Commom Curculio Magnified.

Fig. 2. Pupa in the progress of transformation, showing the incipient wings, wing covers, legs and mandibles turned under the throat.

Fig. 3. Head and mandibles as used in biting the fruit to deposit the ova, showing the mandibles open.

Fig. 4. Curculio of the natural size.

In the first place, I filled a gloss tumbler about half full of earth; on this I placed one nectarine and two Chickasw plums, which had been bitten by the curculio, and tied a piece of paper over the top closely. The plums and nectarine decayed or rotted in the course of a few days, when the larvae left them, and were seen moving about on the top of the earth for a few hours, and then disappeared. The next day, on examination, I found them deposited at the bottom of the tumbler, where they had excavated a small cavity in the earth about the size of a pea. In this situation I watched them from day to day, by looking through the bottom of the tumbler, where I could perceive them wriggling about. In about thirty days they began to disappear, and in a day or two after I opened the tumbler, and turned out the earth on a paper, and picked up thirteen lively curculios! Some of them had assumed the perfect size and color of those found upon the trees, whilst some others, of a more recent date or change, were of a reddish or mahogany color - whilst one of them was in a state or process of change, from a larvae to a perfect curculio. Enclosed, I send you some of them in their three different stages, also some magnified drawings token at the time.

I immediately had a hole dug beneath a plum tree in the orchard, and at the depth of about a foot, found his excellency alive, and in fine condition for continuing his depredations.

I was somewhat surprised at the manner of transformation from the larvae to the perfect insect. I had expected it to first have entered the pupa state, but such is not the case, as you will perceive on examining specimen No. 3, if it reaches you in good order. The legs, wings, and probocis, or more properly mandibles, appear to grow out from the larva), while the body contracts to the size of the perfect insect, no skin or shell is formed or cast off in the course of the change. I trust this experiment will satisfy all as to the manner of its propagation, as well as to the time.

On enclosing the before mentioned fruits, I did not count the number of punctures on them, so as to ascertain how many eggs had been deposited in each puncture; and that you may form an opinion of their numbers and industry here, I will observe that I have outset that I am hors du combat in all. I have made no impression, whatever, upon the grand rascal. I commenced my operations in the spring, by mixing pulverised cobalt in honey and water, and hanging it in cups in the trees, and by spreading some of it on the branches, and sometimes on the fruit, and I cannot say that I ever caught three curculios in all my cups, nor that one ever tasted that I spread upon the trunk or limbs. But I can say, if I did not kill the curculios, I killed all the trees upon which I put it to any extent, so they will not be tormented any more. I next put a ring of tar and grease around the trunks of some others, so as to stick them fast if they attempted to crawl up the trunk.

Never did one put his foot in it, that I could discover. Next I caught some of them on a cloth, by shaking the trees, and placed them in bottles, and fed them on green plums, some dipped in a decoction of tobacco, some in that of elder-bark and leaves, others in penny-royal, and so on - all which they ate with a relish, as well as deposited their eggs in them.

Pupa Magnified.

Fig. 2. - Pupa Magnified.

Fig 1 60042

Fig.3.

Fig 1 60043

Fig.4.

In short, everything that I have tried has failed to arrest them in their wicked-edness, except shaking them from the trees, which is rather a chinquapin business, as we say out here. I have a fine nectarine tree standing near the kitchen door, under which the little niggers play and dance from morning till night, but not one nectarine has ever ripened upon it yet, nor do I think ever will, until some other remedy than those now known, is found. The only reason why trees growing over brick walks, and near doors, have succeeded at times, is from the fact that the insect is very shy. I have caught them in the act of puncturing the fruit, and on endeavoring to pick them off, they would roll themselves up and drop off like a 'possum.

All that promises to be of any service, that I am able to conceive of, is to destroy the young fruit as fast as it falls from the trees; and that is a forlorn hope here, where peach trees grow almost indigenously. The fruit should be gathered up and destroyed at least once every day, as the larvae soon leaves it after it falls to the ground. Keeping poultry amongst the trees does no good, as the worm, immediately on leaving the fruit, crawls underneath it, and there burrows in the earth. [But the poultry "makes a business" of devouring the insect the moment it emerges, and therefore, where there are plenty of chickens - there are plenty of plums. Ed.] Hogs will doubtless be of much service, if permitted to run amongst the trees, but the fruit that first falls is so small that much of it is not eaten by them, and besides, some of the plums do not fall at all - but on the larvae leaving them, dry up and remain upon the tree during the entire season. We encourage and protect the birds all we can about the orchard, (the Jay excepted,) who charges so much for his services that we cannot afford to tolerate him, for when our grapes ripen he claims the whole; so you will perceive all is failure thus far with your humble servant.

I have thought it best to give you a history of all my failures, that others may not travel over the same ground, and trust that they will do the same with theirs; and I have no doubt but that perseverance will yet discover a remedy or specific cure for this pest.