344 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



as it will have the chance, when fruit is so abundant, it will then 

 leave us nothing. 



Some saj those instructions may be all very good, but we have 

 nectarine, apricot and plum trees from which we never get any 

 fruit — what can we do to save the crop the present year ? Can 

 it be saved ? We answer yes, without any hesitation ; but you 

 must follow our directions, and pay no attention whatever to any 

 of the curculio remedies. The late David Thomas, of Western 

 New York, one of the most intelligent and experienced nursery- 

 men and fruit growers in our country, originated the plan of 

 trapping the curculio by spreading canvass under the trees and 

 then jarring them. This little insect, like most others, has an 

 instinct of self-preservation. In this case, when an enemy 

 approaches, she gathers her little limbs under her and falls to 

 the ground, remaining quietly concealed amongst the grass as 

 long as the danger lasts. A sudden tap on the tree alarms her. 

 Such a sudden jar upon your plum tree in the early part of June, 

 will also loosen the blighted blossom buds that are now dry and 

 black — they and the curculio will fall oft' together, and look much 

 alike as only to be distinguished by close inspection. Whether 

 the instinct of the animal teaches her to fall in such company so 

 as more effectually to escape detection, is a problem in metaphysics 

 we shall not now stop to determine ; but Mr. Thomas took 

 advantage of it to secure his fruit crops, and invented a simple 

 apparatus to enable him to do it. EUwanger and Barry, the 

 great nurserymen of Rochester, use the same means and nothing 

 else ; the writer of this depended upon it for a dozen years in 

 succession, and with uniform success ; having large orchards not 

 only in plums, but apricots and nectarines also, uniformly loaded 

 with perfect fruit, every year, while his neighbors could raise 

 none of either. To spread a sheet or piece of canvas under a 

 large number of trees as often as it would be necessary in the 

 curculio season, would be very troublesome, especially in windy 

 weather; to simplify this operation, bind sticks or poles to two 

 sidesof your sheet, and it is easy to imagine how much more easily 

 you can spread it out smoothly, and that it would then lie still 

 in spite of the wind. Now, to enable you to use such a piece of 

 canvas under a tree, cut one of these rolls in the middle and 

 slit the canvas from that point to the centre, then by taking one 

 of these short rods on each side of the tree, you make this cut 

 portion straddle the tree, and then your trap is ready — lying 



