72 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



drench all parts of the foliage. If no rains succeed for three •weeks, one application will 

 be sufficient. If washed by rains it should be renewed." 



The receipt was effectual in raising — not plums, but the price of whale oil soap from 

 one dollar and seventy-five cents per hundred pounds, one year, to six dollars the next. 

 We tried it faithfully on a portion of our orchard, and finding the Curculio had misun- 

 derstood the object of the syringing, or was obstinate and wouldn't take the hint, we 

 fitted up a Curculio catcher similar to Dr. Hull's, and invariably caught as many Curcu- 

 lios from the trees that were syringed as from those that were not. Gas Tar has been 

 recommended, but it is utterly worthless for this purpose. Indeed, a gentleman in- 

 formed me that he had tried the strongest smelling substance to be obtained at the Gas 

 works, so strong that his neighbors complained of it as a nuisance, but without any 

 effect. Coal oil is also recommended, but as it will not drive off lice from cattle, it is 

 doubtful whether it will drive the Curculio from the plum trees. Among the defensive 

 remedies, cotton batting tied around the trunk of the tree has been recommended, in en- 

 tire ignorance of the fact that the Curculio has wings and flies readily. 



Common salt has also been recommended : after smoothing the ground, and packing 

 hard, the salt is to be spread on a quarter of an inch thick as far as the branches extend. 

 I have seen no report from any one who has tried it, but would suppose from the fact 

 that the Curculio will fly half a mile or more, the remedy would have to be extensively 

 applied to be anything more than partially successful. 



Hogs running in an orchard while the plums are falling, is, from the fact above men- 

 tioned, also but a partial remedy. Last, but after all that has been said, the only reliable 

 plan of fighting the "Little Turk" is the jarring plan — knock the rascals down on a 

 sheet spread under the tree, and pinch their heads off. Dr. Hull's Curculio catcher is an 

 admirable contrivance for doing this speedily and effectually ; it has been suggested that 

 if the umbrella plan was carried out more closely it might be an advantage. A jointed 

 handle, or a handle that could be inserted so as to fold up the sheet from the barrow, 

 would make it more convenient for passing through gates, and also storing away when 

 not needed. In conclusion, I would say, whoever would be a successful plum-grower 

 must exercise the persevering, unconditional surrender spirit of our President elect, " and 

 fight it out on this line, (the jarring and sheet process) if it takes all summer." 



EPISODE ON THE CHICKASAW. 



Colman — I have been very much interested in the Essay of Mr. 

 Francis. But I think he is wrong about the Chickasaw Plum being 

 in our river bottoms. I have never seen it wild in the western 

 country, except thickets of it at Herculaneum brought in originally 

 by the old French settlers. 



Walsh — It is put down by Lapham in his lists, as indigenous to 

 Tazewell county. 



Warder — It is only found native, south of Memphis. The plum 

 found in northern Illinois is different. 



