52G HOARD OK AfiWK (ILTUKK. 



Prof. Troop: Treatment does not affect the larva any, for just as 

 quick as the larva liatchos, it eats its "way into tlie plum. You must 

 catch the adult to p;et any n^snlt Avilh the curculio. and the jarring pro 

 cess, I heliove. is the hi st. You have to tal^e advaiitago of the habits of 

 these pests, and one uf the peculiarities of the curculio is that it drops as 

 soon as there is any sign of danger. If a bird lights on a branch and jars 

 it a little, the curculio drops and lies on tlie ground until all danger Is 

 over. Now, taking advantage of ihal habit, the Eastern plum growers 

 give the tree a good, smart blow, using a sheet to gather up the insects. 

 Some of our best plum growers practice that, especially in the Kast. 

 They keep it up every morning— get up early in the morning and keep it 

 up as long as they are able to catch any. 



Mr. Fawcett: The Avay I practice it, we have good success, but we 

 lind most of the curculios on the outskirts of the orchard, near the woods, 

 and inside the orchard there are fewer curculios. 



Question: It seems to nie that that is a good deal of trouble, and 

 might be obviated if you have plenty of chickens. If you have plenty of 

 chickens, do you need to gather them up AA'ith the sheet? 



Prof. Troop: No, if you have plenty of chickens you can use them to 

 advantage. The chickens are early risers, and if you get up pretty early 

 in the morning and go around and shake the trees the insects will drop 

 off and the chickens will gather them up. I have known plum growers 

 that just turned their chickens into the orchard and trusted to the wind' 

 to cause the curculio to drop. 



Mr. Ritterskamp: Two years ago, at Orleans, the subject of raising 

 phuus came up— there were some on the table at the hotel and we ate 

 them and thought they were very fine. I tried to grow plums, but have 

 been unsuccessful in Gibson County. I have tried for several years to 

 grow the Abundance and the Gibbon, but was unsuccessful on account 

 of the curculio. 



Mr. Morgan: Our P.urbank was not affected by the curculio except in 

 a very dry season. It was more apt to be'affected by the rot? 



Prof. Troop: Thinning will help any plum; and I might add right here 

 that that particular branch of the subject has not been spoken of as 

 much as it ought to have been, especially in the stone fruits. The subject 

 of thinning the fruits so that no two fruits will touch each other while 

 they are growing, and especially for plums, is very important, and should 

 have- been more fully brought out. If the two fruits touch each other 

 they can not ripen equally, and the subject of thinning is as important as 

 anything we have touched on here today, with the exception, perhaps, 

 of the apple growing, and I do not know that I would except that. 



