TWELVE] OUR RIVALS-THE INSECTS 



rapid, and when the stone is touched the plum 

 falls. After this the larvae very soon leave the 

 plum and enter the ground. After you have 

 finished your fight with the curculio, it therefore re- 

 mains necessary to look out that the dropping 

 plums are gathered, to prevent the larvae from 

 escaping. 



The curculio not only attacks plums and cher- 

 ries, but pears, quinces, and occasionally, when the 

 stone fruits are scarce, it does a great deal of dam- 

 age to apples. The codlin moth covers much the 

 same field, omitting the plums. It damages fruit 

 annually to the extent of $30,000,000. But it must 

 be remembered that, if this moth did not destroy a 

 portion of the stock, we should still have trouble 

 from over-bearing, and from glutted markets. Our 

 rivals, in other words, do a good deal of thinning, 

 which could, however, be better done by ourselves, 

 if we would. No one can have observed the apple 

 trees during a very prolific year, without being sat- 

 isfied that proper thinning will not be attended to 

 by growers. 



Borers are to be fought at all seasons — especially 

 in the apple and the quince and the peach trees. 

 First cut around the hole smoothly with a sharp 



[263] 



