THE 



VOL. 2. 



ST. LOUIS, MO., JUNE, 1870. 



NO. 8. 



CHARLES V. RILEY, Editor, 



221 N. Main St., St. Louis, Ho. 



GREAT DISCOVERY— CURCULIO EXTERMINATION 

 I. ' POSSIBLE ! 



The importance of this subject, the dem.aiul 

 for prompt and persistent action, and the absohitc 

 necessity of ai-ousing every peach, plum and 

 stone-fruit grower to destroy the Curculio, have 

 led the editor of the Herald, as Secretary of the 

 St. Joseph Fruit-Growers' Association, to issue 

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

 with united action 5uO,000 Curculios may be 

 killed in a single day. 



There is no doubt on this point. This morn- 

 injc Hon. John Whittlesey called at the Herald 

 office and stated that on the 14th iiist. he killed 

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

 on the 16th, in four 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 bad 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 successful and 

 f^cientific fiuit-growers of St. Joseph, whoso 

 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 his 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 Cuiculios. 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 desired 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 

 sensatioual heading. 



The following account of the method em- 

 ployed we soon afterwards received from the 

 discoverer himself: 



Editor American Entomologist : As you are 

 scienced in the matter of Bugs, it may 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. 



Last year I discovered that they gatbei'ed in 

 pairs on the trunks of the peach trees, where the 

 main branches iliveigc, and on the under side of 

 the limbs, around the knots and black l)ark. I 

 determined to watch their niovenieuts this year, 

 and learn more of their natui'al habits, and see 

 if tlici'f c(nild not be some more speedy, elleetnal, 

 and loss expensive mode of destroyiiig 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 foliage, roused the Ciu'culio to 

 activity in this 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 wami, and I found a 

 few in pairs. Next day it rained a little, and 

 turned cold. During the cold 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 

 fii'st appearance I searched for them around and 

 under the trees, but found none. But after four 

 days' search, 1 knew they must be hid under 

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

 myself down and examined more closel)-, and 

 began to iliscover 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 Curculios to their 

 natural food and breeding places. They lude 

 anjT\here 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 everytliing that they could possibly 



