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THE CA.NADIAN HORTICULTUKIST. 



PRESERVING PLUMS FROM THE 

 CURCULIO. 



BV J. W. JOHNSTON, CAMPBELLFORD. 



Last spring, as usual, I had a pros- 

 pect of a large crop of plums, if the 

 cure alio would only let — say half of 

 t^em alone. For years back I tried 

 every remedy I heard of, including 

 smoking with coal tar, jarring trees on 

 sheets, &c. ; but with very indifferent 

 results, as every one who has tried it 

 knows that large trees can not be suc- 

 cessfully jarred. 



So last spring I resolved to put in 

 practice a theory I have had in my 

 mind for a long time, viz. : to coat the 

 plums over with some substance that 

 would not in any way injure the fruit, 

 and yet be imj^ervious to the attacks of 

 the curculio. I had not long to wait. 

 The fruit was no sooner set than the 

 curculio began to work in a lively 

 manner. If I meant to do anything I 

 had to hurry up. Well, early in the 

 morning I went out with a pail of dry 

 air-slaked lime and threw it thoroughly 

 through the trees, using up two pails- 

 ful on six trees about seven years 

 planted. Every leaf, twig, and plum 

 was thoroughly coated with lime. 

 When the sun dried the dew off, the 

 trees were dazzling white. This coat- 

 ing I repeated three times, as winds 

 and rains took it off. The result was 

 the trees were overloaded. The cur- 

 culio would not bite the lime off to get 

 at the plums. They could be seen 

 running along the twigs during the day 

 with their long noses elevated at an 

 angle of 45 degrees, while on the other 

 trees not so treated they were positively 

 travelling with their noses down. The 

 lime did not injure either the fruit or 

 the foliage. I had about one hundred 

 bearing trees, and only those limed 

 escaped ; on the latter not a plum was 

 stung. That this remedy will prove 

 successful wherever faithfully applied, 

 I have not the slightest doubt j but if 



he is allowed a day or two tlie start, \ 

 the plums will be all stung before you ^ 

 know where you are. Before the fruit 

 is ripe the wind and i-ustling of the 

 leaves will have taken all the lime off 

 the fruit. As soon as the curculio egg- 

 laying season is over, say four weeks 

 after fruit sets, the trouble is ended. 



Remedy No. 2 is another pUm I had 

 thought of for some time, but have not 

 yet tried it, as I found the first so suc- 

 cessful. It would consist of a balloon- 

 shaped net of any cheap material, such 

 as cheese-bandage cloth, costing four to 

 six cents per yard ; and as each net 

 could be used several seasons, it would 

 not be expensive. It would only re- 

 quire to be on the trees about four 

 weeks, and would save the entire crop. 

 One side of the net would require to be 

 left open, with small hooks (and eyes 

 or not) sewed down the edge to close it 

 when the tree was enveloped, and then 

 closely tied at the bottom to prevent 

 any curculio effecting an entrance. 

 The trees would require to be well 

 jarred first to make sure of none of the 

 enemy being left within. The cloth 

 netting might be made very durable by 

 soaking in oil of some kind. I hope 

 the members of the Ontario Fruit 

 Growers' Association will try one or 

 both of these remedies next spring and 

 report success. 



REPORT ON TREES, &c. RECEIVED. 



I submit the following report of the 

 trees, &c., received from the Fruit 

 Growers' Association, with the results : 



1872. McLaughlin Plum grew well, 

 is a fine tree, in good bearing. This 

 plum as a dessert plum is in every 

 respect first-class, of the finest flavor, 

 but too tender to send to market except 

 in small baskets packed like straw- 

 berries. 



1873. Grimes Golden Pippin— Tree 

 dead when it came ; evidently had been 

 badly heeled in and winter killed. 



