THE CX^ADlX^ HOKTICULTU UIST. 



n 



ISO well known to the majority of our readers; still we tind niuny 

 Ijeginners in fruit growing who have not yet made its acc^uaintance, and 

 for their l)enefit we insert th^e accompanying figure, and give a brief 



description of the insect. In figure 

 8, a represents the larvie ; h, the 

 chrysalis, and c the perfect insect, all 

 maj'nified, the lines alongside of the 

 figures showing the actual size of these 

 objects ; wliile d represents a small 

 plum, with the well-known crescent 

 mark of tfie insect, and the little 

 beetle of natural size, crawling on the 

 fruit. The Plum Curculio is a little, 

 vlark-gray or blackish beetle, about one-fifth of an inch long, with a 

 rough, rugged surface, and having on the middle of each wing-case a 

 lilack shining hump, bordered behind with a broad band of yellowish 

 white; it is also furnished with a short snout. When this little creature 

 is alarmed, the snout as well as the "six short legs are drawn in close 

 to the body, and the insect falls suddenly to the ground, where it lies 

 motionless, tnnch resembling a bit of dirt or a little dried up bud. In 

 «?onse(iuence of its peculiar inanimate appearance when thus " playing 

 possum," it frequently escapes detection ; but when taken up between 

 the fingers and placed on the hand, it quickly manifests symptoms of 

 <activity, and endeavors to escape, either by running or by flight. 



The beetle deposits its eggs, one at a time, just under the skin of 

 the plum, which is cut with a crescent shaped incision, deepened in 

 the centre, where the egg is deposited. Here the young lar\^ hatches, 

 and eats its way into the fruit, burrowing about towards the middle, 

 and so affecting the vitality of the plum th-at it fiills prematurely to 

 the ground, where the worm as soon as it is full grown escapes, and 

 burrowing under the surface shortly becomes a chrysalis, from which 

 in due time the perfect beetle emerges. 



"When a tree on which these beetles are working is suddenly jarred 

 they become alarmed, and ftill to the ground, where they feign death 

 in the manner described, and by taking advantage of this peculiarity, 

 and jarring our trees in the proper season, the great bulk of these 

 enemies may, be captured and destroyed, and a crop of plums secured. 



