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MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



tain extent by other members of the weevil family, barring the 

 crescent-like slit, is curious enough. She first punctures and eats 

 a small hole into the pulp of the fruit ; she then turns about and lays 

 one oval, w^hitish egg in this hole. Her next move is to make a 

 crescentric cut in one side of the egg puncture, eating the tissue 

 until she gets partly around and below the egg. This is the usual 

 method followed, though it may vary in minute detail. Evidently 

 this crescent, which practically undermines the egg, is made so that 

 the tender egg may not be crushed by the growing pulp of the 

 apple or plum. 



Details of injury to apples: a. egg punctures with larvse living in the pulp and the punct- 

 ures beginning to decay; d, c. d, egg punctures beginning to heal, as eggs never hatched; 

 _/, badly stung portions of an apple; e, egg puncture nearly healed; g; scar in depression. 



Stedman. 



Of course, if these "stings" are made when the fruit is well 

 along in its growth, and the egg does not hatch — and it is to be 

 noted that only a very small proportion of the eggs laid ever reach 

 the mature beetle stage — or if the puncture made at that time is 

 just for feeding purposes, it does not spoil the apple, though the 

 fruit, which would show the scar, could not then be classed as first 

 grade. And if, for any reason, when the apple is small the female 

 does not lay an egg in the puncture or if the egg fails to hatch, the 

 young apple will probably outgrow the injury. These "stings," 



