Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1855-08-25
farmsr's Department.
The Plum Wsevil, or Curculio.

The Plum Wsevil, or Curculio.
We make the following extract from the re-
port of Mr.. TOWNSEND GLOVER on the c%urculio,
which will be published in the forthcoming re-
port Of the Patent Office
"The plum weevil, or c%urculio, (rhyndcaas
MenNphar,) is one of the most destructive in
sccts that the horticulturiSt has to fear, not to
plumS alone, but to cherries, nectar nes and
apples, which are Unfortunately attacked;
aad in the more Southern States peaches also
suffer much from the larvae of a weeyill Of this
kind, of similar habits and shape, if not iden-
tically the same. The perfect ~curculio is about
two tenths of an inch in length, of a dark
brown color, with a spot of yellOwish white on
the hind part of each wing-casc. The head is
furnished with a long curved snout or bill, with
which it is enabled to bore into the unripe fruit
by means of jaws placed at the end of this bill.
The wlng-caSes, which are ridgcd, uneven,
and bumped, cover two transparent wings, by
which the perfect weeril is enabled to fly from
tree to tree, but when these wing-cases are closed
the back appears without any suture or divis-
lon, which has led to the very erroneous idea
among farmers that the insect cannot fly
When disturbed, or shaken from the tree, it is
SO similar in appearance to a dried bud that it
can scarcely be distinguished, especially when
feigning death, which it always does when
alarmed. AS soon as the plums are of the size
of peas the weeyil commences the work Of
destruction by making a semi-circular cut
through the skin with her long curved snout,
III the apex OF which curve she deposits a single
egg. She then goes to another plum, which is
treated in a similar manner, until she has ex-
haucto1 how r-ho1, .+al- - .-. W ~
which are Matched by the heat of the sun.
Immediately eat their way to 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 a small, yellowish, foot
less, white maggot, then leaves the fallen fruit,
enters the earth, changes into a pupa, and in
the first brood comes to the surface again, in
about three weeks, as a perfect weeyiI, to pro-
pagate its species and destroy more fruit. 1t
has not yet been decided whether the latest ren-
Grafton OF the weevil remains in the groand all
winter in the grub, or in the pupa state. DR..
Z. Sanborn, of Andover, Massachusetts. asserts.
however, that the grubs after having entered
the earth, return to the surface in about six
weeks as perfect wccyils, which must remain
'E0NNH IL NiN'ISSS uLINIl 1iIIl2. lit IuDSl
popular opinion is that they remain in the larya
or pupa state. The worm or grub is often found
IN the knots of eXcresences which disfgure and
destroy plum trees, and has been wrongfulIv
accused of being the cause Of these sweIiings .
but it is highly probable that the weevil, find
ing in the young knots an acid somewhat similar
to that of the unripe fruit, merely deposits its
eggs therein as the nearest substitute for the
real plum.
"Some Of the remedies recommended for
preventing the ravages of these insects, are
absurd-such as tying cotton around the trees
In order to prevent them from ascending, when
1t is known that they are furnished with wings.
and fly from tree to tree with the greatest ease.
Among the remedies at present in use, one is
to cover the fruit with a coating of whitewash.
mixed with a little glue, applied hy means of a
syrlng another is to spread a sheet upon the
ground under the tree, and then jar the
branches suddenly with a 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 and burned, or given to
hogs, or destroyed in some other way. By so
doing, thousands Of the grubs which have not
yet left the plum are destroyed but as yet
no thoroughly practical remedy has been made
public, and the above are merely mentioned as
being useful in small gardens, containing only
a few trees"