Description of the Columbia Plum. 93 



a tenth of an inch in breadth. The egg lias now taken the 

 larva form, and the latter is working its way gradually to the 

 stone or kernel of the fruit; as soon as it reaches this point, 

 the fruit falls from the tree, and the worm now leaves it in a 

 few days, and finds its way into the loose soil beneath the 

 tree. Here it remains until the ensuing season, when it 

 emerges in a winged form, and having deposited its egg to 

 provide for the perpetuity of its species, perishes. 



As it is found that the curculio, though a winged insect, is 

 not a very migratory one, the means taken to destroy it in one 

 garden are not without efficacy, though the neighboring or- 

 chards may not receive the same care. As the fruit, when 

 it falls from the tree, contains the larva, it is evident that if 

 we destroy it before the insect has time to find its way into the 

 soil, we shall destroy, with it, the curculio. In small gar- 

 dens, it is sufficient to gather all the fallen fruit every morning, 

 during the period of its fall from the tree, and throw it in the 

 hog-pens, when the whole will be speedily consumed. In 

 larger orchards, where it is practicable, the hogs may (the 

 trees being protected,) be turned in for the short time in the 

 season while the fruit is dropping, and they will most effectu- 

 ally destroy the whole race of insects of the current season. 

 Indeed, in large plum orchards, this practice is found a very 

 effectual remedy for the attacks of the curculio. 



In small gardens that have come under our notice, formerly 

 much troubled with the attacks of this insect, where the prac- 

 tice of gathering the fruit and destroying it daily for a short 

 period, has been pursued, the insect has failed to make its 

 appearance after a couple of years, and the trees have borne 

 abundant crops of fine fruit. In addition to this, we would 

 recommend the application of clay about the roots of plum 

 trees, in very light sandy soil. 



It is sometimes the case that the plum will be many years 

 in coming into bearing, where the richness of the soil induces 

 too great a luxuriance of growth. When this is the case, the 

 ground should be partially removed from the roots, which 

 should be pruned or reduced in number one fifth or one fourth, 

 and the soil replaced. This should be done in the autumn, 

 and will rarely fail in bringing about a profusion of blossom 

 buds and a good crop of fruit. A J D 



jyewburgh, JV. Y., Feb. 1842. 



