THE PLUM-GOUGER. 39 
tries differing in climate from ours. We have, in im- 
proving our native plums, to follow the same steps that 
were taken in the past in Europe to change their native crab- 
apples into the beautiful, delicate varieties of apples now 
grown everywhere. But to grow plum-trees and to harvest 
plums are two quite distinct things. A little observation 
will almost convince the horticulturist that he is growing 
the plums not for his own use but for that. of his enemies. 
He sees that after a plum orchard is once established these 
have taken possession of the same, and seem to consider it 
their own. There are few plants in Minnesota that have 
more enemies than the plum tree: black knot, plum pocket, 
powdery mildew, brown rot, plum leaf-blight, plum rust, 
leaf-spot or gun-shot and others are a few of the more 1m- 
portant vegetable foes of this tree, while plant-lice, such as 
the plum-tree aphis, the plum gall-mite, many caterpillars, 
the plum-gouger and the plum-curculio are the more destruc- 
tive insect enemies. 
The plum-gouger, fig. 22, plate VI., is the most destruc- 
tive of the above named insects in Minnesota. It is a red- 
dish-brown snout-beetle, with a peculiar pruinose, almost 
velvety,surface andof avery different shape than the better 
known but less common plum-curculio. Last spring (May 9) 
the plum trees upon and near the Experiment Farm were in full 
bloom and promised rich returns. But before long one flow- 
er after the other dropped off, and but comparatively few 
were left upon the trees, and in some cases none remained. 
When studying the cause of this trouble it was found that 
this snout-beetle was busily engaged in gouging holes in the 
flower (see fig. 22), which in consequence shrivelled and 
dropped. A rather suicidal way of doing things, as by acting 
in this manner the beetles actually destroyed their future food 
and home! As the fruit grows, the female beetle in deposit- 
ing an egg does not form the crescent-shaped mark of the 
‘dittle turk,’ but makes for this purpose a deep and small 
puncture. Prof. Bruner describes the egg-laying habit of 
the plum-gouger as follows: “The modus operandi is very 
simple, and requires but a minute and a half to two minutes 
for the performance of the entire operation. She first spreads 
