162 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



of sodium arseniate, Paris-green, or London-purple. Owing to 

 the deficient penetrating power of the two latter, which do not 

 form a solution, but are held in suspension by the addition of 

 dextrine or flour, the soda-salt would probably be preferable. Care 

 should be taken to apply such remedies before egg-laying has 

 taken place, and the spot to be protected is chiefly the junction of 

 the wood and bark. The Paris-green or London-purple washes 

 can be used stronger than for living plants, for which the strength 

 should never exceed one ounce to ten gallons of water. No 

 advocacy of arsenic applied to stop insect-depredations is com- 

 plete without the reminder that all buckets and other apparatus 

 applied to that use should be kept solely for that purpose, and 

 should be carefully destroyed when done with ; no scouring should 

 be trusted to free them from arsenic. If they are carelessly 

 employed for other work, a serious accident will some day dis- 

 credit this most valuable method of dealing with injurious 

 insects. 



The best check of all on the propagation of this insect is to 

 clear out the stumps, for when there are no breeding-places there 

 can be no beetles. As these insects breed in and frequent the 

 neighbourhood of fresh clearings, they gradually die out if there 

 is no surrounding dead wood for egg-laying ; this will be the case 

 if the felling areas are adjusted so that adjoining sections have 

 an interval of several years (at least four) between the periods of 

 cutting, no section being felled close to one previously cut and 

 planted till the new trees are w^ell started. This can always be 

 managed by reducing the size and increasing the number of 

 areas ; and if the forest-plan is carefully drawn out with that 

 view, the absence of the beetle will more than compensate for 

 the slightly increased trouble. 



Curculio Abietis always does most harm w4ien areas are cut 

 and planted in regular succession, so that every space covered 

 with young trees adjoins one covered with fresh stumps, from 

 which the weevils sally forth to the work of destruction. 



Young plants can be protected by surrounding the base of the 

 stem with dry earth beaten flat with the spade, or with gas-lime 

 or similar compounds, or by "grease-banding " the base of the 

 stem, and in the case of Spruce, by planting with them a few 

 Pines, which will be attacked in preference. If the area planted 

 is clean, beetles can be prevented from entering it from outside 



