FOVRTIlRNril ANNUAL MEETING. 



85 



cherry, peach and apple. This subject has recently been 

 studied by Prof. J. Al. Stcdnian of ^Missouri, and he finds that 

 the injury is very serious, but that it can be controlled. Only 

 a small proportion of the eggs laid ever hatch, and a small 

 proportion of the larvae ever reach maturity. The apple does 

 not seem to be a suitable host for the insect. The experi- 

 ments conducted by Prof. Stedman show that spraying with 

 poisons will prevent much of this injury to the fruit, and that, 

 in addition, if the infested fruit which drops from the tree can 



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m 



Young apples showing punctures made by the plum curculio. 



be gathered and destroyed, and tlie ground cultivated lightly 

 from the middle of July to the middle of August to destroy 

 the pupating curculios, the insect can be held in check. Pro- 

 fessor Forbes of Illinois conducted some experiments in 1904 

 in spraying the trees with arsenate of lead to prevent curculio 

 injuries. While he greatl}' reduced the amount of damage, 

 there still remained about 28 per cent, of injured fruit, and 

 he explained this by the statement that in order to obtain the 

 poisons, it was necessary for the beetles to feed upon the 



