2 28 TkANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



discovered." On the first day of our visit to the St. Joseph and Ben- 

 ton Harbor orchards we were strongly inclined to believe that a remedy, 

 at least nearly perfect, had at length been discovered, and had we returned 

 without making a second day's investigation, we might have been at a 

 loss to know whether it would do or not to trust to trapping to save a 

 crop of fruit. 



On first seeing the insects under the traps we were at a loss to deter- 

 mine whether they were apple or plum curculios. To determine this we 

 brought home specimens, and after carefully comparing them with those 

 known to make the crescent cut, we find nearly all were plum curculios. 

 When wc left, Mr. Ransom or others did not seem to be quite as hope- 

 ful as they were at first. The last day we were at St. Jo. Mr. Ransom 

 told us that since the weather became warmer but few curculios would 

 come down from the trees, and that himself and assistant were hand- 

 picking the trees. 



This sudden failure of the curculios to go under the shelter provided 

 for them, caused quite an animated discussion, and as several practical 

 gentlemen participated in it, some valuable experience was elicited. 



Many instances were mentioned of gronnd which had been recently 

 stirred or dug up, on which bits of bark or boards had been laid, of cur- 

 culios at once adhering to the imder side of them as though they had just 

 come out of the new stirred ground. Others were found with mud or 

 clay adhering to their backs, looking as though they had just come np 

 from a considerable depth. A popular theory with some was, that the 

 curculios crawled at nigiit from their winter haunts to the orchards, and 

 after feeding on the foliage by night, had crawled down the trees and 

 under the nearest cover, where they remained during the day, but each 

 night returned to regale themselves on the foliage of the trees after which 

 they again sought shelter to take their daily nap. This theory has not 

 been sustained, no one ever having seen a curculio descend from the fruit 

 trees, either to shelter itself, or for any other purpose. 



Since so much interest and importance has attached to the discovery 

 made by Mr. Ransom, several persons have had the cheek to claim that 

 they have known for many years that curculios would avail themselves 

 of shelter when it was provided for them. Without advising our readers 

 to rely on this discovery to save their fruit crops from the " little Turk," 

 we would nevertheless advise all to experiment in this new field so 

 recently opened to them. 



When we arrived at home from our Michigan trip, curculios had been 

 at work in our grounds about twenty-five days. We were, on that 

 account, at least that number of days too late to fairly test the value of 

 Mr. Ransom's discovery for this latitude. But that we might know with 

 respect to its merit in our warmer climate, as a means of exterminating 

 or capturing such curculios as yet remained in the orchard, or those which 

 came in from the forest or surrounding orchards, we at once selected five 

 of our largest Nectarine trees in fruit. 



The trees we selected were those most exposed to insects coming in 

 from other points. The neccessary preparation of grovmd was made, by 



