THE CURCULIO WARFARE. 



THE CUKCULIO WARFARE— A SUCCESSFUL BATTLE. 



BY WM. STOKES, WEST PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



Dear Sir — In the September No. of the Horticulturist for 1851, you published an arti- 

 cle over the signature of Thomas W. Ludlow, Jr., entitled " The Curculio versus Lime 

 and Sulphur." 



After reading Mr. Ludlow's account of his experiment, I concluded to try it myself 

 this spring, and am happy to be able to say, that at present there is every prospect of 

 its most perfect success. 



I regretted that Mr. Ludlow was not more particular in reference to the quantity of 

 sulphur used, in proportion to the whitewash. I shall therefore give j^ou an account of 

 my experiment, which was as follows: 



Immediately after the fall of the blossom, (May 18,) say when the fruit was about as 

 large as an ordinary pea, I observed very many of the plums were already stung by the 

 curculio; I therefore immediately procured a pailfuU of whitewash, (cold,) mixed much 

 thicker than is ordinaril}'^ used for white washing, and added a half pound of flour of 

 sulphur, (and in this proportion throughout the experiment.) I then used a common tin 

 garden pump for throwing the whitewash on to the trees, the nozzle of which was fully 

 three-eighths of an inch in diameter, and in consequence a great deal of material was wast- 

 ed in the application; this I repeated twice afterwards, at intervals of three or four days 

 each. Hereafter I shall procure a rose to fit the pump, similar to a watering pot rose, by 

 which I shall be able to cover the trees more perfectly, and at the same time prevent the 

 lime disfiguring other plants in the vicinity. 



About this time last year, there was not a single plum left on either of my trees — now, 

 the}^ are quite as full as I could wish. 



A number of my plums, this j'ear, have become semi-transparent, and fallen from the 

 trees from time to time, although not stung. Is this caused by an excess of lime? But 

 among all that have fallen that I have examined, I have found but one that had a worm 

 in it; the wounds caused by the sting of the curculio have healed over smoothl}^ and do 

 not penetrate more than a sixteenth of an inch. 



Should this meet the eye of Mr. Ludlow, I would be glad to hear from him in reference 

 to his experiments this year, and particularly as to whether his fruit turned 3'ellow and 

 withered on the tree. 



Some persons may be deterred from trying the lime and sulphur, on account of the un- 

 sightly appearance of the trees; to such I would suggest that a little green coloring mat- 

 ter might probably be added, without destroying the value of the compound. 



I would also state in this connection, that m^'self and others have covered portions of 

 our trees with musquito netting, to keep the rascals out; in most instances the fruit is 

 badly bitten and destroj^ed, in others, where the netting was so close as to exclude him 

 altogether, the fruit is not stung, but so little is left upon the tree as to render the experi- 

 riment wortliless. Yours respectfully, Wm. Stokes. 



West Philadelphia. July 8, 1852 



