FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
109 
thorough cultivation of the orchard dur¬ 
ing this period destroys the larger portion 
of the insects in the pupa stage. The 
time consumed in the life cycle of the in¬ 
sect from the laying of the egg in the 
fruit to the emerging of the adult curcu- 
lio from the pupa has been found to con¬ 
sume from thirty-seven to fifty-eight 
days. In our moist, warm, Southern cli¬ 
mate and soil, the development is rapid, 
probably averaging from forty to forty- 
five days. Spraying as a preventive for 
the ravages of the curculio, and as a pre¬ 
ventive of brown rot is highly recom¬ 
mended, which we will explain under the 
head of “Brown Rot.” Where a lim¬ 
ited number of trees are planted, the 
practice of keeping pigs or poultry in 
the orchard is a good preventive, as 
they destroy the dropped fruit in which 
the larva are working, as well as destroy 
the pupa and adult insects. Jarring the 
trees early in the morning and catching 
the adult insects in sheets, or allowing 
poultry to pick them up is also a practical 
means of control where the number of 
trees is not too great. 
Eighth—Brown Rot: The brown rot 
is a fungous disease of the peach attack¬ 
ing the fruit about the time of maturity 
or ripening. The brown rot spores are 
carried over from year to year on mum¬ 
mified fruit hanging on the trees, or al¬ 
lowed to remain on the ground under the 
trees during the winter, therefore the ad¬ 
visability of removing all decaying or 
mummified fruit from the trees during 
the period of clean cultivation before 
beggar weed or other leguminous crops 
are allowed to cover the orchard. Inju¬ 
ries from brown rot and from the 
curculio can be controlled largely by the 
use of a fungicide to which ar¬ 
senate of lead is added at the time of 
spraying. The most successful spray for 
this purpose has been found to be the 
self-boiled lime and sulphur mixture to 
which is added two pounds of arsenate 
of lead to each fifty gallons of spray mix¬ 
ture. The first application to be applied 
about ten days to two weeks after the 
bloom has dropped, followed by a second 
spraying in about three weeks, and a 
third spraying about three weeks before 
the fruit matures. The fungicidal prop¬ 
erties of the lime and sulphur mixture 
destroy the fungus spores, and the ar¬ 
senate of lead destroys a large number of 
the beetles (curculio). Those wishing io 
investigate further the practice of spray¬ 
ing peaches for the control of brown rot 
and curculio, can get much valuable in¬ 
formation from Farmers’ Bulletin No. 
440, by Professor W. M. Scott and A. L. 
Quaintance, published by the United 
States Department of Agriculture, issued 
under date of March 27th, 1911. 
We have given this portion of our re¬ 
port a considerable space, as your com¬ 
mittee realizes that the injury from cur¬ 
culio and brown rot is the chief barrier 
to the more general planting and grow¬ 
ing of peaches. 
Plums: Under the head of other de¬ 
ciduous fruits, there are several worthy 
of attention. Some varieties of plums 
do exceptionally well in Florida, the fruit 
ripens early, is variable for home use, and 
finds a ready market at good prices. Care 
should be taken in. the selection of varie¬ 
ties, and only those adapted to Florida 
should be planted. In planting a plum 
