L I 



42 



so easily overcome. It only requires time and patience to 

 effe6tually banish it. It was formerly believed to be a. 

 disease of the sap, or caused by some unknown insect laying 

 its eggs on the twig, but it is now proved beyond a doubt 

 that it is a parasitic plant, the spores of which float about 

 in the air and fasten themselves upon the young twig. The^ 

 next season they rapidly grow into the knot like moss. 

 When the disease commences, be sure to remove the diseased 

 part, or cut out the limb at once and burn it. 



■ >: 1 . i THE PLUM CURCULIO, 



or as it is commonly called the Curculio, is the great insect 

 enemy of the plum. The female beetle makes her appear- 

 ance early in spring, and as soon as the fruit is formed she^ 

 alights on it, and with her minute jaws makes a small cut 

 just through the skin of the fruit. Into this hole she drops 

 an egg, and goes to perform a similar operation on another 

 plum. In about a week there hatches from the egg a tiny 

 soft, footless grub, which begins at once to feed upon the 

 green flesh of the fruit. The fruit containing the grub does 

 not mature, but falls to the ground generally before the 

 grub is full grown. It often remains in the fallen fruit 

 some days before it descends into the ground to complete 

 its transformation, from which it emerges a perfect beetle. 

 From this it is evident that if hogs or fowls are allowed to 

 run among the trees to destroy the grub before it enters the 

 ground, they will completely check the ravages of the 

 insect. For years the hens and chickens have run among 

 the plum trees, and I have never been bothered with 

 insects ; but when these remedies are not practised, spraying 

 the trees with Paris green just after the blossoms have 

 fallen, and the jarring method are both effectual. 



To jar small trees a nail may be driven into the tree as 

 it does no harm, or a limb may be sawn off" an inch or so 

 from the trunk, and struck with a hammer. When the 

 trees become larger a forked stick five or six feet long, the 

 forked portion being wound with a cloth to prevent 

 bruising, is the most convenient to jar the trees. Approach, 

 the tree gently and let the jar be sudden. Shaking the 

 tree will not answer. Sometimes in the middle of the day^ 

 if it be warm, the beetles will fly off" the sheet before they 

 are caught. Sprinkling the sheet will prevent that. If 

 each tree be shaken every hour of the day while they are 

 at work, all or nearly all of them may be destroyed^ 

 although they may come from neighbouring trees and 



