'.g^ — 



THE CUECUUO. 



and gave four applications witliiu ten days, on one tree of Gen. Hand^ one White 

 Prune, one Caledonian, one KnighCs Green Drying, one Royal Hative, and one 

 Green Gage, I covered the tops, leaves and fruit, so completely with the mixture, 

 that at a little distance the trees looked as though they were in one perfect sheet of 

 bloom. For two years previously I had not had a single fruit to ripen on any of these 

 trees. About five days after the first application, I discovered the work of the insect 

 on every tree, all about equally. The depredations increased constantly, although we 

 applied the mixture in greater quantities. After the fourth application I discontinued 

 it, believing that it was doing no good. At this juncture I set my gardener to work 

 at spading up a part of my garden, with directions to spade it deeply and turn the 

 top earth completely under. It happened that he commenced in that part of my lot 

 where one of the plum trees stood, (the Green Gage.) The ground under it, and in 

 all that part of the lot, was deeply spaded and well turned under. There was no 

 spading done under or about the others. After three or four days I discovered that 

 the depredators had discontinued their work upon this tree, while on all the others 

 they appeared, from the havoc they made, to work with a double fury, as though 

 maddened at the attempt to foil them by covering their victims with lime and sulphur. 

 On the five trees there was not a single h-uit left to ripen. On the Green Gage not a 

 plum was incised after the spading, that I could discover. From it was gathered 

 about one bushel of perfect fruit. 



That this fruit was saved by turning up the subsoil, or turning under the top soil, I 

 have no doubt ; but as to the philosophy of the thing, or the reason of the result pro- 

 duced, I am at a loss. It must have been produced, however, by one of two causes ; 

 and I will remark here, by way of introduction to one of them, that by syringing the 

 trees a large quantity of the lime and sulphur solution fell upon the ground, so as to 

 produce an incrustation upon the surface to the full extent of the circumference of the 

 branches of the tree. One is, that the composition, or incrustation on the surface, by 

 the turning under was brought into immediate contact with the spongioles, or feeders 

 of the roots, and thence taken to the fruit ; that, when dissolved by the sap of the 

 tree and acids of the fruit, its effects were to produce a flavor or taste loathsome* to 

 the depredator, and thereby prevented his further annoyance. The other is, that 

 during the season in which the curculio inflicts his mischief, he fixes his habitation 

 permanently under the tree, near the surface of the ground, where he remains during 

 his time of rest, and from which he ascends to the top of the tree, either by his legs 

 or wings, at his proper season for labor ; and that by the spading he was turned 

 under the ground so deeply that he could not again make his way to the surface. 



I shall continue my experiments next season. I shall try the spading alone, and 

 the turning under and sulphur and lime mixture on the surface of the ground in 

 conjunction. 



* We very much doubt this, as vre have found the most loathsome applications to the fruit of no avail in repelling 

 the insect We are very happy to record such lnst£.nces of close and careful observation, and trust that experiments 

 will be continued ; but we must say that we have very little confMence in any experiments of such a limited nature, 

 because almost every year we see individual trees escape, as in the case of the Greati Oage alluded to, from some 

 cause or other unseen. — Ed. 



