INJ URIO US INSECTS. 351 



are of little importance as enemies to out-door plants, I shall not 

 discuss them in detail, only remarking that tobacco water, whale 

 oil soap solution, or a weak solution of petroleum, will destroy 

 them. 



The kerosene and sour milk mixture is an excellent specific 

 against plant lice. I have used one of kerosene to three of 

 milk, without injuring the foliage, and yet all lice were killed. 

 One to five I think perfectly safe on nearly all kinds of out- 

 door plants. The mixture should be well stirred before use. 



Plum Curculio. Conotrachelus nenuphar, Ilerbst. Fam- 

 ily, Curculionidce. Order, Coleoptera. This little beetle, though 

 so small, certainly ranks very high as an orchard pest. It is 

 he that has almost banished plum culture in our State. It is 

 he that ruins our cherries, often by wholesale. It is he that has 

 a tooth for the luscious peach; and unless prevented, materially 

 lessens the profits. And even our king of fruits, the apple, 

 is frequently made to contribute to the support of the little 

 Turk. His presence in wind-fall apples has misled some good 

 observers into thinking that the codling moth larvae had worked 

 slightly on the apple and then left it. If this report could in- 

 duce the restoration of plum culture in our country, by show- 

 ing how easily we can secure our crops, it would pay its cost 

 a million times over. 



HABITS. The curculio (Fig. 33 c) hibernates during the win- 

 ter in the mature state. In early spring, and even later, he 

 lies concealed by day under boards, clods, etc. This weevil is 

 nocturnal, being active at night. So soon as our plums, peaches, 

 and cherries set, the curculio, a little brown beetle, commences 

 operations, imprinting the familiar crescent (Fig. 33, d) and 

 placing an egg inside. This egg-laying continues even to July. 

 As the weather becomes warmer the insect forsakes its habit of 

 going down to the ground by day to hide, but remains in the 

 tree. These beetles are not solely engaged in pairing and egg- 

 laying, for they are good feeders, and gouge out many a hole in 

 our fruits to satisfy their appetites. The eggs soon hatch, when 

 the young larvte bore into the fruit and continue to eat. As 

 these are sometimes, though quite rarely, found in apples, 1 



