Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1870-06-16
lCURCULIO EXTERMINA-
TTOM

seph Herald, extra, containing al
article with the above heading
written by its editor, j. e. Cham
berlain, who is also Secretary 0
the st. Joseph Fruit Growers As
sociation. We print the article en-.
tire, as follows -RuraJ N. Y.
The Importance of this subject
the demand for prompt and per
sistent action; the absolute neces
sity of arousing every peach, plum
and stone fruit grower to destroy
the curculio, has led the editor ol
the Herald, as Secretary of the St
Joseph Fruit Growers Associa-
ton, to issue this extra. Nota sin
gle day should be lost, for, with
united action, 500, 900 curculio may
be killed in a single day.
There is no doubt on this point.
This morning Hon John Whittle-
sey called at the Herald office and
stated that on the 14th inst he
killed 2,715 curcul'o about the
roots of 200 trees, and on the 18th
: in four hours, on the same trees, he
killed l, ,566 by actual count.
Mr. Whittlesey also stated that
Mr.. Ransom, Mr.. Bonelle and him
self had in five hours killed upward
Of 5000 curculios in a proportion
of three small orchards. That he
had himself, alone, in two days of
eight hours each, killed one-half
more curculio than were ever taken
by three men, with the old-fash-
ioned sheet in a week. Mr. Whit
tlesey is one of the most successful
and scientific fruit growers of st.
Joseph, whose word is a bond; but
he said, "Do not believe me; 60 to
Mr.. Ransom's Orchrrd and see for
yourself"
Entering Mr.. Ransom's orchard
the editor met DR.. Lyman Collins
coming out Dr. Collins is widely
known for his successful peach cul-
ture.
"Well, Doctor, is it a success ?"
"Most assuredly, l tried the ex-
pertinent on eight of my trees in
the evening and the next morning
tooll one hundred and four curcu-
lie. 1 am going home to bug my |
whole orchard in this manner"
VIM. b. Ransom, the discoVerer
of the new method of eXterminating
the curculio, was found on his
knees in the back of his orchard eX-
amining his curculio traps, This
was at 10 o'clock A. NJ, and he
had already killed 1857 on three
hundred trees. The editor stopped
down and lifted a corn cob not 6 |
inches long, and found and killed |
seven curculio. There is no doubt
whatever, that the long disired |
means of exterminating the curcu-
liza is discovered.
HERE 1T is:
Put the orchard in the best or
der; level down the soil about the
foot of every peach tree, and smooth
a circle for diameter of two and
a-half feet from the tree as a cen
tire. Have the ground very clean
around the base Of the tree. Do
not leave a single hole next the
tree. Leave no place where the
curculio can hide except under the
shelter you provide. Now lay
close to the tree and close to the
ground, about four pieces to tree,
either chip, or bark, or lath, or rag,
or corn-cob, or old leather, or any {
thing for nnvert. t
The curculio will conceal itself Q
under this shelter and may be de- q
stroyed by the thousands. Go '
around every day and turn over f
each chip, kill every curculio. They |
will generally adhere to the chip, t
but may often be found on the '
ground under the CHIP.
Probably no person in the Uni t
ted States has studied the curcu- T.
lio and its habits more carefully /
than William b. Ransom. For fif- d
teen years he has been trying news n
paper experiments unsuccessfully. b
Last year, when bugging, he dis
covered that all the curculios drop e
ped within two or three feet Of the Fl
root Of the peach tree, and on ex- il
animation found the little Turk a
sheltered on the trunk aud in holes a
near the base and the under side of n
5he principal limbs. "
For the last fortnight Mr.. Ran 81
som has spent all the hours of the W
lay laying on the ground in his is
orchard patiently waiting for the a
irst curculio to show himself On d
he fourth of May a few single h
were discovered, but not tC
! single pair; on the fifth a few
pairs were found coupling. Con o.
,tant, careful observation has led in
Mr.. Ransom to these conclusions G,
In the fall the curculio seek fc
warm and safe shelter to hibernate. hC
This is either the ground, or leaves, lie
thumbs, logs, old fences, woods W
ind other oongenial places of con in
,ealment. The first warm day in NJ
pring that starts vegetable life, dc
.aIls the curculio forth, and it pro 81
eeds to its feeding and breeding ca
gound. They walk very fast, and kr
hey fly and feed generally at night. til
ating the young and tender leaves. kr
he first warm days this year they tn
ed, then the weather fell cold and pa
Or a week Mr.. Ransom found no en-