On the Fruit Curculio. 35 



" The curculio delights most in the smooth skinned 

 stone fruits, such as nectarines, plumbs, apricots, &c. 

 when they abound on a farm : they nevertheless attack 

 the rough skinned peach, the apple, pear, and quince. 

 The instinctive sagacity of these creatures directs them 

 especially to the fruits most adapted to their purpose. 

 The stone fruits more certainly perish by the wounds 

 made by these insects, so as to fall in due time to the 

 ground, and afford an opportunity to the young mag- 

 got to hide itself in the earth. Although multitudes of 

 seed fruits fall, yet many recover from their wounds, 

 which heal up with deeply indented scars. — This pro- 

 bably disconcerts the curculio, in its intended course 

 to the earth. Be this as it may, certain it is, that pears 

 are less liable to fall, and are less injured by this insect 

 tlian apples. Nectai"ines, plumbs. Sec. in most districts 

 of our country, where the curculio has gained an esta- 

 blishment, are utterly destroyed, unless special means are 

 employed for their preservation. Cherries escape bet- 

 ter, on account of their rapid progress to maturity and 

 their abundant crops : the curculio can only puncture 

 a small part of them, during the short time they hang 

 upon the tree. These destructive insects continue their 

 depredations from the first of May until autumn. Our 

 fruits collectively estimated must thereby be depreciated 

 more than half their value." 



*' We are unacquainted with any tribe of insects able 

 to destroy the curculio. All the domestic animals, how- 

 ever, if well directed, contribute to this purpose. Hogs 

 in a special manner are qualified for the work of exter- 

 mination. This voracious animal, if suffered to go at 

 large in orchards, and among fruit trees, devours all the 



