186 Hevieiu of the Southern Agriculturist. 



In the April number we find the conclusion of an article on the 

 cultivation of the Peach Tree, by a correspondent. We extract the 

 following, on the prevention of the Aphides and CurcuUo from 

 infecting the trees ; the method recommended for the latter insect is 

 new to us, and probably to most of our readers. We have never 

 heard of this insect's infecting peach trees, in this region : our plum 

 trees, however, have of late years lost nearly all their fruit from their 

 ravages : — 



"The next enemy calcniiited very much to injure tlie tree, and prevent its 

 bearing, are very snjall brown insecis called ^fiplndcs ; these commence their 

 depredations l)y collecting in great cluster?, upon the eaily shoots, occasion- 

 ing the young and tender leaves to curl nj), and finally to die, depriving the 

 tree of that portion of nourishment, which it derives from the atmospliere 

 through its leaves ; they jirefer young to old trees, and the ends of the 

 branches of the new wood, to those of more maturity. I iiave known a 

 moderate sized tree in tlie course of a few days literally covered with them, 

 and all its foliage and hlossoms entirely destroyed ; the tree survived, but 

 bore no fruit even the succeeding year. To counteract the depredations of 

 this insect, vinegar is said to he u very powerful application. I liave gene- 

 rally succeedefl l)efore the evil progressed too far, by saturating a common 

 bottle of lime-water with corrosive sid)limate, and witii a small painter's 

 brush, ajiplied tlie mixture to their several groups, which inslaiuly destroyed 

 them. Nay, so delicate are they, that the slightest pressure of the brush upon 

 them, would destroy them, although during the late severe weather, I saw 

 them upon the body of a small tree entirely encrusted in ice for days with- 

 out sustaining any injiuy. 



"The insects I have described, injure the fruit by their attacks upon the 

 tree. There is one class, however, that dejiredate immediately upon the 

 fruit, called the CurcuUo, a species of weevil of the order Coleoptera — of 

 this genus from 800 to 1000 species have been enumerated, and it is believed 

 that many h;ive escaped observation. Among these are to be found the va- 

 rious inseeis that infest Jiranaries, eating their way into grains of corn, leav- 

 ing notliing but the husk; they are to be found in other seeds, in the inside 

 of artichokes, thistirs, and otiier plants ; also in various kinds of nuts, as 

 chestnuls, hazlenuts, &c. The Curcidio, perhaps the most destructive of all 

 insects to fruit, may be described in common ])arlance as a very small 

 winged beetle that emerges from its chrysalis state, about the time of the 

 early formation of" the fruit in spring; they crawl up the tree, being ratiier 

 awkward on the wing; when in suthcient innnbers, they de|)Osit an egg in 

 each fruit, preferring, in all cases, the smooth skin to the rough. This egg 

 soon hatches, and the larva, feeding on the fruit, in process of time occa- 

 sions it to drop ; the worm innnediately descends into tlie earth, and be- 

 comes a chrysalis; remaining in that state during the whole winter, it be- 

 comes converted into a CurcuUo, ready jirejiared for fresh depredations. So 

 reluctant are tliey to use their wings, that Dr. Tilton states, that two trees 

 standing so near to each other as to touch, the fruit of one was destroyed 

 whilst that of the other escaped. I can vouch for a similar circumstance in 

 relation to my own trees. 



"Amongst the many remedies proposed for this evil, tlie most important, 

 are those which are calculated to |.revent the larvfP from passing into the 

 chrysalis state. In large orchards, hogs are invaluable, for as soon as a fi-iiit 

 falls, it is eaten up by them, thus preventing the worms from |)assing in the 

 earth. In sm;dl orchards, a ])each tliat has fallen should innnediately be 

 picked up, and the worm contained in it destroyed ; in these, poultry should 

 be freely admitted, as they would invariably seek for the hidden worm in the 

 fallen fruit. The most effectual method, however, to guard against the evil 



