116 THE PESTS OF THE FARM. 



in some of oi.r gardens and orchards, the crop of plums is often 

 entirely ruined by the depredations of grubs, which are the larvae 

 or young of a small beetle called the Nenuphar or plum-weevil, or 

 Curculio. These beetles are found as early as the thirtieth of March, 

 and as late as the tenth of June, and at various intermediate times, 

 according with the forwardness or backwardness of vegetation in 

 the spring, and have frequently been caught flying in the middle 

 of the day. They are from three twentieths to one fifth of an 

 inch long, exclusive of the curved snout, which is rather longer 

 than the thorax, and is bent under the breast, betwlten the fore- 

 legs, when at rest. Their color is a dark brown, variegated with 

 spots of white, ochre-yellow, and black. The thorax is uneven ; 

 the wing-covers have several short ridges upon them, those on the 

 middle of the back forming two considerable humps, of a black 

 color, behind which there is a wide band of ochre-yellow and 

 white. Each of the thighs has two little teeth on the under-side. 

 They begin to sting the plums as soon as the fruit is set, and, as 

 some say, continue their operations till the first of August. After 

 making a suitable puncture with their snouts, they lay one egg in 

 each plum thus stung, and go over the fruit on the tree in this way 

 till their store is exhausted ; so that, where these beetles abound, 

 not a plum will escape being punctured. The irritation arising 

 from these punctures, and from the gnawings of the grubs after 

 they are hatched, causes the young fruit to become gummy, dis- 

 eased, and finally to drop before it is ripe. Meanwhile the grub 

 comes to its growth, and, immediately after the fruit falls, burrows 

 into the ground. This may occur at various times between the 

 middle of June and of August ; and, in the space of a little more 

 than three weeks afterwards, the insect completes its transforma- 

 tions, and comes out of the ground in the beetle form. 



This same weevil attacks all our common stone-fruits, such as 

 plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries and apples ; and it is 

 not at all improbable that the transformations of some of the grubs 

 may be retarded till the winter has passed, analogous cases being 

 of frequent occurrence. The plum, still more than the cherry tree, 

 is subject to a disease of the small limbs, which shows itself in the 

 form of large irregular warts, of a black color, as if charred. Grubs, 

 apparently the same as those that are found in plums, have often 

 been detected in these warts, which are now generally supposed to 

 be produced by the punctures of the beetles, and the residence of 

 the grubs. The seat of the disease is in the bark. The sap is di~ 



