THE 



A P i Rl IJ c Am 



VOL. 2. 



ST. LOUIS, MO., JUNE, 1870. 



NO. 8. 



^iTt0m0l0gtraI gtparlmcnl. 



V. RILEY, Editoi 



.Main St., SI. Louis, Mo. 



GKE.VT DISCOVERY-CURCULIO EXTERMINATION 

 POSSIBLE ! 



The importance of this subject, the demand 

 for prompt and persistent action, and the absolute 

 necessity of arousing everj' peach, plum and 

 stone-fruit growei- to destroy the Curculio, have 

 led the editor of the Herald, as Secretary of the 

 St. Joseph Fiuit-Growers' Association, to issue 

 this extra. Not a single day should be lost, for 

 with united action 5u0,000 Curculios may be 

 killed in a single day. 



There is no doubt on this point. This morn- 

 iiio- Hon. John Whittlesey called at the Herald 

 office and stated that on the lith inst. he killed 

 2,715 Curculios about the roots of 200 trees, and 

 on the 15th, in foui- hours on the same trees he 

 killed 1,500 by actual count. 



Mr. Whittlesey also stated that Mr. Ransom, 

 Mr. Bonelle and himself had in five hours killed 

 upwards of 5,000 Curculios in a portion of three 

 small orchards. That he had himself alone, in two 

 days of eight hours each, killed one-half more 

 Curculios than were ever taken by three men 

 with the old fashioned sheet in a week. Mr. 

 Whittlesey is one of the most sncces.sful and 

 .scientific fruit-growers of St. Joseph, whose 

 word is a bond; but he said, ''Do not believe 

 me; go to Mr. Ransom's orchard and see for 

 yourself." 



Entering Mr. Ransom's orchard, the editor 

 met Dr. Lyman Collins coming out. Dr. Col- 

 lins is widely known for liis successful peach 

 culture. 



" Well, Doctor, is it a success?" 



" Most assuredly. I tried the experiment on 

 eight of my trees in the evening, and the next 

 morning took 104 Curculios. I am going home 

 to bug my whole orchard in this manner." 



Wm. B. Ransom, the discoverer of the new 

 method of exterminating the Curculio, was 

 found on his knees in the back of his orchard 

 examining his Curculio traps. This was at 10 

 o'clock A. M., and he had already killed 1,357 

 on 300 trees. The editor stooped down and 

 lifted up a corn cob not six inches long, and 

 found and killed seven Curculios. There is no 

 doubt whatever, that the long desiied means of 

 exterminating the Curculio is discovered. 



Such is the burden of a little two-column 

 extra to the St. Joseph Herald, which Mr. J. E. 



Chamberlain, editor of that paper, and Secre- 

 tary of the St. Joseph Fruit-Growers' Associa- 

 tion, sent to us just as our last number was going 

 to press. The subject is of such importance 

 that we can forgive, in an editor, the somewhat 

 sensational heading. 



The following account of the method em- 

 ployed we soon afterwards received from the 

 discoverer himself: 



Editor American Entomologist : As you are 

 scieneed in the matter of Bugs, it \aay be of 

 some interest to you, and of practical importance 

 to fruit-growers, to know that the Curculio — 

 that pest of all stone fruits — can easily be de- 

 stroyed, as I am now practically demonstrating. 



pairs (111 the tl'Uliks (,f the l)c;irli livi'^. whrivllie 



deteruiiued to watch their movements this year, 

 and learn more of their natural habits, and see 

 if there could not be some more speedy, efl'ectual, 

 and less exjjensive mode of destroying them than 

 has liitherto been practiced. 



Some three weeks ago I examined my trees 

 (peach, plum and cherry) but did not find any. 

 The first of May brought warm days, and the 

 same degree of warmth which expanded the 

 blossoms and the foHage, roused the Curculio to 

 activity in tliis latitude. After two or three 

 warm days, I went (May 4th) and closely exam- 

 ined my trees, and found small numbers of the 

 little pest on each tree. None were found copu- 

 lating. The next day was warm, and 1 founil a 

 few in pairs. Nrxf'duy it i-aiiicil a litfli', aiul 

 turned cold. Duiiiiji' the cuhl days and nights 

 the Curculio stopped feeding on the leaves of the 

 trees. 



On the 13th of May it was very warm, both 

 day and night ; and next day almost all the Cur- 

 culios which 1 destroyed had fed. From their 

 first appearance I searched for tliciu ainiiiid and 

 under the trees, but fouml none. I'.ut after four 

 days' .search, I knew they must be hid under 

 leaves, chips, sticks, stones, or sometliing. I laid 

 myself down and examined more closely, and 

 began to discover the little hump-back rascals. 



Now, let me sum up my observations, and my 

 mode of destruction. The warmth that brings 

 out blossoms, brings the Cui-culios to their 

 natural food and breeding places. They liide 

 anywhere in the orchard where there is a cover. 

 During sufficiently warm days and nights they 

 go the tree— mostly crawling, I presume, — to 

 feed and pair. 



I destroy them in this way : By experiment at 

 first I raked eveiything that they could possibly 



