nder foliage, buds and
blossoms. Later they attack the newly set fruit, cutting small circular
holes through the skin in feeding, while the females, in the operation
of egg-laying, make the crescentic cuts so characteristic of this
species. The egg, deposited under the skin of the fruit, soon hatches
into a very small whitish larva or grub, which makes its way into the
flesh of the fruit. Here it feeds greedily and grows rapidly, becoming,
in the course of two weeks, the fat, dirty white "worm" so well known
among fruit growers.

The curculio is a native of North America and for more than 150 years
has been known as an enemy of fruits. Our early horticultural literature
abounds with reference to its depredations. In more recent times the
great increase in planting of fruits, brought about to supply the
increased demand, has permitted it to become much more abundant than
formerly, and the plum curculio constitutes at the present time one of
the most serious insect enemies of orchard fruits. Statistics gathered
of its depredations show that it is distributed over much of the area of
the United States. Its western limit is, roughly, a line drawn through
the centers of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma
and Texas. East of this line the entire United States is infested except
the southern third of Florida and the northern half of Maine.

Is the plum curculio causing much damage to the fruit growing industry
of this country? That it is is shown by the National Conservation
Committee in its report in Volume III, page 309, where it states that
the average annual loss in late years to only three fruits is as
follows:

Apples $3,257,806

Peaches 4,088,814

Plums 1,244,149
----------
Grand Total $8,590,769

Just think of it! A total loss each year to only three fruits of over
$8,500,000. This amount is a heavy drain upon the fruit growing
industry of this country. During the past twenty-five or thirty years
the total damage caused by this insect, to the various fruits which it
attacks, would, on a conservative estimate, probably be not less than
$100,000,000.

These figures show the absolute need of the adoption of effective
remedial measures against this insect so as to lessen this loss. But
before we can hope to combat this insect systematically and successfully
it is necessary to know its life history and habits.

[Illustration: The curculio i