36 THE PLUM CURCULIO. 
Prunus americana last, as least susceptible. Between these would - 
come such native species and their varieties as Prunus angustifolia 
(Chickasaw) and P. umbellata, the P. hortulana group, and varieties 
of the European plums (P. domestica). Practically all sorts of plums 
throughout the range of the insect are freely attacked, but the earlier 
and more tender-skinned kinds will evidently be most sought out for 
egg-laying and feeding purposes. 
With peaches, there appears to be little if any difference as to the 
amount of injury to the different varieties. (See Pls. IV to VI for 
illustrations of injury to peaches.) While the fuzzy skin of this fruit 
renders it less attractive to the insect than plums, peaches are, as a 
rule, generally used where the insects are at all abundant. In the 
South, where early and midseason varieties are almost exclusively 
grown, wormy fruit is always in evidence at picking time. In the 
Middle States, but especially in the Northern States, wormy ripe 
peaches are less frequently seen, although the injury to the young 
fruit may have been severe. Late-maturing varieties, as Salway, 
Smock, Bilyeu, etc., as stated by numerous observers, are more free 
from attack than midsummer and early varieties, growing under 
identical conditions. As these varieties ripen after most of the beetles 
have ceased egg laying, wormy peaches at picking time are corre- 
spondingly scarce. It is probably true, however, that during the 
active oviposition period of the beetles there will be no discrimina- 
tion in choice of fruit of the early, midseason, and later maturing 
varieties. 
In the case of the apple, the curculio appears to oviposit indiffer- 
ently in all varieties early in the season, but later, on account of the 
changing texture of the skin and flesh, uses preferably the more tender 
varieties and those which mature during the summer or early fall. 
Such varieties as grow and mature quickly are very generally badly 
deformed from the egg and feeding punctures where the insect is 
abundant, whereas on later-maturing varieties the injury will be 
more nearly outgrown. (See Pls. VIL to IX for illustrations of cur- 
culio injury to apple.) Late-fall and winter sorts are, however, often 
badly injured. Trimble says: “The early apples, as the Sweet 
Bough and Early Harvest, will suffer more than later kinds,’ evi- 
dently referring to the knotty condition of the fruit when ripe. 
In regard to pears, all varieties appear to be about equally subject 
to attack. Larve, however, are probably never able to develop in 
the fruit on the trees, and comparatively few do so in drop fruit, espe- 
cially such varieties as the Kieffer and LeConte. The injury to pears 
consists largely in deformity of fruit from the egg and feeding punc- 
tures. (See Pl. X.) 
Sweet cherries are perhaps preferred to sour cherries, although 
varieties of both classes are freely punctured. Larve are able to 
