PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 123 



skinned fruit. The jarring of trees to shake off the curciilio is 

 effectual, but it is an immense labor, as it must be attended to 

 every day, and some sunny days several times a day. He said 

 that, unless some remedy for this insect can be discovered, we 

 shall be unable to raise any fine fruit. It is the curculio that 

 causes the disease in apples known as gnarly. We get no good 

 apples in Jersey, and it is out of the question to raise plums, 

 apricots, or fine peaches. We import prunes from Germany 

 cheaper than we can make boxes to pack them in — the plums 

 grow to such perfection in that country. 



Mr. Lawton. — I have removed bushels of black knots from my 

 cherry trees and burned them. I found in all these knots a living 

 worm. I destroy the common catterpillar by collecting them in 

 the nests and destroying them. 



GRAPE VINE AND OTHER PESTS. 



Dr. Trimble. — Here is a specimen of the insect that curls the 

 grape leaf. Now is the time to look after them, and pick them 

 off by hand and destroy them, or they will destroy the vines. 

 Here is another curious insect that infests the currant bushes. 

 It is what we call lice, and these lice furnish food for a colony of 

 ants, by their exudation of a sort of sweet substance. Here is 

 the aphis that curls the currant leaf; and here is another curious 

 insect that binds itself up in a web and a leaf, and what is re- 

 markable, this insect is itself full of other insects — parasites that 

 live upon the other, and in a great measure destroy it. I wish 

 that some parasite could be found to destroy the curculio. Per- 

 haps it may be destroyed in time, as the Hessian fly has been. 



A PEACH DESTROYER. 



The Chairman presented a new pest of the peach ; a worm 

 that fixes itself in the footstalks of the leaves, and destroys 

 them. It is a dark-colored worm, about an inch long. 



Wra. S. Carpenter. — This insect discussion is one of great 

 importance to farmers. These little, insignificant things are 

 great destroyers of our crops. He spoke particularly of the 

 bugs that cat up the potato vines. 



FRUITS, FLOWERS, AND SPRING PLANTING. 



The regular question of the day was now called up. Wil- 

 liam Lawton exhibited specimens of strawberries in bloom, to 

 show the difference in the blossoms — the staminate, pistilato, and 



