90 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



catch, taking to wiug very quicklj', and perhaps for that reason would 

 not be noticed unless one was up to catching them. We generally catch 

 them with a net or something of that kind. These borers prefer to lay 

 their eggs in the trunk or in the branches of the tree instead of down at 

 the base, and they seem to prefer to lay them in an injured spot in the 

 tree or in trees that are a little off in health. Their method of work is 

 much like that of the othei- borer. They get underneath the bark, and 

 if there is any difference, they work more between the bark and the 

 wood than the other one. Sometimes they will work way around the 

 tree under the bark and cut the growing part entirely off, and destroy the 

 tree. These onlj- remain in the tree one season, and then gnaw upward and 

 out to the bark. Their growth is much more rapid than that of the other 

 insect. In some parts of Maine they ai-e perhaps as abundant as the other 

 borer, if not more so. I have had letters from parties stating that they had 

 taken as many as fifteen out of a single tree. Thej^ are a little more diffi- 

 cult to cope with than the other kind because you don't know exactly 

 where they are going to lay their eggs. The others lay their eggs at the 

 bottom of the tree ; these, higher up in the branches in weakened spots 

 in the tree. This insect is a native of Maine also, and not only affects 

 plants belonging to the rose family, but the box alder, and sometimes the 

 maple and other forest trees, besides the pear, plum, cherry, etc. You 

 can always tell the worm of this kind from that of the other. The round- 

 headed apple-tree borer or worm is about the same size the whole length, 

 while the flat-headed borer has a thick head and narrows very rapidly ; 

 the rest of the body is very much narrower. 



The fourth insect that I was to call your attention to this afternoon is 

 the curculio. It is more properly a plum insect, or in other words, it 

 does more damage to the plum than to any of our other fruits. In the 

 absence of plums it does more or less damage to apples. I am not able 

 to find many apples in the exhibit here that are affected by this insect. 

 I think I have one here, though I may be mistaken. It stings the apple 

 and then somehow seems to poison it. The curculio makes a little half- 

 moon shaped cut in the apple and then in this little flap lays its eggs. I 

 have not been able to raise more than one or two of the curculio from 

 eggs that w^ere laid in apples. The}^ do not seem to flourish well in 

 apples. They will get about half their growth and then die. I tried to 

 breed quite a number of them and out of the whole I onl}' got one j^er- 

 fect beetle. I wanted to satisfy myself thoroughly as to whether it was 

 the same species as the plum curculio. 



Ques. Will they cause the apple to fall? 



Ans. They will, yes, sir. 



Ques. Do they go to the core? 



Aus. They do not, it is simply a surface effect. I do not regard this 

 curculio as a very bad apple insect, but it is a very bad plum insect. 

 These insects have long snouts and their common name would be snout 

 beetles. The head is prolonged into a sort of a snout and the anteumc of 



