334 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



and fumigations of horrible odors, has built fortifications of cot- 

 ton and tar, and troughs filled with oil round the bodies of the 

 trees, and placed whole loads of offensive manures under 

 favorite fruits, and on one occasion bored holes in the bodies of 

 trees and plugged in charges of sulphur. Even at this time he 

 occasionally jarred the trees over sheets, as directed in some of 

 the books, and killed large numbers of the enemy, but subsequent 

 experience i^roved that this last was not efi"ectually done; the 

 consequence was, no apricots, no nectarines, no plums, and but 

 few apples, except little knarly things. 



But since those three years, the jarring process was systemati- 

 cally resorted to and has proved a perfect remedy. The fruit 

 crops since have never failed ; even the ajDricot and nectarine 

 trees never losing any portions of their crops from this cause, 

 and frequently overloaded. 



The black knot, that disfigures the plum orchards in so many 

 parts of the country, and finally destroy so many trees, is also 

 caused by the curculio. 



The rot, that carries off in a few days so many kinds of plums 

 just before they ripen, and when we think the crop secure, is 

 caused by the same enemy. 



If the curculio passed a part of its life, as some other insects 

 do, exposed to the attacks of the ichneumon, some one of these 

 parasite flies might come to our rescue. But its larvfB are so 

 deeply imbeded in the fruit, that the smaller varieties of these 

 flies could not reach them with their ovipositors, and the young 

 curculio is too small to answer as a nidus for the larger ichneu- 

 mons. And then, too, they penetrate into the earth to the depth 

 of several inches, as soon as they have come to their growth 

 and leave the fruit. As the ichneumon is not known to use the 

 bodies of the imago, or mature insects of any kind, as a deposit 

 for its eggs, it is not likely to choose the curculio. Still, as 

 there has been a notice lately published by some gentleman in 

 Canada, that he has found parasite insects in the larvas of the 

 curculio, I will not venture to say that it is impossible ; and if 

 it should prove true, let all the people rejoice. There was a 

 time when an insect pest threatened the entire destruction of the 

 wheat crop in America, and in the midst of the most fearful 

 alarm, a little ichneumon fly took charge of the matter and 

 settled it effectually. If this curculio question c(5uld be settled 

 in the same way, the whole people of America might partake 



