146 
THE CULTIVATOR 
April. 
and fill your pan again, until all are brought down. Ap¬ 
ply your brush occasionally to keep the passage into the 
hive open, and in half an hour or less all will be in, and 
ready to be hung upon the frame. If a ladder is needed, 
the same process is pursued with a little more laror. Pass 
quickly down with your pan full, lest all be on the wingj 
when you will need to wait till they again alight* H* 
W. Bulkley. Ballston, N. F, Feb. 11, 1852. 
-- 
Plan of a Curculio Catcher. 
Facts and figures showing that the Curculio can be 
certainly , safely , and cheaply resisted. 
Eds. Cultivator —In the Cultivator for March, 1850, 
p. 110, I briefly suggested the plan of a curculio catcher. 
Within a few weeks after the penning of that article, 
the machine, of which the above is a plan, was made. 
Having used it, with success, for two years, I send you 
a drawing and description of it. It is made of strips 
of board, cloth, and nails. The timber which I use is 
bass-wood, which is light, strong, pliant, and takes nails 
well. The timber is all of one size, two inches wide, 
and about three-fourths of an inch thick. The ma¬ 
chine consists essentially of two frames, each about nine 
feet long and four and a half wide, fastened in the cen¬ 
tre by two hinges, (as they may be called,) and is cover¬ 
ed with cheap and strong cotton cloth, nailed in with 
small tacks, a little smaller than those commonly used 
for carpets. 
The whole may be shut together like the cover of a 
book, but not quite so closely, owing to the shape of the 
hinge. 
For very large trees this is too small a machine, while 
for very small ones it is quite large. 
The short pieces, (1, 2, 3. 4,8tc.,; are the foundation. 
They are marked by two lines, drawn near together, 
indicating that they are set on the edge. Small blocks 
are inserted below 9-11 and 13-19, and between 10-12 
and 14-20, to keep the two parallel pieces apart, so as 
to admit the pieces 3, 4, and 5, 6, from the other half 
of the frame, to lie between, act as hinges by the use 
of a peg or nail at the points 15 and 16. No hinge, or 
other connection, is allowed at the point 17, as that 
would fill up the space left for the admission of the tree. 
These first or short pieces are set or laid on the edge, 
rather than flat, the better to make a firm hinge. Across 
these foundation pieces lay the other and larger ones 
1-5, 2-6, 7-13 and 8-14, nailing them carefully and 
strongly at the points where they cross the foundation 
pieces. These last are laid on flat, as is indicated by the 
wider parallel lines. This completes the frame. 
It will be seen that the foundation pieces 3-4 and 5-6 
pass beyond the points 16 and 15, where the nails make 
the hinges and run under the cross pieces. The object 
of that extension is that it may operate like the back of 
a knife somewhat, and prevent the opening of the frame 
wider than the point of levelness, as that would render 
it inconvenient in use. 
Over this whole frame nail your cotton cloth, on the 
outer edge of the frame, and also slightly to the two 
middle cross pieces. Cut a slit in your cloth from 7 to 9 
and from 9 to 4, for the admission of the tree. A short 
stick may be nailed to its outer edge, from 7 to 9. Thus 
it can be laid back, for the admission of the tree, and 
then restored to its former position, which completes the 
circuit of the tree. 
Mode of using this Machine. —Let two persons re¬ 
move it from some outhouse, (where it had been laid 
up closed for the winter.) lay it open and take hold of 
it at the opposite side from 19 to 6. Carry it to a plum 
tree, which is to be entered at 17. If the ground is not 
planted lay it flat upon the ground and step upon it if 
necessary, otherwise hold it above the vegetables. Let 
a third person jar the tree. This is done by having a 
flat ball-club covered with cloth or India rubber, which, 
being laid against the principal branches of the tree, is 
struck a short and quick blow, as that best disengages 
the curculio from his hold. Let all hands engage in 
killing the pirates. This is best done with the thumb 
and finger. This is better than to attempt to throw 
them into a pail of lye, or tobacco water. The bug is 
somewhat dry, and this mode is by no means offensive. 
Go over your plums. ( peaches , and cherries too, if you 
have them,) about every other day, till you find you 
have conquered them. 
History of its use for 1851.—I began to use it June 
2 d, (a little too late for the tenderest sorts of white 
plums.) and continued its use until the 17th, using it 
nine times in all, and applying it to 65 trees. It cost 
three men two hours tabor to get round. The wind was 
frequently so strong as to blow some of the insects be¬ 
yond the compass of the machine. 
Here then are fifty-five hours of labor, equal to five 
and one half days, of one man, which, at 75 cents per 
day, amounts to four dollars and twelve and one half 
cents, which is equal to six cents a piece for my plum 
trees. This is a small sum compared with a crop of 
plums. 
When first going round, we frequently found 30 cur- 
culios on a singletree. On the ninth time, we found but 
132 on the whole 
Results. —1. My Washington Bolmars. Green Gages, 
did not flower freely, while they are constiutionally more 
exposed than the dark colored plums. On these the crop 
was light. 
2. Prince’s Imperial Gage, and the Yellow Gage, gave 
very heavy crops. 
3. The Bleeker, Elfrey, Damsons, and a plum with¬ 
out a name, bore overwhelming crops. 
I ought to state here, though the statement does not 
affect the present argument at all, that I lost many of 
my plums, gooseberries, and all my grapes, by wet and 
hot weather in July, which defoliated the trees, and 
caused the fruit to rot and drop without ripening. I had 
a row of Bleeker’s Plum in a position where I did not 
wish to retain them. These, in the hurry of business, 
were neglected. The curculios took the entire crop; not 
a plum ripened. So, also, I had three very productive 
trees which grew in the grass, and were nearly neglect¬ 
ed. Here, too, I lost nearly all the fruit. 
Conclusion. —Here is a machine, simple, cheap, not 
easily got out of order, and readily used. If applied at 
the right time, and with any faithfulness, it is a certain 
defence against the curculio. Now, if any one with a 
knowledge of it, permits his choice plums to fall a prey 
to the curculio, let him be doomed to eat wild plums, 
and choke pears as long as he lives. Let all, then, who 
would save their plums this year, be sure to prepare 
their trap for the robbers in time. Let them, if possi- 
