426 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



THE CURCULIO 



This little depredator seems to defy the effort 

 of all those persons Avho have attempted to do away 

 with its ravages. It is ijidced a true wceAil, as 

 much so as the Curculio granarius, or grain wee- 

 vil, which does so much injury to housed wheat. 



The pojiular opinion that the plum weevil, {Khyn- 

 chcEims nenuphar,) otherwise knowii as the cur- 

 cuho, cannot Hy, is a mistake ; for its wing-sheaths 

 cover two transparent wings, by means of which it is 

 enabled to pass from jilum to ])hun, and deposit its 

 eggs. Before depositing an egg it makes a crescent- 

 like puncture in the particular plum in which it is 

 about to be laid, which will soon be hatched, produ- 

 cing a whitish, footless grub, having a light brown 

 head. Indeed, in some instances I have found as 

 many as three larva in a single plum, but this is a 

 rare occurrence. The young larva then feeds upon 

 the plum, and eventually finds its way to the stone, 

 the passage being oblique and very irregular. Soon 

 after the eggs have been deposited, gum begins to 

 exude from the fruit, and in some instances in very 

 large quantities. Tliis exudation seems to so pre- 

 vent the full development of the fruit, as to cause 

 it prematurely to fall from the trees, thus permit- 

 ting the insects, when about to change to the pupa 

 state, to pass into the ground. Between three and 

 four weeks seems to be the time necessary for them 

 to undergo this metamorphosis, when the peri'ect 

 weevils come forth ready to add to the injuries per- 

 petrated by their progenitors. 



The perfect insect is about two-tenths of an inch 

 long, and furnished with a snout, by means of which 

 it is enabled to bore the fruit. The hind part of 

 each TOUg-case is furnished ^^dth a yellowish spot. 

 The wing-cases are of a blackish color, their surface 

 being ridged, and presenting an elevated appear- 

 ance in the centre. 



Plums are not the only fruit attacked ; nectarines, 

 peaches, cherries, apples, and quinces, are also 

 preyed upon by the curculio. I have been told that 

 not even peaches in the southern States are exempt, 

 but I have had no opportunity of making any obser- 

 vation corroborative of this statement. 



Not one of the numerous remedies proposed for 

 doing away with the ravages of this Httle tormentor, 

 has yet brought about the desired result. It seems 

 to me that one important observation has yet to be 

 made. I refer to state and place in which it pass- 

 es the winter ; for if this fact were fully brought to 

 light, it would be some clue to a preventive. 



It should be borne in mind, however, that in the 

 absence of more accurate knowledge, such remedies 

 as have a tendency to lessen their evil doings, should 

 be observed, such as the gathering of the fruit at 

 intervals during the season, which should be burned, 

 thus killing the grubs, so as to prevent all possilnli- 

 ity of their passage into the soil. To destroy them 

 while in the grub state is an excellent practice, for 

 by preventing their undergoing the natural change, 

 and coming forth wecAals, the future production of 

 countless myriads is prevented. In order to lessen 

 the injuries of those which have already come forth 

 as perfect weevils, a sheet should be spread upon 

 the ground around the body of a tree, and if the 

 branches be suddenly jarred, some of the weevils at 

 least will fall, when they may be collected and de- 

 stroyed; for when disturbed, they gather their legs 

 and snouts close to tlieir bodies, and unless under 

 close examination, present a lifeless appearance. If 



this precaution be frequently made use of, the depo- 

 sition of many eggs, and consequent production of 

 insects, will be prevented. The numerous other 

 remedies which have so often been published, such 

 as the application of white-wash and glue, sulphur, 

 lime and water, as well as gas-house Hme, etc., seem 

 to be entirely inefficient. — J. Payne Lowe, in 

 Working Farmer. 



THE CAHKER WORM. 



j The recent havoc which this pest has made on 

 ' the fruit and other trees in this section of Massa- 

 chusetts, naturally leads our attention to it, al- 

 though on our own farm at Concord, twenty miles 

 west of Boston, we have never seen one of them. 

 j The habits of this destructive insect have been 

 'carefully investigated by men abundantly compe- 

 jtent to do the subject ample justice, and who have 

 ! prosecuted their labors with a zeal and energy en- 

 titled to much praise. In Harris's work on "In- 

 sects Injurious to Vegetation," there is a minute 

 and carefully drawn account, which all may read 

 with profit. The "canker moth" is the Phalana 

 vernata of Professor Peck. The insect is thus de- 

 scribed : 



"His antennae, or horns, are thread-lilce ; but 

 when viewed through the microscope, are found to 

 be beset, on each side, mth a very short, hairj' 

 fringe. His wings are thin and silky, and expand 

 about one inch and a quarter. The fore wings have 

 a distinct Avhitish spot on the thick edge, near the 

 tip, and are crossed by two jagged, faint, whitish 

 bands, more or less distinctly bordered with black 

 lines, or dots. The liind wings are rather darker 

 than the other pair, and have a small dusky spot 

 near the middle. This is the usual appearance of 

 the male, which, however, is subject to some varia- 

 tion in size, and in the greater or less distinctness 

 of the spots on the wings. The females are plump 

 and oval in shape, and are also ash-colored above, 

 and paler or whitish beneath, and measure about 

 three-eighths of an inch in length. They have two 

 thread-like horns, and six long slender legs, and on 

 each side of the belly near the head, there may be 

 seen with a glass, two Kttle scaly tufts, pressed close 

 to the body, where the wings of other moths usually 

 grow." 



The coupling of these bsects ordinarily occurs 

 very soon or immecUately after they emerge from 

 their winter dormitories in the soil, and sometimes 

 before they ascend the trees. The insect is very 

 destructive and very prolific. The eggs are depos- 

 ited in the bark, in the crotches of limbs, and, in- 

 deed, in almost every place where they can be at- 

 tached. They sometimes appear in clusters of from 

 fifteen to seventy-five in number, but it is not known 

 whether the eggs forming these clusters, are the 

 product of a single insect, or of several ; nor has the 

 number of eggs ordinarily produced by a female 

 moth been accurately ascertained. The eggs are 



