1871 



THE POMOLOGIST AND GARBENER. 



179 



Dr. S. H. KniDEi^BAnoH, Editor, Clabinda, Iowa. 



A New Pest In the OrcUard. 



Dr. Kridelbauoh. — I write to tell you of a new 

 pest of the orchard, (new to me,) which has made 

 its appearance here within the past few days. I 

 was led to their discovery hy seeing the young 

 spurs of new wood hanging withered from the 

 limhs of my apple trees, in a newly planted orchard, 

 specimens of which I send by mail with this. They 

 do not eat the leaves, bi,t cat the bark and new 

 wood, working transversely through it. They are 

 as easily caught as the potato bug, and show no 

 inclination to fly. I find them cither at work or 

 resting quietly at the base of the twig.s. The speci- 

 mens I sent are, I think, male and female— the 

 female being the largest. They are quite numer- 

 ous, and unless hunted olF every day and destroyed 

 would probably kill all my young trees. 



J. C. FiNIiATSON. 



Md<yra, Iowa, May 20, 1871. 



Remarks. — The beetles you send are the New 

 York Weevil — Ithyc-erus tiovebwac^nsis, of Porster, 

 who named it about one hundred years ago. The 

 generic name Ithycerus, signifies straight-horn. 

 liaving reference to its straight antenna;, while its 

 specific name noveboracensis means " of New York, 

 referring doubtlessly to the locality in which it was 

 first discovered. 



Apple appears to be its preferable food, although 

 it attacks the pear, pliun, peach and cherry. It 

 feeds actively at night and appears sluggish during 

 the day. 



Before the buds put forth it destroys them, later 

 in the season it forages on the tender shoots from 

 the old wood and the soft bark at the base of the 

 buds, thus playing sad havoc in orchards. 



The I. noveboraensis is among the largest of the 

 snout-beetles, of ash-gray color marked with black, 

 of which the annexed Figures of 

 male and female will give the gen- 

 eral reader a good idea. The large 

 figure is a dorsal view of the female, 

 and the small one a lateral view of 

 the male, of natural life size, en- 

 graved from photographs hy 8. 

 Ilutchings, Clarinda, Iowa. 



It is thought by naturalists that 

 this species of the curculio family 

 do not breed in fruit trees, but in 

 the tender branches of the bur oak. lis larva is of 

 a pale yellow color with a tawny head, and is 

 known to burrongh in the bark of the bur oak, in 



which the female very ingeniously carves a crevice, 

 and deposits her eggs. Its complete transforma- 

 tions are not definitely known. 



The best way to get rid of them is to clear the 

 rubbish away from under the trees that the insects 

 may be readily seen. Jar the tree and they will 

 fall down, and may he picked up and killed, as is 

 the cu.stom with the plum curculio. 



An ITuknon^n Visitor. 



Dr. Kuidlebaugh.— I send a specimen of a bug 

 that is making sad work with my brother's young 

 apjjle trees that were set out this spring; they eat 

 the leaf as fast as it appears or where there is no 

 leaf eat out the bud, and sometimes eat the bark. So 

 far he has failed to stop them. Soft soap applied to 

 the trees makes no diflerence with their work. 



The trees are set on new land only one crop, is 

 hazel and burr oak, rather a clay soil. This bug 

 beats me; what is it? They have killed many of 

 his trees. I am half a mile from him, have quite a 

 lot of trees set this spring, have not seen any of the 

 bugs on mine. 



The show for fruit is the best here I ever saw, 

 both wild and tame. Crops of all kinds are C(miing 

 along finely, and are very promising. 



J. T. MOTT. 

 Postuille, Iowa, May 30, 1871. 



Remarks. — The specimen enclosed in the letter 

 was hadly mutilated, but by considerable labor we 

 got the broken and pressed fragments together, and 

 ascertained our friend's insect to be the veritable 

 New York "Weevil — (Ithycerus noveboracensis). For 

 more concerning it read answer to Mr. J. C. Fin- 

 layson, of Hardin county, Iowa. We are pleased to 

 witness an increasing interest in Entomology, and 

 like to have specimens sent us, hut must insist that 

 they be sent separate from the letter asking infor- 

 mation, and giving .such information as the writer 

 has been able to gather. Send specimens in a box, 

 packed in cotton, or if alive, with enough of their 



fiivorite food to last them on their journey. 

 »— ♦ — • 



Bumble Bees. — The Turf, Field and Farm thus 

 puts in a word in behalf of bumble bees : " Boys 

 think it glorious fun to fight bumble bees, but they 

 should not be encouraged in the warfare. Bumble 

 bees, like all the hymenojjtera, play an important 

 part in the great field of nature. The vein winged 

 insects which fly from flower to flower do not 

 injure or destroy the flowers, but make them pro- 

 ductive by disturbing the pollen. They also rid us 

 of innumerable noxious caterpillars and other 

 insects, which they convert into wholesome food 

 for their offspring. 



■ — « » * 



JIg"The Toledo (Ohio) Blade .says reports from 

 fifty points in Ohio, Michigan and lillinois, place 

 the fruit crop a little below an average. 



