INSECTS INFESTING THE PLUM TREE 141 



This is undoubtedly the worst enemy with which the fruit- 

 grower has to contend — in fact its operations have become so 

 extensive that the raising of plums has become almost entirely 

 abandoned in several sections of this country. This pest can 

 be kept in check by following the proper course, but it 

 requires constant watching ; or, as Professor Riley remarks, 

 " eternal vigilence is the price of fruit." 



Fig. 116. — Plum, showing egg-puncture Fig. 116. 



and crescent-mark of the plum Curculio ; 

 also, a curculio resting upon the plum. 



The female curculio makes a small hole 

 in the fruit (Fig. 116) with her snout, then turns around and 

 deposits therein a single egg ; after which she gnaws a cres- 

 cent-shaped slit around and partially under the egg. This 

 precaution is prol)ably taken in order to prevent the fruit from 

 growing over and thus destroying the egg. On account of this 

 hal)it, the insect has been named the "Little Turk," the cres- 

 cent l)eing the national emblem of the Turkish Empire. 



This crescent is a pretty sure indication that the fruit upon 

 which it appears is infested with the curculio, although upon 

 apples and similar fruits the growth of the fruit is so rapid as 

 to obliterate the crescent in a short time. Each female is sup- 

 posed to have a stock of from fifty to one hundred eggs, and 

 to deposit from five to ten a day. While those which appear 

 earlier begin this work by the middle of May, it is continued 

 by others, which appear later, so that the period of egg-laying 

 is extended to a period of about two months. 



Fig. 117.— Larva of Plum Curculio, Fig. 117. 



enlarged — color, yellowish-white. 



The larva (Fig. 117) which hatches 

 from the egg of the curculio is a small 

 footless worm, somewhat resembling 



a maggot, except that it does not taper so much, and it has a 

 distinct head. It is of a glossy yellowish-white color, but 

 partakes more or less of the color of the flesh of the fruit it 

 infests. There is a lighter line running along each side of the 

 body, with a row of minute black bristles below, and a less 

 distinct one above it. The under part is reddish-brown, and 

 the head is yellowish or pale brown. When fully grown it 



