88 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO FRUIT. 



watched it for years, and I have not seen a mark of a Curculio on any of the fruit. 

 He has also many Plum, Peach, and other fruit trees in his yard, but none of them 

 so near the house as the Apricot tree. All these suffer severely from the Curculio. 

 Instances of such exemption from Curculio depredations have often come to my 

 knowledge. I had such on my own place. This neighbor has many common Plum 

 trees, standing where they came up as sprouts ; common sorts, proper subjects for the 

 black knots. These knots are now perforated in all parts, though generally from 

 one end to the other in the centre, by grubs of Curculio. The yellow-brown powder 

 is issuing from openings all over these knots. Many of these have now come out, 

 as from plums or apples, and gone into the ground. Let any one who doubts this 

 try the experiment; it is easily done. Earth in flower-pots will do; and if covered 

 up with gauze, the beetles can be secured for examination. Those bred from the 

 plums and plum knots will be found identical. In this I do not wish to be under- 

 stood to say that it is the Curculio that causes the black knots on Plum and Cherry 

 trees, but I do intend to be understood to say that the Curculio is bred in many of 

 the black knots on both of these trees. Some years ago one of the agricultural 

 papers gave an account, from a correspondent in Canada, of an Ichneumon Fly breed- 

 ing in the Curculio ; but it was in the grub as found in the black knot. 



July 15. The young Curculios I find nibble at a pear, but cut no crescent 

 marks, and make no holes with the proboscis, as the old females do. I dissected eight 

 of them, but found neither eggs nor signs of tliem. I then examined three old ones, and in 

 one found a single egg, and on a careful examination of a plum, which these three 

 had had for two days, I found three eggs more. This having two generations of Cur- 

 culios on hand at the same time is not so complicated an affair as it appears to be at 

 first. These experiments prove that those of this year are not so far matured as to be 

 ready for the great purpose of their lives the propagation of their species. Female 

 insects which pass but a short time in the winged or perfect condition, as moths, but- 

 terflies, cicadas, etc., will be found to contain eggs at the time of emerging from the 

 chrysalis, and the sexes come together almost immediately. But with these young 

 Curculios the case is different Some that have been kept in a green-house until 

 mid-winter, as they have been by Peter B. Mead, myself, and some others I have 

 heard of, will be found pairing, but this must be considered as the effect of the artifi- 

 cial temperature. Out of doors they will be in the condition of others of their class, 

 as lady-bugs, asparagus beetles, and pea-bugs, too nearly dormant at all times in the 

 winter to show much activity; often they will be frozen solid. Occasionally there 



