Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1855-07-11
Tbe plum weevil or curculio.

We make the following extract from the repor
of MIR. Townsend Glover on the curcnio, which
will be published in the forthcoming agriculture
report of the Patent Office:
The plum weevil, or curculio, (rhynchacnm
nenupbar.) J is one of the most destructive insect:
that the horticulturst has to fear, not to plums a
lone but to cherries, nectarnes, and apples. which
are indiscrmnately attacked, and in the more
Southern States peaches also suffer much from the
larva of weevil, of this kind, of similar habit;
and shape. if not identically the same. The per-
feet curculio is about two tenths ofan inch in length
of dark brown color, with spot of Yellowlsi
white on the hind part of each wing case. The
head is furnished with long curve snout or oil.
with which it is enabled to bore into the uripe
fruit by means CT jaws placed at the end OF this
bill. The wing cases, which are rldgeG, uneven
and bumped, cover two transparent Wigs, by
which the perfect weeyil is enabled to fly from
tree 10 tree but when the wing cases are closed
the back appears without any suture or division,
which has led 10 the very erroneous idea among
farmers that the insect cannot fly. When dis
turbed, or shaken from the Tree. 1t is so SIM lar IN
appearance to dried bud that it can scarcely be
distinguished especially when icigh'ng death,
which it always does when alarmed.
AS soon as the plums are of the size of peas the
weevil commences the work of destruction by
making semicircular cut through the skin with
her long curved snout, in the apex OF which cut
she spoils single egg She then goes to another
plum, which is treated in similar manner, unill
she has exhausted her whole stock of eggs The
grubs which are hached by the heat Of the sun
Immediately eat their way into the stone In an
oblique direction, where they remain gnawIng the
interior until the fruit is weakened and diseased,
and by this treatment falls from the tree. The
grub, which is small, yellowish, tooiless, white
maggot, then leaves the fallen fruit, enters the
earth, changes into pupa, and IN the lrSt brood
comes to the surface again, IN about three weeks
as perfect weevll, to propagate lis species and
destroy more fruit. 1t has not yet been decided
whether the latest generation of the weevll re-
mains in the ground all winter in the grub or pu-
pa state. DR.. E.. Sanborn, Of Andover, MasSa
chuSets asserts, however, that the grubs, alter
having entered the earth, return to the surface IN
about six weeks as perfect weevlls, which must
remain hidden in crevlceS until spring. ne
most popular opinion is that they remain IN the
larve or pupa state. The worm or grub is oilen
found in the knots or eXcrescences which dsllgure
and destroy plum trees, and has been wrongiuIly
accused of being the cause OF these sweliings
but it is highly probable that the weevil, finding
in the young knots an acid somewhat similar to
that of the unripe fruit merely deposits It's eggs
therein as the nearest substitute for the real
| plum.
"Some of the remedies recommended for pre-
venting the ravages of the insects are actually
absurd, such as tying cotton round the trees in or
der TO prevent them from ascending, when it is
known that they are furnished with wings, and
fly from tree TO tree with the greatest ease. A
mong the remedies at present it use one is to Gov
er the fruit with a coating Of whitewash. mixed
with little glue, supplied by means of syringe
another is to spread sheet upon the ground un'
der the tree and then jar the principal branches
suddenly with mallet covered with cloth. so as
not to bruise The bark, when the perfect insects
will fall into the sheet and feign death. and may
be gathered and destroyed. Hogs are sometimes
turned into plum orchards, where by eating the
fallen and diseased fruit, they materially lessen
the evil. -Coops Of chickens placed under the
trees, and the branches often shaken, the insects
fall and are eagerly seized and devoured. All
fallen fruit should be gathered up several times
in the course of the season aud burnt, or given TO
hogs, or destroyed in some other way. by so
doing thousands of thegrubs which have not yet
left the plums are destroyed but as yet. no thor
oughly practical remedy has been made public,
and the above are merely mentioned as being use
fu in small gardens containing only few trees"