430 THE PLUM. 



then be found near the apex of the fruit, at this time not much larger 

 than a pea; as the fruit increases in size, the marks newly made 

 will be found gradually approaching the stem, until in 

 July, near the close of his labors, they will be found 

 very near the stem. These last marks in July are not 

 often found, as they are produced only from a few insects 

 which have escaped late from the larva state, or, as 

 some say, have, owing to shallow imbedding in the 

 earth and great heat, been transformed from eggs de- 

 posited the same season. 

 The eggs, one of which is deposited in each crescent mark, soon 

 hatches into a small white larva, which enters the body of the fruit, 

 and feeds upon it, causing, usually, its premature fall to the ground. 

 The period at which the young fruit falls, after being punctured, 

 varies with its age at the time of the injury. The earlier portions 

 drop in about two weeks ; but if the stone is hard when the egg is 

 laid, the fruit remains till near the usual period of ripening, some- 

 times presenting a fair and smooth exterior, but spoiled by the worm 

 within. 



The insect, soon after the fall of the fruit, makes its way into the 

 earth, where it is supposed to remain till the following Spring, when 

 it is transformed into the perfect insect or beetle, to lay its eggs and 

 perpetuate its race. 



The curculio travels by flying, but only during quite warm wea- 

 ther, or at the heat of the day, at which time a person lying upon his 

 back under a tree, and perfectly still, can observe their movements. 

 If the least motion or noise is made, they remain inactive. The 

 insects mostly confine themselves to certain trees, or to" the same 

 orchard. But the fact that newly bearing and isolated orchards are 

 soon attacked, clearly shows that in occasional instances they must travel 

 considerable distances. Indeed, they have been known to be wafted 

 on the wind for a mile or more, the windward side of orchards being 

 most infested, immediately after strong winds from a thickly planted 

 plum neighborhood. In the cool of the morning they are nearly 

 torpid, and can scarcely fly, and crawl but slowly ; hence, at this 

 time of the day they are most easily destroyed. 



The plum alone is, however, not the only fruit subject to attack 

 from this insect, but the peach, apricot, nectarine and cherry, all 

 suffer ; and, when a scarcity of fruit, then the tender branches of the 

 oak, wild plum, and other trees, receive the egg, and dropping the 

 same, after a period, to the ground, its regular transformations are 

 continued, and the succeeding season the natural instinct of the insect 

 leads it to the fruit again. 



The preventives to injury from the natural instinct and course of 

 the curculio are recorded in number more than we care to recount. 

 SufRco it that, as yet, no certain agent or preventive has been found; 



