THE NINETEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 115 



CULTIVATION A KEMEDY FOR CURCULIO. 



7. As the curculio is now destroying the plum, peach and apple, and as 

 they hibernate in the ground near the surface, and are quite tender while 

 in the larval state, would it be a good plan to harrow repeatedly and roll 

 with a heavy roller during this period? 



Prof. Coedley: I think dragging would be beneficial; I have seen it 

 recommended. 



President Lyon : Plowing four or five inches deep, bringing the curculio 

 to the surface, will kill them; but curculio travel and it may be doubted if 

 such means would materially decrease the next season's Supply. 



Prof. Cordley: The mature insect hibernates less than one inch under 

 the ground, or merely under a leaf. 



Mr. Morrill: Late plowing keeps off cutworms and other insects. 



ProL Cordley: These are larvae, but the curculio are adults in the 

 winter time; they do not prepare a case, cyst, nor anything in which to 

 pass the winter. 



USE OF "snide" packages. 



* 



8. Whereas, the "honest farmer" is sometimes tempted to ship fruit in 

 fifth baskets, for the purpose of getting the same price that his brother 

 gets for a peck basket, shall we petition the legislature to make a law 

 forbidding the manufacture or use of any other measiire than bushels, 

 three-pecks, half -bushels, pecks, and half-pecks'? 



A member: California solved the question by selling everything by 

 weight. 



C. J. Monroe : There has been legislation on this subject but it has not 

 been enforced. A barrel and basket are designated by law, and contracts 

 in those terms must be filled with standard legal packages. Opinions in 

 the legislature were that we cannot legally prevent the manufacture or 

 sale of packages of any size, but fraudulent representations may be pre- 

 vented. 



R. A. Burnett, commission merchant, Chicago: Experience is teaching 

 that it is not profitable to ship in small packages. One reason is that the 

 light packages crush down and are injured. Half bushels go through as 

 sound as when they started. I have known the fifth basket come in as 

 heavy as the peck, but because it was better packed. Small packages, too, 

 are often broken. I do not think there is as much net monev from under- 

 size as from standard packages. There is no demand in a w^holesale way 

 for packages of less than a quarter bushel. We now sell but little to 

 retailers, our trade being more and more with jobbers. Call for bushels 

 is increasing from the interior, from dealers who find it best on all accounts 

 to buy in that size and repack, doing so because they get their fruit in 

 better shape. Most of the bushels are scant, however, yet the so-called 

 bushel basket is the honestest package on the market to-day. 



nursery stock— rose chafers. 



9. Is it advisable for the fruit growers of Oceana county to purchase 

 their nursery stock, particularly peach trees, from traveling salesmen, mor« 

 generally known as jobbers? 



