly beneath the trees with bricks, or other materials, 

 so as to prevent the worms from entering the earth, to transform ; the pouring of 

 boiling-hot water around the trees, towards the end of August, in order to scald 

 the insects to death ; and the shaking or jarring of the trees every evening and 

 morning, during the time that the beetles are occupied in depositing their eggs. 

 When thus disturbed, they contract their legs, and fall ; and as they do not 

 immediately attempt to crawl or fly away, they may readily be caught on a mat 

 or sheet, spread under the tree, and then be crushed or burned to death. In 

 addition to the method last described, Dr. Harris recommends that all the fallen 

 wormy plums should be immediately gathered, and, after they are boiled or 

 steamed, to kill the enclosed grubs, they should be given as food to swine. The 

 diseased excrescences, he says, should be cut out, and burned, every year, before 

 the last of June. 



Properties and Uses. The wood of the Prunus domestica is hard, close, com- 

 pact, beautifully veined, and susceptible of a fine polish. When dry, it weighs from 

 forty to fifty pounds to a cubic foot, according to the age and growth of the tree. 

 Its texture is silky, and when washed with lime-water, its colour is heightened, 

 and may be preserved by the application of varnish or wax. Unfortunately for 

 this tree, its wood is sometimes rotten at the heart. In France and Germany, it 

 is much sought after by turners, cabinet-makers, and the manufacturers of musi- 

 cal instruments. The leaves are sometimes given to cattle for forage. The use 

 of the fruit in domestic economy for dessert, and for making tarts and puddings, 

 is well known. In France, plums are principally used dry or preserved, and 

 enter extensively into commerce. The kinds usually employed for preserving, 

 are the Brignole, the prune d'Ast, the Perdrigon blanc, the prune d'Agen, and 

 the Ste. Catherine. In warm countries, plums or prunes are dried on hurdles by 



* See Harris' Report, pp. 66, 67, 68, 351, 352. 



