130 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[September, 



(C'URCuliois'id.e) infest the seeds or kernels 

 of vegetation, and tliis individual makes some 

 advance in that direction. On one occasion 

 we picked up fifty jilums that had fallen from 

 a tree, and in about forty of them we found 

 the larva of the curculio in the kernel of the 

 young fruit. Later in the season, when the 

 stone had hardened, they were found in the 

 jiulp outside of tlie stone. This was, perhaps, 

 owing to the fact that the kernel was the 

 softest i)art of the younger fruit. After the 

 larva has matured it leaves the fruit, whether 

 it is hanging on the tree or is lying on the 

 ground, and burrows into the earth, where it is 

 transformed into a pupa, as Fig. h. , from whence 

 it comes forth a perfect beetle, as at Firj. c, 

 in from ten to fifteen days, and is ready to go 

 through the same process its parent did, if the 

 season is not too far advanced; otherwise, it 

 will survive and hibernate until the next fruit 

 season, and thus we have found it, from early 

 autumn until late in the following spring, 

 under bark, timber and Hat stones. The indi- 

 viduals that go into the ground late in the 

 season no doubt remain there in the pupa or 

 beetle form until the following spring. 

 Since plunts have ceased to be a leading 

 article iu fruit culture, on account of the de- 

 predations of the curculio, the insect has 

 greatly multiplied in peaches and apples, so 

 that, in the latter crop, probably as many fall 

 in the earlier stages of the fruit from the infes- 

 tations of this insect as from that of the cod- 



Remedies. 



From the widespread and long continued 

 depredations of such an insect as we have 

 been describing, it is very natural that fruit- 

 growers should desire the discovery of some 

 quick and certain means to effect its entire 

 extermination, or, at least, such a reduction 

 of its numbers as to afford some encourage- 

 ment to those engaged in the laudable occupa- 

 tion of fruit culture ; but nothing has been 

 discovered that does not involve a great deal 

 of labor, and more patience and perseverance 

 than is possessed by the generality of men. 



The boring of holes into the trunks of fniit 

 trees, and filling them with sulphur, calomel 

 or gunpowder, as remedies, is now entirely 

 obsolete ; and almost in the same category 

 may be included most, if not all, of the decoc- 

 tions, solutions and fimiigations, that from 

 time to time have been conspicuously plac- 

 arded before the public, although, to a limited 

 extent, some of these may have been liene- 

 ficial. There is very little to be hoped for 

 from natural remedies, although there are in- 

 cidental cases where these have been locally 

 beneficial. The ciuculio is exposed to few 

 parasites, if any, and in the mature state it is 

 not sufficiently tempting to attract the atten- 

 tion of fowls or birds, although some no doubt 

 fall a prey to these. Indeed, they have fre- 

 quently been detected in the stomach of birds, 

 but not to any remarkable extent. Artificial 

 remedies, as we before intimated, don't 

 amount to much. Therefore, the almost sole 

 reliance must be in a universal and simulta- 

 neous effort in mechanical remedies. First, 

 all the fruit should be immediately gathered 

 as fast as it falls from the trees, or the groimd 

 beneath the trees should be accessible to stock 

 and poulti-y, particularly swine. This gath- 

 ered fruit should be scalded, and then thrown 

 into the swill. So far as this remedy goes it 

 is very beneficial ; but the farmer or fruit 

 grower must not stop here. By laying pieces 

 of flat stones, shingles or boards on the ground 

 imrfcr the trees in spring and early summer, 

 and examining them every morning, if the 

 insects are numerous, many of them can 

 be captured in these traps daily. This may 

 be called our second remedy, and, so far as it 

 goes, it will be found useful. Thirdly, a vig- 

 orous and continuous process of tree-jarring 

 is perhaps the best remedy that has yet been 

 discovered. If one of the lower branches is 

 sawed off, leaving a stump two or three inches, 

 upon which to strike with a wooden mallet or 

 maul, it will bring the insects down from the 

 trees, if any are there. Before this is done a 

 muslin cloth should be spread beneath the 



tree being jarred. Wlien suddenly interrupted, 

 tlie cu Aaili'o has the habit of letting go its liold, 

 drawing in its feet and antennte, and droi)ping 

 on the ground, and, as we before stated, 

 " acting possum " — shamming death. When 

 it first falls it looks like a dry bud, and for 

 some time makes no attempt to escape. It 

 may then be gathered and scalded. There are 

 also traps made in the form of large inverted 

 umbrellas, placed on wheels,and having handles 

 like a barrow. Tliese are run against the 

 trees with a sudden force, which will produce 

 a jar suflicient to dislodge the most of them. 

 A cleft is left in one side of this apparatus, 

 wide enough to admit the body or trunk of 

 the tree, and where the apparatus strikes the 

 tree it ought to be protected against sacrifica- 

 tion or bruising by a 'i)umper." If this were 

 persevered in by all who have fruit trees, the 

 curculio would soon be "played out." 



THE 



RASCAL " LEAF-CRUMPLER. 



{Phycita nebnlo,) 



Order Lepidoptera, Family Phycidae. 

 This insect is becoming quite common in 

 the Western States, but we have no specific 

 report from it either in the Eastern or South- 

 ern States ; but the middle States seem to be 

 a common or neutral ground, upon which are 

 often found insects that are common in other 

 localities, either north, east, west or south. 

 We do not know that this insect is yet numer- 

 ous in Pennsylvania, but we have heard of it 

 from several quarters, anct if we are not 

 greatly in error, we have seen it in Lancaster 

 county on several occasions, and once upon a 



quince tree upon our own premises ; although, 

 from our ignorance of its habits we failed to 

 breed the fiy, or rather twith, but surely we 

 have captured the same, or a very nearly 

 allied species, on several occasions, in June 

 and July, among the many that are in the 

 habit of entering dwellings and flitting about 

 gas lights. 



There are many leaf-crumpling caterpillars, 

 and therefore Mr. B. D. Walsh, late of Rock 

 Island, Illinois, who was the original describer 

 of it, by way of eminence, has named it the 

 " liascaV Leaf-crimipler. During the winter 

 small biuiches of leaves are often seen curled 

 partially up and attached to the ends of the 

 branches. In many cases these are the winter 

 quarters of the larva of this insect, for it be- 

 longs to a numerous class that hybeniate in 

 the lai"va state. Indeed, this insect mitjht be 

 inesent in great numbers and not be suspected, 

 for it has the art of hiding itself among the 

 heavy foliage that usually decks the trees in 

 Mayand Jime. Although comparatively new 

 in Pennsylvania, and perhaps not yet very 

 numerous, we have not developed its history 

 yet from personal observations; therefore, 

 we acknowledge ourself mainly iudeljted to 

 the observations of Mr. Walsh and Professor 

 Riley, of St. Louis, for what we may have to 

 say upon the subject, and we only illustrate it 

 in this place in order to forewarn our nursery- 

 men and orchardists of an enemy to thi! ajijjle 

 and pear that they may have to contend with 

 hereafter, and also to make such remedial sug- 



gestions as may enable them to meet the case 

 when it comes. 



When the trees are denuded of their leaves, 

 this serpentine larva becomes conspicuously 

 visible iu its little house or case, either singly, 

 as seen in Fiy. a., or closely attached in clus- 

 ters of half a dozen or more, hidden in a few 

 crumpled leaves, sewed together with silken 

 threads, wherein it passes its winter sesison 

 and begins its defoliating operations in the 

 spring again. In these winter quarters it is 

 able to bear all the exposure from cold and rain 

 with almost perfect impunity. But its leaf- 

 eating propensities are not its worst character- 

 istics, for during a warm early spring it also 

 attacks the young swelling buds, and often 

 becomes exceedingly injurious to young nur- 

 sery stock, when it is numerous. 



So far as known, there is but one brood in a 

 year, and the larva attains one-half or one- 

 third its growth before the winter sets in, and 

 remains in a torpid condition about that size 

 imtil the following spring, when the expand- 

 ing leaves arouses it from its winter fast. It 

 then unmoors its twisted case (a) and sallies 

 forth in quest of its leafy food and ravenously 

 breaks its winter fast. It is then of a reddish 

 bi'own color, but when it attains its maturity 

 toward the end of May, it assumes often a 

 deep green color. Fig. b. represents a cluster 

 of these serpentine cases grouped together 

 around a small branch. Fig. c. represents the 

 head and the three thoracic joints of the ma- 

 ture larva. Fig. d. represents the moth, the 

 size indicated by the cross lines beneath it. 

 The fore wings are of a pale ashen gray color, 

 variegated with dark brown and cinnamon 

 brown, while the hind wings are of a uniform 

 dusky grey, and the antennai are simple fila- 

 ments tapering from base to point. The male 

 is mainly distinguished from the female by a 

 little horn-like tuft near the base of the antcn- 

 nte. The role of this insect's depredations 

 may be inferred from the fact that according 

 to the observations of Prof. Riley, it has been 

 found not only on the apple, but also on the 

 cherry, both wild and cultivated ; the quince, 

 the crab-apple, the peach, and on the wild and 

 cultivated plum. The pear, so far as known, 

 seems to enjoy an exemption from it. 



From what has already been said it will be 

 manifest that this insect feeds on the foliage 

 of trees in the early and late summer ; in mid- 

 summer being in thepwjjrt, the imago or moth, 

 and in the ova states. It feeds chiefly at night 

 or on dark cloudy days, for that purpose 

 coming forth from its case and returning to it 

 again, remaining concealed during the day. 

 Being but single brooded, the remedy for its 

 destruction is exceedingly simple. It is merely 

 to remove the cases from the trees after the 

 leaves have fallen, when they are i)lainly visi- 

 ble. It is recommended to deposit them in 

 the centre of a large field, where they would 

 perish before they could reach a tree again, 

 and this would allow the development of two 

 species of parasites ( Tachina ct Limneria) with 

 which they are frequently infested. 



THE SEXUAL SYSTEM OF PLANTS. 



"Cau suoh things be, 

 And overcome us like a summer cloud, 

 Without our special wouder !" 



In the June number of The Farmer (page 

 107) in the article on "Abortive StrawbeiTies, " 

 we placed in italic a part of the following 

 paragraph, and intimated that we might have 

 something to say on the subject on a future 

 occasion ; namely : "I had always been taught 

 that all 2>^<Mts arc nude, and that the earth is 

 i/if mo(fc«-, " inferentially, of course, the female. 

 It is not often that we find such a sentiment 

 recognized in popular systems of theology, 

 philosophy or natural histoi-y, and yet when 

 viewed from a rational standpoint it seems to 

 be veri/ natttral; nor is it often that we find 

 l)ersons among the masses, or in the ordinary 

 walks of life, who can say that they have 

 " always been taught" such a doctrine. 



Let us look at the subject a little deeper or 

 more fn detail, and in illustration of it, allow 

 us to quote an extract from a distinguished 



