STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 229 



removing all rubbish under which the insects could secrete themselves, 

 and by perfectly leveling and smoothing the earth under the trees, and 

 especially around the stem of the trees so as to leave no lumps of earth, 

 or cracks, or crevices under or in which a curculio could secrete itself. 

 This done, we surrounded the stem or trunk of each tree with corn cobs, 

 pieces of bark, etc., placing these so the edges next to the trees should 

 touch the trunks, and pressed them down gently into the earth so as to 

 leave only small openings under them into which the insects could enter. 



Now for results : 



Curculios taken under trap. o 



On curculio catcher . ..., 63 



Taken under traps o 



On curculio catcher 38 



Cloudy and rainy a little. 



Under traps, Plum curculio 2 



Under traps, Apple curculio 3 



On curculio catcher 41 



Taken under traps, Apple curculios -. 3 



Plum curculios, on curculio catcher 58 



On two corn cobs, laid together in forks of tree. i 



Taken under traps. Plum curculio i 



Apple .-- — -.- 4 



" " On curculio catcher 109 



The catcher was run about seven o'clock each morning, and the traps 

 were examined at five, at noon, and again between six and seven each 

 evening. 



We trust that our Michigan friends, Messrs. Ransom, Whittlesey, 

 Jackson, and Dr. Winans, and others who are trapping their insects, also 

 jarring them down, will continue both modes, at least on a limited num- 

 ber of trees, to the end of the curculio season, carefully note the results, 

 and forward the same to us for publication. 



Connected with this new discoverv, it seems to us that it would be 

 well to mark, as near as may be, the earliest and latest periods at which 

 the larvae of the curculio leave the fruit, as well as the earliest and latest 

 periods at which curculios, bred this year, emerge from the ground as 

 beetles; also, how large a proportion, if any, hibernate below ground 

 during winter, in the larvae form. This would aid in the coming year in 

 ascertaining what proportion of other curculios, than those which come 

 out of the ground in the spring, are captured by traps. 



Last fall we were at Benton Harbor, Mich., as late as October 20th. 

 On some peaches of the Key Port white variety brought home by us, a 

 few, half to two-thirds grown larvae were found. These, and probably 

 all the larvai that left the fruit after the middle of August, would retain 

 the larval form until the following spring. 



On our kite visit, May 22d, nearly all the curculios furnished us by 

 Mr. Ransom, taken under his traps, had the bright and lighter colors 



