168 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



plum continued. 



British Islands except, it may be, in a few cases, under 

 peculiar conditions. The roots are liable to be cut and 

 eaten by Cockchafers, &c. Certain Bark Beetles injure 

 the stems, especially of trees that are not otherwise quite 

 healthy. Some Weevils also feed, as larvae, in winding 

 galleries below the bark of diseased or weakly trees; 

 among these, one of the more prominent is Magdalinus 

 Pruni, a beetle about Ain. to *in. long, with black body 

 and dull red antennae. 



The branches are attacked at times by Weevils of the 

 genus Rlvynchites. R. Alliarice, which is perhaps the 

 most injurious species, is from iin. to in. long, and is 

 blue, with coarsely- striated wing-cases, dusky antennas, 

 and a moderately long beak. The female lays her 

 eggs on the buds near the end of the young shoots, m 

 spring, and then gnaws the branch a little below the 

 tip. The part beyond the notch hangs down and withers, 

 and is thereby rendered suitable for nourishing the larvae, 

 which usually feed in the pith. This Weevil is at times 

 very hurtful among young trees on the Continent. The 

 perfect insects of this, and of certain allied species, do 

 considerable harm by gnawing the young buds and leaves. 

 A considerable number of Moths, and one Butterfly, 

 Aporia Cratcegi, or the Black-veined White (see Haw- 

 thorn Caterpillars) , feed, as larvae, upon Plum leaves ; 

 but most of those that call for notice are more hurtful 

 to other trees, and will be found treated of under the 

 following headings: Lackey Moth, Leaf -rollers, Li- 

 paris, Moths, Tortricina, and Winter Moths. The 

 larvae of certain species of Sawflies also prove destruc- 

 tive by devouring the leaveB. The worst of these is 

 Eriocampa limacina, the larvae of which feed on a great 

 variety of cultivated trees and shrubs, and go by the 

 name of Slugworms, because of their form, of their 

 sluggish habits, and of a slimy excretion that covers 

 the body. For an account of these larvae, and of the 

 means to be used to destroy them, see Sliig"worms. 

 The young branches and leaves are invaded, at times, 

 by colonies of Aphides or Green Flies. Phorodon 

 Humuli, var. Mahaleb, causes the young leaves at the 

 tips of the twigs to become rather fleshy and wrinkled, 

 the insects living in large colonies on their lower sur- 

 face. Myzus Persicce has very similar habits ; and one 

 or two other species are not rare on Plum-trees. 



The flowers and fruits are attacked chiefly by the Plum 

 Weevil (Rhynchites cupreus) and the Plum Tortrix (Carpo- 

 capsa funebrana). The larvae of both these insects bore 

 into the unripe fruit, and, by causing its premature fall, 

 materially injure the crop. The Weevil is rather under 

 Jin. long, bronze or coppery in colour, with a thin coating 

 of scattered grey hairs, and a black beak and limbs. The 

 wing-cases are deeply marked with dots or pittings. 

 When the fruit is scarcely half grown, the female lays 

 her eggs on it, and the larvae penetrate into it. The 

 moth (Carpocapsa funebrana) is seldom seen, but it is 

 very common, in the larval state, in unripe Plums. The 

 fore wings are grey, clouded with darker shades ; at the 

 hinder angle of each is a spot of ash-grey, with a faint 

 metallic lustre, surrounded by an indistinct border, in 

 which lies a row of black dots. The spread of wings 

 is rather over in. The larvae are reddish above, paler 

 below, with the head brown-black. There are a few soft 

 hairs on the body. The larvae of both beetle and moth 

 feed in the Plums during early autumn, and, when the 

 fruits fall, the larvae crawl out, burrow into the ground, 

 and there become pupae, to emerge as perfect insects 

 in the following spring. 



Remedies. For the means to be adopted against insects 

 on the roots, see Cockchafer and Mole Cricket; and 

 for those against Bark Beetles, see Scolytidse. The 

 leaf-feeding beetles and larvae of moths are best got rid 

 of by shaking or jarring the branches over anything laid 

 or held below, and collecting and killing the insects. In 



Plum continued. 



some cases, hand-picking is the most satisfactory method. 

 The Slugworms or Sawfly larvae cannot be got rid of by 

 this method, but require special treatment, for which 

 see Slug-worms. Aphides are best combated by the 

 removal of all surplus young twigs, especially if attacked 

 by the Aphides, and by applications syringed upwards 

 below the leaves. See Aphides. The species that feed 

 in the fruits are best kept under by collecting the pre- 

 maturely fallen fruits, without delay, and burning them, 

 or giving them to pigs. 



Following up the above account of the insect pests 

 on the Plum, it may be mentioned that Mite Galls, of 

 the genus Phytoptus (see Mites), produce galls of two 

 or three kinds on the leaves of the Plum, as well as on 

 the Sloe and the Bird Cherry. Of these, the more con- 

 spicuous are Erineum Padi, in the form of irregular 

 patches of velvety, close-set hairs, at first pale, but be- 

 coming rusty-brown, on the lower surface of the leaf; 

 also outgrowths of a rounded or bullet-like form, and 

 half a line to two lines long, and green or red, scattered 

 over the surface of the leaf (Cephaloneon molle), or 

 near the margins (0. hypocrateriforme and C. confluens). 

 They also, -at times, produce small galls in the bark of 

 young branches (Cecidoptes Pruni). However, none of 

 these mite-galls seriously affect the welfare of the tree, 

 though rendering it unsightly. If from any cause it 

 seems desirable to check the increase of the galls, hand- 

 picking is the only remedy likely to be of use. 



The fruits of the Plum-tree are very much injured, in 

 the United States of America and in "Canada, by the larvae 

 of two kinds of Weevils, both living in the fruit. Though 

 neither has proved hurtful to Plums in England, the habits 

 of the larvae, and their abode in the fruits, render their 

 introduction not unlikely; hence, the insects and the 

 kind of injury done by them, are here shortly described. 

 The Plum Curculio (Conotrachelus nenuphar) is about 

 in. long, small, rough, and blackish, and has on each wing- 

 case, in the middle, a black, shining hump, and behind 

 this a clay-yellow band, variegated with white spots in the 

 middle. The female settles on the young fruit, bores a 

 hole in the skin to receive an egg, drops it in, and then 

 makes a crescent-shaped cut about half round it. She 

 repeats this process on one fruit after another. The larva 

 hatches in a few days, and at once eats into the fruit, till 

 it arrives at the stone, near which it feeds. It reaches its 

 full size in from three to five weeks. The fruit becomes 

 gummy, and falls prematurely and the larva remains, till it 

 is full grown, in the fallen fruit ; it then eats its way out, 

 bores into the ground, changes into a pupa, and the perfect 

 insect emerges in from three to six weeks. The beetles 

 hybernate under bark and in other retreats. This insect 

 often destroys a large part of the Plum and Cherry harvest, 

 and it also feeds in other stone fruits. The best remedy 

 is to jar the beetles into an inverted umbrella, or on to 

 sheet* spread below the tree, and to coUect and destroy 

 the iallen fruits without delay, or to turn pigs into the 

 orchards to feed on them. Eubbish should not be left for 

 shelter to beetles. The second species (Coccotorus scutel- 

 laris) is popularly called the Plum Gouger. It is very 

 common in the valley of the Mississippi, but has not yet 

 been found in the Eastern States. It is said to be less 

 hurtful than the former species, which is fortunate, as its 

 habits render it the more likely to be brought to Europe. 

 In general appearance, it is somewhat like the Plum Cur- 

 culio, but differs as follows : It is nearly Jin. long ; the 

 head and wing-cases are brown, with a leaden-grey tint ; 

 and the wing-cases are variegated irregularly with black 

 and pale spots, and bear no humps; the thorax and legs 

 are ochre-yellow; and the snout cannot be folded below 

 the breast. The beetles appear in spring. The female 

 bores holes in the young Plums, and pushes an egg into 

 each, but she makes no cuts aronnd them. The larva 

 hatches in a few days, and bores at once to the stone, 



