San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-12-12
THE WORM IN THE NUT.

Falls Chesnuts Have Inhabi-
tants.
"How does the worm get into the
chestnut"
Entomologist Howard. of the De-
partment of Agriculture, was asked
the question by Washington Star
reporter, and hereplied:
ct Is put into the chestnut by .
kind of q long shouted beetle. This
insect has . proboscis of most extra
ordinary proportions, as much Is
twice the lengI b of its body. In the
business 1t conducts such an excep-
tional nose is absolutely necessary.
fnasmuch as when the female desires
to lay her eggs she crawls over the
chestnut burr as it hangs on the tree
not yet ripe and seeks the little OPEN
ing at the top, through which she in
serts her snout. The snOut thus IN
PRODUCED is projected down through
the thick prickiy husk to the chest
nut inside. It may be that the beetle
thrusts her prObOscis actually through
the shell of the nuts themselves, but
my impression is that she simply
lays her eggs and pushes them with
her snOut in am ng the nuts, leaving
them their to be- Matched, after which
the little worms bore their way in
search of food iutO the kernels through
holes 80 small as to be imperceptible.
At all events they are quickly closed
up with the growth of the nuts.
You never fiud worms in chest
nuts you obtain by smashing the
green burrs open. 1t is only the nuts
hat are found upon the ground loose
or taken from ripened burrs that have
fallen which appear to contain these
intruders. Presumably,
the reason for this is that the worm,
imperceptibly small Ia the freshly de.
veiOped nut, begins to feed and TO
grow very rapidly Is soon as the fruit
has become ripe. At oil events, you
never find q worm in chestnut that
has q hole in it. but only the de.
strOyed meat that 1t has eaten and
discarded. When the creature has
finished devouring the kernel IL bores
its way out through the shell and
leaves the hole behind 1t.
by the time the worm has con-
sumed its chestnut aud crawled out
to look upon the world, the weather
has begun to be pretty cold. and 1t
seeks shelter by burrowing into the
ground. where it lies In u torpid con-
condition for many months. Even
tually from the earth It energies,
though not In the shape of q worm,
but rs beetle with . long snoat.
When autumn corues, it waits upon
the chestnut tree or In its neighbo
hood, If it Is q female. and chooses
tho proper tins for showing its eggs
into the burrs when they are ripen-
ing. These worms are the new crop,
ready to begin anew their destroying
work, aud so the thing goes on from
year to year. In some seasons the
beetles are comparatively scarce, and
chestnut worms prOpOr tionately.
Shippers OF chestnuts avoid sending
their products for long distances, so
far as Is possible, because the con-
tents OF the barrels become heated
as they call it, and the worms are
rapidly developed, so that cOnsign.
m-nt may reach the market altOgeth-
or unfi for use. The best way to
prep ire chestnuts for shipment is to
immerse them in boiling water
tor about ten minutes as soon as
gathered WOrmy nuts will float
on the surface and may be removed
All eggs will be destroy ed
and the condition of the meet of the
nut will no 50 changed that it will
not become fiinty 10y further curing
tor winter use. At the same time it
will he IN no wise a boiled chestnut
The nuts may be dried i'm the sun or
In dry h. uses after being placed in
sacks IN such quantities as To- admit
OF their bang spread to the thick ness
of about 2 inches, the sack being fire.
puentIy turned aud shaGken Dried
by This method they Remain quite
teuder ami retain for u long time their
delicious freshness and flavor.
1.-The worm | have spoken of is not
| the only one that attack the chestnut.
There t. II species Of moth that lays
| it's eggs upon the nTts as they lie
upon the ground, and the little cater
! pillars Matched from the egge attack
| the fruit Tie chestnut worm also de-
YOURS the hickory nut, the cniuqua-
| PIN ana the acorn.