INSECTS. 45 



are some of them to escape — their very insignificance and little- 

 ness shielding them — that it will be only by the use of every one 

 of these means of destroying them that we shall so succeed in 

 keeping them in subjection as to secure a portion of sound fruit. 

 K the labor be too great, then do cut down your orchards, and 

 not leave them to be breeding places for these pests, from which 

 to spread into the orchards of your neighbors who are trying to 

 secure some fruit that shall be sound and fit for market. 



Thb Plum Cubculio. Conotrachelus nenuphar. This 

 insect is the pest of all our stone fruits. It is to be found in 

 nearly all parts of the Dominion, and wherever it has become 

 numerous it wholly destroys the plum crop, and renders the 

 cherry crop useless. Nearly every fruit grower has been made 

 to suffer from its ravages, and unless energetic efforts are made to 

 keep it in subjection, we may bid farewell to all our choice 

 plums, cherries and other stone fruits. But there is no necessity 

 for this. It has been repeatedly shown that it is quite within 

 our power to so lessen their numbers that we can secure a fine 

 crop of these delicious fruits. Should any have doubts of the 

 possibility of accomplishing this very desirable result, they will 

 be much gratified by the perusal of the Eeport on the Plum 

 Curculio, made to the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario, by 

 "W. Saunders, Esq., of London, Ont., and printed at page 50 of 

 the Eeport of the Association for the year 1870. It will there 

 be seen that many succeeded in saving their plums by devoting 

 A little time every day for about a fortnight to the business of 

 catching them. 



The simplest and, under ordinary circumstances, the best 

 method of catching the curculio is to spread a cloth under the 

 tree, and jar it by a smart blow. If the trees are of some 

 size, it is recommended to bore a small hole iato the trunk of 

 the tree, just below the branches, to the depth of about one- 

 third of the thickness of the tree. Into this slip an iron bolt that 

 will just fit into the hole. The bolt should be cut off square at 

 both ends. A piece of common cotton sheeting, long enough to 



