Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-06-01
FARM AND GARDEN
The Tree CureuIio.


The Tree CurcuIiO.
Ia the April number Of the Practical
Entomologist there was a long and interes-
tingarticle FROM the editor Benz. . Walsh,
in reference to the common curculio and
its allies. Tie family Of American snout-
beetle il divided into three groups, each Of
which is specifically described, its form,
mode Of propagation and habits delineated.
Neither Of these is known in the Pacific
States The snont-beetle, as a family, says
Mr.. Walsh are distinguished from almost
all other beetles by the front part Of the
head being more or less prolonged into
snout, which, in some genera, is as fine asa
hair, and in others about as wide as the
head itself and at the tip of which the jaws
are placed. This snout, being part and
parcel ofthe head, is consequently immova-
bic, except along with the head; SO that it
cannot be COMPOUNDED with the bcal, or pro-
boscis Of the true bugs and the twowinged
flies, or with the tongue Of the butterflies
and moths
The true cure ulio-the one especially
destructive to fruits-may be distinguished
from fhe other snout- beetle by having on
the middle of each of its wing cases an
elongate, knife-edged hump, which is black
and shining So as 10 resemble a piece Of
black sealing wax. Behind these two humps
there is usually placed broad clay-yellow
band, marked in the middle with white;
but sometimes this entire band is white.
The female makes her appearance about
the time the plums are the size Of a hazel
nut. She fastens upon the young fruit and
with the minute jaw on tip of her snout
makes the crescent-shaped slit in the skin
of the the fruit which has secured TO her
the popular name of the little Turk" In
this slit with the same instrument which
made it, she makes a hole, such as a pin
would do, TO depth corresponding with
the length of the snout, charging the bottom
of the cavity somewhat. In this hole she
deposites a single egg, and crowds it down
ward into the cavity at the bottom Some
times two or three excavations and deposi-
lions are made on a single plum, but she is
generally satisfied with one perioration and
deposite. This progress is repeated on
others till her stock Of eggs is exhausted
about twenty or twenty-five in all. These
eggs, in few DAYS, hatch n whitish legless
grub with a scaly head, which eats its way
through the plum causing IL TO drop
prematurely from~the tree, the gum being
seen 10 exude from the original puncture.
Having reached the ground, with the fallen
fruit, the larva bores its way out and pene-
trates the soil a few inches and in a cavity
there changes into the pupa state. A few
weeks thereafter il emerges in the form Of a
perfect beetle-ready to carry on the work
of destruction as its predecessor had done.
Though naturally inclined to prefer the
plum il attacksall other garden aud orchard
fruits with the exception of peas and quin-
cs. These il rarely attempts 10 modest |
Apples are much injured many times by |
being perforated or bored out by the labors /
ofthis pest Of the fruit grower. 1t is sup
posed that large proportion of these beetles |
perish in the ground in the pupa state for |
the lack of the Necessary moisture 10 perfect |
their growth. This is supposed to explain |
tie reason why fair crops of plums are |
obtained on clayey soils almost every year |
without taking the precautions essential to |
success on moister ones. These precautions |
according TO the article from which |
the preceding is condensed, are:
LIST. Gather up and destroy all the wormv /
fruit. as fast il falls from the tree and before
the larya has had time 10 leave the fruit /
and retire underground. Thus Won nip The /
evil in the bud. The cheapest and easist
and most Western" method is TO allow a /
gang of hogs the range Of the orchard
hogs being very fond Of green fruit aud not /
having any squeamish scruples about the
worms contained in t. This is the practice /
adopted by Or. Hull Of Alton, Illinois, one
Of the most successful plum-growers in the
West. Sheep and cows will also eat green
fruit; but then they viii browse upon the
trees, and perhaps occasionally bark them.
Where hogs areobiectionable, either because
other crops are grown under the same fence
with the iruit-trees, or because the sense of
proprieiy and neatness is offended by the
habit of these animals, all that remains 10
be done il 10 hire that work done by human
hands, which the hogs will do gratuitously
and thank you for the chance In any
case. the work must be done Systematically
and regularly. twill be no earthly use 10
nick up and destroy the fallen fruit, after he
iarta has iett i and CONC underground
By destroying the worm eaten fruit IS il
,alls, the crop curCulios for the succeeding
wear is, BY so much, diminished
I'D. Jar your trees regularly every day.
catching and destroying all the curculios
that fall therefrom. But recollect that the
tree must be suddenly cared, not elo,rlg and
graduai7e shaken: for the wind shakes the
houghs Of every tree continually, and vet
the curculios do not fall 20 the ground in
consequence. But how are we 10 catch the
little Turk after he has fallen 70 the
ground Trimble recommends a large
square sheet to be prepared, with a straight
strip of wood sewed along the whole length |
of its edges, by way Of Eueicher, and two
shorter stretchers, and each seWed 70 one
half Of the opposite edge, and the sheet
being slit from between these two stretcher
10 lis central point 20 receive the trunk Of
the tree. By this means the sheet is more
easiIv spread out and the wind ia prevented
from rouehing IL up. But 50 long as the
whole surface under the boughs OF the
infested tree is covered by white cloth, 80
thai no curcuiios shall be likely 10 fall |
outside and escape observation, il is imma.
terial for the success Of the process what
fashion of cloth be adopted.
sVFhere the tree is not very large, and a !
l;unb of an inch or two in diameter can be |
spared, il Is good plan 20
81 - off such a limb so Sc 70 leave a short
slump 10 strike with the mailet IN the
;.r;ng process. Otherwise, ii che trunk |
;;,selT has 10 be struck, ii becomes
necessary 10 pad the mallet 70 prevent
;,;nrinO the bark. Where trees are quite
large Or Trimble recommend that COM
-, mop.stick be padded at the end and
anni;ed suceess;vely TO the leading limbs,
one after the other
The conclusion of the whole matter
.sen,s 40 he this: If we want fruit We must
saht for il not by fits and starts, but
oSnstanly. during the proper seasons, and
c.Etf, I-H 1 L