42 



MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 249 



Tabic 12. — Number of Larvae of Plum Curculio in Dropped Apples Picked 

 up under an Unsprayed Duchess Tree, Waltham, Mass. 



1926 



1927 



1928 



infested fallen apples. The first collection should be made as soon as 

 sufficient "drops" have accumulated to warrant the labor, usually the last 

 week in June; followed by two additional collections at weekly intervals. 



When the apples are gathered, they should be treated so that every grub 

 in them is killed. The usual practice is to dump them in a pit, adding a 

 liberal covering of quicklime to each foot of apples and covering all with 

 at least fifteen inches of packed soil. Other effective treatments are boiling 

 the apples, burning the apples, and feeding them to livestock. 



At least one fruit grower has observed a marked decrease in curculio 

 injm-y following the pasturing of sheep in the orchard while the apples are 

 falling, and similar benefits to a less degree have been noticed where poultry 

 or hogs were penned in the orchard. 



Destruction of Larvae and Pupae in the Soil 



Large numbers of plum curculios are in the pui^al stage in the top three 

 inches of soil between July 20 and August 1 in Massachusetts. These pupae 

 are delicate and, therefore, easily crushed. During this period cross cultiva- 



