18 TRANSACTIONS OF THE SOCIETY. 



Massachusetts Horticultural Society, the receipt of which we hereby ac- 

 knowledge, we, the undersigned, cheerfully assent and agree to the stip- 

 ulations. 



Signed, REBECCA D. MANNING, 



ROBERT MANNING. 

 The above agreement was endorsed on the copy of the foregoing report. 

 Boston, Feb. 6, 1846. 



Meeting of the Society, June 3, 1843. 

 A letter was read from Emilien de Wael, corresponding member, resid- 

 ing at Antwerp ; the thanks of the Society were voted for the donation of 

 pamphlets which accompanied the letter. 



The following communication was received from Dr. Burnett, and order- 

 ed to be published in the Transactions of the Society : — 

 The Curculio. 

 Gentlemen,— Noticing the vote of the Massachusetts Horticultural So- 

 ciety, in the New England Farmer, of July 14, 1841, which awards a pre- 

 mium of $200 for a successful mode of destroying the Curculio, and also 

 the vote placing the subject under the direction of the Fruit Committee, I 

 am induced to address you upon that subject. 



I consider the motive philanthropic in passing this vote, for members of 

 that Society well know the pleasure and the profit of cultivating good fruit, 

 and the healthy and harmless luxury, and the delicious fare it always affords, 

 and are wishing to remove every obstacle in the way of, and grant every 

 facility in, its cultivation ; in order that this pleasure, so productive of profit 

 and comfort, may become general in the community, they have generously 

 offered this reward to any one who will make known to you a successful 

 mode of removing the great, or only impediment, which lies in the way of 

 success in the cultivation of those delicious and beautiful fruits — the plum 

 and peach. 



It will be my aim to state here what I know of this insect from observa- 

 tion, entering somewhat into his natural history ; describing his metamor- 

 phosis; his three stages of existence, viz. : the larva, pupa and perfect- 

 imago, or beetle state. And this will be done for the reason, that the 

 more we know of his character, the more practical and more efiectual will 

 be our efforts to check and prevent the injuries he commits upon fruit. 

 This insect was called by Herbst, Rhynchoenus Nenuphar : by Peck, 

 20 Rhynchoenus Cerasi ; but 



^P ^j» commonly goes by the name 



Sfffy ^W^>- of Curculio, or plum wee- 



vil, by horticulturists. " He 

 The Curculio of the natural size. is a little rou gh, dark brown 



beetle," has two small bunches or protuberances on his back, a rostrum 

 or beak on which are two antennae, (/ig. 20.) 



