Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1851-05-21
PlumS, VS.. BUGS.

same formidable "bug," the curculio,
which is SO fatal to this fruit everywhere
else. 1t seems to have been created on
purpose to make plums, valuable, for if it
were not for him We could raise them so
plentifully that they would be of little
comparative value in the market.
This insect is a sly rogue. He will
scent plum tree and be into it before
YOU are aware oft, and when you find him
ou. and attempt to seize him, he will curl
himself up and make bsliere dcad,' as the
little boy said who caught one of them
and found him motionless. We have
Published every plan that VIC have met
with for destroying this nuisance, but he
continues to triumph. 1t may however be
remarked here that it is of but little use
for one or two individuals to make war
upon this best, when others in the neigh
horhood, who have fruits that they will
live upon, will take no trouble to destroy
them, but will let them breed as freely as
possible.
In order to eradicate them from neigh
horhood the fruit grower, and everybody
else, must make common cause Of the
warfare, and carry it on TO determination.
To do this most effectually it will be nee
essary to become acquainted with the nat
ura! history-that is to say, the way and
manner in which it breeds, its instincts and
habits of life, what it likes best and what
it hates most, &c, &c.
The last number of the Horticulturist
contains some valuable information on this
part of the subject, communicated by
correspondent of that publication, over the
signature of ''O," and which he says he
derived partly from the late Willis Gay
load 1t seems by this that the fruit Of
the plum sometimes affords Jooa and io'ig-
ing for two or three generations Of this
pest in one season.
'Generally," says he, "as soon as the
plum has attained the size Of full grown
curraut, the curculio attacks it, and max
ing semi-lunar puncture in the plum,
deposits an egg in it; commonly one egg
is isdepositcd in plum, but sometimes two.
These eggs become Larvae or grubs, that
feed on the pulp of the plum, which final
ly causes the plum to fall to the ground
before it is fully ripe. After the maggot
or Larvae, as the embryo insect is frequent
ly called, attains sufficient size, it crawls
out of the plum, goes into the earth, stays
there about twenty-one days, and comes
out perfect insect. Those new insects
ascend the tree, either by flying or climb
ing, puncture the plums and deposit their
eggs. These eggs become larvae, feed on
the pulp of the plum till they fall to the
ground, and when they have attained the
proper size they crawl out of the plum, go
into the earth, stay there their allotted
time of twenty-one days, become perfect
insects, come out of the earth, ascend the !
tree, and Gf any plums remain) perform
the same destructive operations their pre-
decessors did"
The writer of the above recommends |
destroying them in the embryo state, which
he says can be done as follows: Remove
all the grass and weeds from around the
tree or trees early in the spring, smooth
the surface of the ground around them,
and make it as hard as you can by beat
ing it with a spade or hoe 1t is then pre-
pared for being easily swept by common
broom. As soon as the young plums at
tain the size of full grown currant, ]
shake the tree with some violence early in
the morning, because at that time the cur
culio is somewhat torpid, in consequence
of the coldness of the night, and is there
fore more easily detached from the tree. l
then collect, by sweeping, everything that
falls from the tree, whether insects or
plums and throw the whole into the flames
or boiling hot water, and by that means
destroy both insects and their embryos. If
the plums are thrown into cold water the
insects are Matched about as readily as if
they were suffered to lie or the ground. 1t
is necessary to continue this shaking and
sweeping and burning daily, until the
plums are ripe
In regard to the habits of the perfect
insect, the "bug" himself, he says that it
sometimes feeds on the ripe plums, but
more commonly on the succulent extremity
of the branches, near the terminal bud.
1t frequently bites off the terminal bud of
the leading shoot After it has fed, it
conceals itself under the leaf, where it
usually spends the day, unless it be cloudy
and dark. believe it moves about more
during the night than during the day.
From some observations that We have
made on the habits of the curculio, We are
inclined to the same opinion that it moves
about as much or more in the night than
in the day time. Its movements, however,