104 THE CULTIVATION OF THE 



the snout — the thorax is uneven, and the wing-cases are 

 rigid and humped, covering two transparent wings by 

 which the curculio flies from tree to tree. Behind the 

 humps is a yellowish-white spot ; each thigh has two 

 small teeth on the under side. They appear on the 

 peninsula between the first of April and the first of July, 

 it depending on the forwardness of vegetation when 

 they commence to appear. When the peaches get to be 

 the size of cherries, the female goes from peach to peach, 

 makes her half-moon shaped cut, and deposits one egg. 

 She continues until her store is exhausted. The grubs 

 are hatched by the heat of the sun, and resemble white 

 maggots with a light-brown head ; they immediately 

 burrow obliquely to the stone of the peach. The fruit 

 thus weakened, becomes gum my and drops prematurely 

 Now the grub, full-size, leaves the peach on the ground 

 and goes into the ground becoming a pupa, (chrysalis,) 

 and in three weeks comes out a full-grown curculio ; so 

 its wheel of life goes around. 



In full, or even moderate, bearing years; the curculio, 

 while very active, doubtlessly, does not make much 

 impression on the crop, but when the yield is light, at 

 the beginning, the damage done by this pest, I have no 

 doubt, is a very serious one. When you are going 

 through your orchard in early warm weather, and see a 

 small, brown object, like an elephant in miniature, suck 

 at a small peach on the tree, that is the female curculio 



