MISCELLANEOUS. 565 



Agricultural College, Lansing, asking as follows: "Will you kindly describe, 

 through the columns of the Pout and Tribune, or otherwise, the plum curculio 

 so that an amateur grower can find him? There are many among our farmeri 

 who don't know the pest. I have hunted with great care but have not yet, 

 found a sufficient description for me or my friends to identify him. Pleasa 

 make the description sharp and decisive so we can find tlie terror. " 



To this Prof. Cook made the following answer through the Post and 

 Tribune: " The plum curculio, which has now for more than a week been mak- 

 ing its destructive punctures and characteristic crescents in our plums, and 

 which will continue its ruinous work for a month to come, is a little weevil-^ 

 that is a beetle, with a prolonged snout or proboscis — not more than y^ths of an 

 inch long. It is dark in color, marked with indistinct gray and buff. When 

 at rest its snout or trunk is bent under the body. To surely find it at this sea- 

 son place a white sheet or table spread under a plum tree which is bearing 

 plums, and then give the trunk of the tree or the branches, if the tree is large, 

 a sharp blow. The curculios will fall to the sheet. If early in the morning or 

 late in the afternoon they will remain in their humped up condition, by which 

 they feign death, and in which they resemble small dried buds so closely that 

 they must be carefully inspected to remove the deception. If in the hot sun- 

 shine, in the middle of the day, they will soon crawl, or often at once take 

 wing. In this way any one will be able to identify the pests. Very soon their 

 appearance is learned, and one has no trouble to see them at once, when they 

 may be grasped between the thumb and finger and crushed. I have four plum 

 trees. It takes me about 10 minutes each day to catch and destroy the cuicu- 

 lios, and by this slight trouble we shall have a fine quantity of beautiful fruit 

 If we should neglect to fight the " little Turk " we would ge* not a plum." 



Bemarks. — On May 25th Prof. Cook had given, in answer to a Mrs. O. L 

 Morgan, of Hillsdale, Mich., a more full direction as to the sheet, which should 

 cover all the space underlhe tree, or such part of the tree as was being jarred; 

 and also of the mallet, etc., which should have a handle at lesst 6 or 8 feet 

 long, and the ends of the mallet to be well padded with cloth, so a.s not to bark 

 the tree, nor the large limbs, which must be hit quite hard to fetch them down. 

 But I think a strip of board, 3 or 3 inches wide, 6 to 10 feet long, one end 

 padded, will do as well, and white sheets enough laid down to cover the ground 

 under the tree; and the curculios are then, of course, to be ma&hed, or de- 

 stroyed, as you like, and all grt-en and other worms, which also eat iL«to a^jples, 

 pears, cherries, plums, etc., which, when they shake down should also be de- 

 stroyed. The shaking, or jarring down should be done just at dusk of the 

 evening, and at early dawn, as long as they are found. It is said that corn cobs 

 saturated with kerosene, and hung by strings to the branches, keeps <he curcu- 

 lios away from the trees. This lady also made the following inquiry In rela- 

 tion to 



1. CUBRANT WOEMS.— " Is London purple as good a iwmedy for 

 currant worms as white hellebore, and in what proportion is it to bp used m 

 small quantities? " 



To which Prof. Cook gave thia answer: " I should prefer white t'eiiebor* 



