483 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Mr. Windoes was requested to give his new method of destroying the cur- 

 cnlio, — to encourage the planting of plums and apricots, which was as follows : 



Could we control the ravages of the curculio, that little turk that gives us 

 so much trouble in the culture of the plum, I feel free to assert that this 

 would be one of the most, if not the most profitable of our whole list of 

 fruits. As a dessert fruit it is one of the best, and for canning is surpassed by 

 none. Tbe tree is perfectly hardy and no degree of cold affects it. It is true 

 the black knot aifects it in some localities, particularly at the east, where it has 

 been largely cultivated in place of the peach because of its hardiness. 



Of late, however, the curculio has proved its greatest enemy, and any suc- 

 cessful method of preventing the ravages of this insect will be appreciated by 

 all fruit-growers. 



By accident I discovered a remedy that with six years' experience I feel safe 

 to recommend as effectual. A year ago I gave the process to some members 

 of this Society, and- also to Mr. Wiley of Saugatuck, who promised to give it a 

 fair test. There being so many worthless remedies recommended I sought the 

 experience of others before making this public. They failed to make the 

 experiment, perhaps not thinking it worthy of a trial. But as the material 

 used costs but little, and the process costs still less, at the request of several 

 members of the Society I submit it to you. Most of our fine fruits are chance 

 seedlings, and many of the methods of protecting fruit and trapping insects 

 are accidental. So it is with this. 



In the spring of '68 while catching curculios by jarring and trapping, I had 

 occasion to empty a kettle of coal tar which I had been using for tarring fence 

 posts, and to destroy the same I set it on fire near my plum trees, not with a 

 view to benefit the trees, but to get rid of the material. The next day I found 

 that a plum tree near by, which was covered with the smudge, was deserted 

 by the curculios, and I at once procured another supply and continued its use 

 on a part of my trees. From those so treated I obtained a good crop of fruit, 

 while on the others but few perfect plums ripened. 



In 1869 I mixed one pound of sulphur with one gallon of coal tar, and as 

 soon as the fruit burst its petals commenced its use. To make this convenient 

 I procured a large frying-pan, fastened a long handle to it the more easily to 

 use it, and very early in the morning, while wet with dew, processed the trees 

 oftentimes making the foliage black with the smoke. This was continued 

 each alternate morning until the fruit was as large as a small-sized hickory 

 nut. The trees were a perfect wonder to all who saw the immense crop of per- 

 fect fruit, and it had to be thinned out to prevent the trees from breaking 

 under their burden. 



The following year, being absent at the proper time, nothing was done and 

 the result was no fruit at all. In 1871 I again tested the process, and also by 

 furnishing the material induced a neighbor who had some fine trees in his 

 garden to do the same. He was very incredulous, and it had to be tvorks with- 

 out faith that produced the results. From seven trees he sold $24 worth of 

 fruit, not taking into account what they used while fresh or for canning. My 

 crop was abundant, while on the other side on the adjoining lot a neighbor 

 who had trees did not secure a plum. 



Each year since I have continued the process with like results, while the, 

 neighbor before spoken of being sick at the proper time failed entirely. These 

 experiments have convinced me that with a reasonable amount of labor the 



