Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-07-17
How 20 Fight tho Curonlio.

Professor G. V. Riley writes as
follows to an exchange in regard to
catching this terrible pest:
Could the history of all the remc-
dies that have been proposed for the
curculio be written out in detail, it
would prove serio-comic chapter of
imposture and credulity that would
be as surprising as diverting. Be
fore the true method of fighting the
insect had become generally known,
fruit-growers were ready to avail
themselves Of anything that promised
to lessen their losses. The conse-
quence was that they frequently be-
came the victims of INSCRIPTIONS
spectators, whose dishonesty was
equaled only by the absolute igno-
rance of the insect they proposed to
extermiDate with their washes, solu-
tons, and patent nostrums. busting
the trees with air-slackcd lime, smok-
ing them with tobacco, smearing the
trunks with gas tar and coal tar, en-
circling them with loose cotton, to
entangle the beetles as they assembled
or descended the trees; placing under
them large tubs of water, upon the
supposition that the instinct Of the
mother insect would prevent her
from laying eggs in fruit which was
in danger of falling into the water
and carrying to their death the Larvae
it contained; suspending from the
branches cobs that had been soaked
in sweetened water, in which it was
affirmed the insect would oviposit in
stead of in the fruit; all these and
many other equally ridiculous devices
have been tried, and heralded as sure
cures by those who have never learn
ed to connect effect with cause. The
true method of fighting the insect is
to take advantage of its peculiar in
stinct, which, on approach of danger,
and at the least jar, prompts it to fall;
and to catch it by jarring the trees
and bringing the weevils down upon
sheets or large cloths spread for the
purpose of receiving them. The best
way of deing this, on large scale,
is to use some portable, stretched
sheet. DIR. E. S. Hull, of Illinois, has
earned the lasting gratitude of fruit
growers by the ingenuity with which
he has fought this insect. He first
built machine, which was 4 sort of
inverted umbrella ON single wheel.
1t proved cumbersome and awkward,
and its repeated bumpings against
the trees, in spite of all precaution,
very much injured them. This old
machine gave rise to several nodifi-
cations, one of which, devised by Mr..
L. NJ. Ward, Of Michigan, is very
simple Of construction, and has been
used with much satisfaction in that
State. But preferable to all other
machines for this purpose is the port
able one last devised by DIR. Hull.
This continuance consists of light
cotton strctcher, supported by broad
bands from the shoulders Of the bear
err, enabling him to get close to the
tree and to give it sharp blow with
a mallct or hammer upon the butt of
Il limb that has been sawed squarely
off for the purpose, or upon shout
dered spike driven into the trunk,
which by this means is saved from
injury. Another way of capturing
large numbers of the beetles is by
what is known as the "Iansom clip
process" first brought prominently
before the peach growers of the coun-
try by Mr.. w. b. Ransom, of St. 10
scph, Mich. The process consists of
laying close around the butt of the tree
pieces of chips or bark, under which,
according to their instinct, a great ma
ny curculios secrete themselves during
the day, and may thus easily be de-
stroycd. In view Of the nocturnal
habits of the insect, the philosophy of
the process is evident, the beetles nat
uralIy taking shelter during the day,
early in the season when
the weather is chilly, and before the
females are much engaged in egg-de-
posting. The curculio has some nat
ural enemies and two genuine para
sites which iveswithin its body, but
to cnumerate them in this connection
would render this article too lengthy,
and the reader who desires informa-
ton about them should consult late
chronological works.