ANIMAL LIFE 365 



The accompanying cut shows the various stages in its 

 development (Figure 325). They are readily killed by 

 the use of stomachic poisons. 



The worminess of plums and cherries is largely due to 

 the curculio (Figure 326). The plum curculio appears in 

 fruit trees in early spring and feeds on the leaves and fruit. 

 The females also cut crescent-shaped holes in the fruit and 

 deposit their eggs. In from three to seven days these 

 eggs hatch into little grubs that feed on the fruit. As 

 a usual thing the infested fruit falls to the ground in a 



short time. The . 



grub then leaves 

 the fruit and bur- 

 rows into the 

 ground, changing 

 later to the beetle 



/ T \ o* Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station. 



(curcuho). Spray- F[o m _ The p]um Curcu[ . o 



ing with arsenical 



poison just as the blossoms are falling is an adequate 



remedy for curculio. 



Scale Insects. An examination of the leafy branches 

 of the apple tree will often show what appears like minia- 

 ture shells upon the bark. These are the Oyster Shell 

 Scale. If the shell is lifted there will usually be found 

 a number of small eggs under it. These eggs hatch 

 early in the summer. The small insects that develop 

 wander on the bark of the tree, finally fixing themselves 

 in one place to feed on the sap which they suck from the 

 bark. 



The San Jose Scale. --The presence of this noto- 

 riously destructive scale at first is difficult to detect with- 

 out the aid of a good magnifying glass. Figure 327 shows 

 the appearance of the individual scales. As the scales 



