33 



THE CURCULIOS. 



Since Pai'is green has been very generally recommended as a pro- 

 tection against the ravages of the curculios, both for plums and 

 apples, we kept as careful a record of curculio injuries as of those 

 by the codling moth. The results will be disappointing to those who 

 have formed their opinions of the efficacy of Paris green as a cur- 

 culio puison from some of the reports made by fruit growers. Al- 

 though a single spraying with Paris green has been reported to 

 completely defend the crop against the curculios for an entire season, 

 we found this agent decidedly less effective against these insects 

 than against the codling moth. 



Of the 1,975 apples from these two poisoned trees which were ex- 

 amined for the curculio injury, o-l'i, or 27.3 per cent., bore the brand 

 of these insect beaks; wliile of the 1,172 obtained from the check 

 trees, 602, or 57.3 per cent., had been so injured, the ratio of ap- 

 ples punctured by the curculios on the poisoned trees being nearly 

 half as many as on those trees which had not been sprayed. An 

 inspection of our tables shows that this was a fact apparent 

 throughout the season. 



Considering the picked apples only, the result is somewhat more 

 favorable than if the fallen apples also are taken into account ; the 

 percentage of those damaged by the curculios on the check tree be- 

 ing 76.5, and upon that sprayed with the Paris green, 34.4 per cent. 



The work of both the apple and the plum curculio was abundant 

 upon these trees, the latter being, however, greatly in excess; and 

 these statements apply to both these species. In fact, I may say 

 here, that wherever we kept a complete record of all curculio inju- 

 ries, we found these to average almost exactly half the number of 

 those by the apple worms,— evidence that the "Little Turk," rarely 

 noticed by the apple grower, is really among his very worst and most 

 dangerous enemies, destined, unless I am much mistaken, greatly 

 to increase in numbers and destructiveness. 



If we take the codling moth and curculios together, adding, 

 that is, all recognizable insect injuries to thf:se apples, we shall 

 find that the Paris green diminished the total almost exactly one 

 half, 44 per cent, of tlie apples on the poisoned trees being damaged, 

 and 86 per cent, of the others. 



Occasionally apples were found apparently injured by insects, but 

 not in a way to make it possible to determine to what species the 

 injury was due. These cases I have tabulated as undetermined in- 

 juries. They amounted to about 18 per cent, of all the apples ex- 

 amined which were not clearly injured by codling moth or curculio. 



It will be a matter of interest to report, while I have the data in 

 hand, the percentage of the fruit whose falVuifj was due to injury by 

 the codling moth and curculios. Taking only the two check trees 

 into account, we find that of the 1,H59 apples which fell during the 

 season, 1,539, or 82 per cent., had been injured by one or both of 

 these inseC'S, the remaining 18 per cent, having fallen from causea 

 not perceptible. 

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