272 How THE FARM PAYS. 



goes into the ground to mature. It is the second brood which attacks 

 the half ripened fruit and remains in it during the winter. There are 

 several remedies: one is to gather the fallen fruit and burn it, or feed 

 it to pigs; or to turn pigs or sheep into the orchard to consume the 

 fallen fruit before the grubs leave it; and another is to spray the trees 

 when the blossoms have fallen, and again as the fruit increases in size, 

 with a mixture of one teaspoonful of Paris Green in three gallons of 

 water, adding a little molasses to keep the mineral in suspension, and 

 to make it adhere. This application also destroys the Canker Worms> 

 Tent Caterpillars and other pests which infest this tree. 



THE PLUM WEEVILS. 



The curculio or plum weevil is so prevalent, sly and yet active, aa 

 to wholly prevent the profitable culture of plums in extensive districts. 

 It is a small beetle, akin to the pea and bean weevil, and deposits its eggs, 

 in the young fruit, making a crescent shaped mark, which is character- 

 istic of it. Of course the fruit drops from the tree, when the insect 

 escapes and matures in the ground to repeat its depredations. An 

 effective method of destroying is to jar the tree twice a day, when 

 the beetles fall to the ground and lie quite still for a time. By 

 spreading a sheet under the tree the insects may be caught and 

 destroyed. Another pest of the same character is the plum gouger, 

 which remains in the fruit, eating its way to the heart, and pene- 

 trating the soft stone, where it devours the kernel. The fruit shrivels 

 on the tree and finally drops. From the habits of these insects, any 

 outward application to the tree is of course useless. 



PLANT LICE. 



The family of insects known by the name of Aphis, or Plant Lice, 

 is exceedingly numerous and varied. These pests attack every part, 

 of the plants roots, stems, bark and leaves. Their power of increase 

 is amazing, as the females are able to produce several generations, 

 which reproduce themselves without any sexual union, so that a plant 

 or tree once attacked by them is very soon completely overrun. 

 Grape vine roots are attacked by one species, which render the 

 culture of foreign varieties in the open air impossible. The orange, 

 apple, pear, plum and cherry are infested, both upon the bark and 

 the leaves, with myriads of various species, while some of the willows 

 are so completely covered with them as to become a source of con- 

 tagion to all sorts of trees in their neighborhood. The remedies are, 

 for the bark lice, to wash the bark with a strong solution of concen- 

 trated potash, or with lime wash, or to scrape off the outer bark 



