THE PLUM IN KANSAS. 11 



crescent-shaped insignia of that "little Turk," the curculio, an insect 

 so small as, perhaps, to have escaped his observation for years, unless 

 particularly drawn to it, but which, nevertheless, appropriates to him- 

 self the whole product of a tree, or an orchard of a thousand trees. 

 The habits of this curculio, or plum-weevil, are not yet fully and en- 

 tirely ascertained. But careful observation has resulted in establish- 

 ing the following points in its history : 



The plum-weevil is a small, dark-brown beetle, with spots of white, 

 yellow, and black. Its length is scarcely one- fifth of an inch. On 

 its back are two black humps, and it is furnished with a pretty long, 

 curved throat and snout, which, when it is at rest, is bent between the 

 fore legs. It is also provided with two wings, with which it flies 

 through the air. How far this insect flies is yet a disputed point, 

 some cultivators aflirming that it scarcely goes farther than a single 

 tree, and other believe that it flies over a whole neighborhood. 

 Our own observation inclines us to the belief that this insect emi- 

 grates just in proportion as it finds in more or less abundance the 

 tender fruit for depositing its eggs. Very rarely do we see more than 

 one puncture in a plum, and, if the insects are abundant, the trees of 

 a single spot will not afford a sufiicient number for the purpose ; then 

 there is little doubt (as we have seen them flying through the air) 

 that the insect flies farther in search of a larger supply. But usually, 

 we think, it remains nearly in the same neighborhood, or migrates 

 but slowly. About a week or two after the blossoms have fallen from 

 the trees, if we examine the fruit of the plum in a district where this 

 insect abounds, we shall find the small, newly formed fruit beginning 

 to be punctured by the probo.scis of the plum-weevil. The insect is 

 so small and shy that, unless we watch closely, it is very likely to 

 escape our notice. But if we strike or shake the tree suddenly, it 

 will fall in considerably numbers on the ground, drawn up as if dead, 

 and resembling a small raisin, or, i^erhaps more nearly, a ripe hemp- 

 seed. 



From the 1st of April until August this insect may be found, 

 though we think its depredations on fruit, and indeed its appearance 

 in any quantity, are confined to the months of May and June in this 

 climate. In places where it is very abundant, it also attacks, to some 

 extent, the cherry, the peach, and even the apple and pear. Early in 

 July the punctured plums begin to fall rapidly from the tree. The 

 egg deposited in each, at first invisible, has become a white grub or 

 larva, which slowly eats its way toward the stone or pit. As soon as 

 it reaches this point the fruit falls to the ground. Here, if left un- 

 disturbed, the grub soon finds its way into the soil. There, according 

 to most cultivators of fruits, and to our own observation, the grubs or 



