THE CURCULIO. 87 



to maturity for next year's mischief as if they had been left on the ground. Mr. P. 

 has hogs, cattle, and horses, that would have been glad to eat them, worms and all, 

 but he has been so disgusted with his experience in fighting the insect enemies, that 

 he will hardly listen kindly to further advice. He probably feels as Job did towards 

 his comforters : " Ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value." But to-day, 

 finding he had done such a foolish thing, instead of following my advice, I gave it 

 to him sharply. I gathered up the apples under the half of one tree, where they 

 had not fallen on the walk. I was just sixteen minutes in doing it, and picked them 

 clean, too, and there were 960 ; that would be l ,920 for the tree. Probably hun- 

 dreds more will fall, some from the effects of the Curculio, some from the Apple 

 Moth. In many of these apples the larva both of the Apple Moth and Curculio 

 had escaped, especially the latter. In some I counted three and four holes. Of 

 course the fallen fruit should have been gathered sooner than this; even apples 

 should not be permitted to lie on the ground later than the last week in June. 

 Let us carry this further. All the fallen fruit under an Apple tree, to the number 

 of 2,000, can be gathered by hand in about half an hour twenty trees in a day. If 

 your trees are so situated that the hogs, or cattle, or horses, or sheep, cannot do it for 

 you, have it done by hand. Do it yourself, if possible, but have it done, and well 

 done. Children that can do but little else can attend to this. Stimulate them with 

 a fixed pecuniary reward for every bushel. No money could be better invested. 

 Let a neighborhood do it, and what a difference in the fruit crop the next year ! 

 Hundreds of people ask, " Is there any cure for the Curculio ?" I answer, yes ; 

 this! 



July 14. My sixteen Curculios from Mr. P.'s are still alive. The two plums 

 given to them at the time are now punctured in at least one hundred and fifty 

 places ; cut with the end of the proboscis, as usual. Eggs were found in about 

 a dozen of these crescent cuts. In some the insects had eaten cavities, as if for food, 

 but in most there was only the crescent mark, though in others they had also made 

 the centre opening, as if destined for the egg. 



I examined my box of young Curculios to-day, and found that eleven had come 

 up out of the ground fully matured, the colors as dark as those of the old ones, but 

 of much brighter tints than the parents are in their old age. Here is another com- 

 plication. Two generations of Curculios at the same time ! One is trouble enough 

 certainly, but I shall try to see and record the doings of both. I have placed this 

 new brood in a glass vessel with a gauze covering, and given them plums and pears. 



A near neighbor has an Apricot tree that stands against his house. I have 



