PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS CLUB. 661 



entrance of this tnbe ; then turning again, with her proboscis 

 pushes it gently to its proper phice. What remains now is to 

 secure the precious deposit from any danger from exposure to the 

 air or weather, as would be likely to occur by the growth of the 

 fruit opening the wounded part. This she does by carefully 

 sealing up the entire incision with a kind of wax, of which she 

 seems always to have the requisite supply. We have often, when 

 watching this operation, and especially at that part of it when 

 her proboscis is buried up to her very head, been struck with her 

 resemblance to the woodcock when his beak is entirely imbedded 

 in the ground. 



The curculio seldom deposits more than one egg in a fruit. 

 Whether the dupli^cates or triplets that are sometimes found in 

 our fruits belong to the same mother, is hard to say, but we sup- 

 pose not. If a curculio, however, is confined in a bottle with but • 

 one plum, she will puncture it all over, so that it will sometimes 

 have the appearance of a nutmeg-grater. The time occupied in 

 each operation is eight or ten minutes, and is repeated some 

 twenty times each day for several weeks. 



In the early part of the season, while the weather is cool, the 

 curculio egg will not hatch in less than ten days or two weeks, 

 and any time during that period it may be taken out with the 

 point of a penknife, or what is better, a rather blunt toothpick, 

 or it may be broken by pressing with the thumb-nail over the 

 spot where it is deposiied, and if your ear is a right good one, 

 you may even hear the snap. In either way you may save the 

 fruit; the wound soon grows over, scarcely leaving a blemish. 

 It is well to know this, especially if you have young trees bear- 

 ing for the first time, and you are anxious to test the fruit. It 

 can even be done repeatedly ; but remember, it must he done 

 before the hatching, and in very warm weather this takes place 

 very quickly, even as early as four or five days, and the moment 

 the young insect is free, it makes its way rapidly towards 

 the heart of the fruit, leaving a pathway at first so fine as hardly 

 to be visible. If you see gum about the orifice of the wound, it 

 is too late, the mischief has been done. 



Fruit punctured by this insect continues to grow even after 

 the larva has penetrated to the centre, but finally its vitality, if 

 it is stone fruit, becomes destroyed, and it falls to the ground, 

 though not till the young insect is almost full grown. 



With the cherry, the fruit matures almost as soon as the grub 

 [Am. Inst. J V i 



