THE PEACH. 125 



The curculio flies as much as the bee does, or any other insect, 

 and I think very few of them are ever tangled in cotton round 

 the trunk of a tree. Possibly there may be one caught 

 occasionally. 



Mr. BiRNiE. Do you think they take refuge- in the ground 

 during the winter ? 



Mr. Clement. I believe it is the general impression that they 

 do, but I have never been able to find them there. The curculio 

 is a very cunning little insect, anyway. The moment that you 

 frighten them in any way they coil themselves up and look like 

 a minute dead body. You have to look closely to discover the 

 difference. But they will soon scamper away. I am unable to 

 say whether they burrow in the ground or are lodged round in 

 crevices on the rough part of the tree, or in walls, where they 

 can find shelter. 



A Member. Do hens eat the curculio ? 



Mr. Clement. I have noticed that people have sometimes 

 inclosed their plum trees in their hen yards, and have saved the 

 fruit thereby. Whether it is in consequence of the hens eating 

 the insects, or whether the insects themselves have an instinct 

 which leads them away, I am unable to determine. I have 

 observed this : that where plum trees hang over a brick wall or 

 anything of such a nature that when the fruit falls the worm that 

 comes from it cannot crawl into the earth, the curculio does not 

 injure the fruit half so badly as in other places. Indeed, I have 

 had crops escape that were hanging over a wall where there was 

 nothing but a pile of boards put up, and then a temporary roof- 

 ing put over them by laying short pieces down and then batten- 

 ing the boards up, to shut off the rain partially. My impression 

 is, that the insect has an instinct which teaches it that that is an 

 unsafe place to deposit its eggs, where the fruit is going to fall 

 upon any substance where it cannot be sheltered. I do not 

 know how that may be. 



I did intend to touch upon peaches briefly, for the reason that 

 peach trees have nearly all failed in Massachusetts. There are 

 but very few in the State, and I think none, six or seven years 

 old, which are in a perfectly healthy condition. My experience 

 has been, that after peach trees have been bearing a few years, 

 or even if they are young and vigorous, if there comes a very 

 severe winter, it almost freezes the vitality out of them. They 



