Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-04-27

4 anu SUM TIC Iruit trees upon WHICH
they feed and breed. The deposition OF
eggs begins, when the fruit is very
small. Apples no larger than small
peas often bear from TO of the
| characteristic crescent marks made by
the curcuiio when depositng eggs.
| These punctures as well as those made
! by the beetle in feeding cause a seri-
| Gus reformation of the fruit
| The deposition of eggs goes on most
| rapidly during the month of June, but
continues through July and August.
/ gradually growing less as the beetles
die. The majority of the beetles of this
| generation do not live beyond the
month OF July, but a few may survive
until September. or IL rare Instances
| until late fall During the season both
males and females feed upon the same
fruits in which eggs are deposited.
making small, usually cylindrical
punctures. The eggs hatch i'll from 4 to
6 days and the young larvae start tor
tuous burrows through the fruit. De-
velopment OF the larvae causes the
fruit 70 fall within a few days. In
about 20 days the larvae mature, cease
feeding. bore out of the fruit. and at
once enter the ground where they COM
plete their transformations and in about
Is days emerge as perfect beetles. The
newly emerged beetles usually remain
quiet for Il day or two. allowing the
body wall, beak and jaws to harden !;
then they fly into the trees and begin
feeding upon the fruit No eggs are
laid during this first season. The fruit
is freely punetured for feeding pur-
poses and the amount of this work i'm
creases as the season advances. II is
this feeding of the new generation that
causes the greatest injury to the fruit
crop. Feeding continues as long as
fruit remains upon the trees. Late in
the fall the beetles leave the trees and
hide away in secure places for the long
winter period of alteration. Such in
brief is the life history of the plum
eurcuio,
Remedial mea sures. Destruction of
fallen fruit is one of the chief means of
combating this pest Where hogs are
pastured in the orchard with view to
devouring apple maggets in fallen fruit
the curculios would be incidently dis
posed of The recommendations that
fallen fruit be destroyed commonly
CONVEYS no idea of the first fallen ap~
PIES. tic iliitiu u lttt II otNo -
midsummer and fall and where the
recommendation is followed the small
apples that fall in early summer are
entirely ignored. The same small ap-
pies. however. are an important factor.
and should be considered in any sys-
tematie attempt to control the ravages
Of the plum curculie. 1t scarcely seems
possible for an apple one-fourth inch
or less in diameter to supply noarlsh-
ment enough to bring larvae TO full
maturity, cut it has been learned that
larvae can and do develop in just sucn
apples. TIE gather them would be inn
practicable but if clean culture is
practiced they and the larvae they con-
tain could be largely destroyed by use
of the disk harrow or some other tool
that would chop them UP or bury them.
If the ground is clean and the
orchard sufficiently open. so that
the sun can shine upon the
apples as they lie upon the ground.
nothing further is necessary because
direct sunlight upon the apples
will kill the contained larvae Super
fetal tilIage of the surface soil can be
commended as an effective method OF
attacking curculio. This tillage should
be carried on continuously or at fire.
auent intervals for a period of from 30
to 40 days. during which the great bulk
of the new crop of plum curculios is
i'm the ground The object of tillage is
to turn the pupae out. kill some in the
process, and expose the rest to the ele-
ments and to birds and insects that
prey upon them. IT is the grassy and
weedy orchards that need the treat
ment most. because it is in such orch-
ards that the curculio is doing most
damage. Observations made in a con-
siderable number of orchards make 1t
plain that uncultivated orchards suffer
greatest injury from curculio. and the
reason seems equally plain. Grass and
weeds offer hiding places where cureu-
los in the beetle stage are safe from
most of their natural enemies. where
fallen APPLES may slowly decay ana
nourish larvae to full development, and
where pupae may rest securely until
transformations are complete and the
perfect beetle ready to emerge, me
conditions are ideal for bringing 70
adult form the largest possible per-
centage of these insects. In some orch-
ards a severe pruning of lower limbs
would be imperative before any at
tempt could be made at cultivation
Neglect of pruning usually accompa
MES neglect of cultivation. and 700
frequently the orchard becomes impas-
= ~