teeth which assist the insect in coming forth from the cocoon, when about to be changed into a moth."

As this insect is only lately described to be injurious to grape-vines, the remedy is not yet known, but it might be well to try the plan recommended by Dr. Harris for the peach-tree borer, (Egeria exitiosa,) and to be found in the remarks on that insect. Dr. Kron recommends all other grapes to be grafted on the Scuppernong where the climate will admit, as that variety has not yet been attacked by

the borer.

THE PLUM WEEVIL.

The plum weevil, or curculio, (Rhynchanus nenuphar,) plate 7, is one of the most destructive insects that the horticulturist has to fear, not to plums alone, but to cherries, nectarines, and apples, which are indiscriminately attacked; and in the more southern States peaches also suffer much from the larvæ of a weevil of this kind, of similar habits and shape, if not identically the same. The perfect curculio is about two-tenths of an inch in length, of a dark-brown color, with a spot of yellowish white on the hind part of each wing-case. The head is furnished with a long curved snout, or bill, with which it is enabled to bore into the unripe fruit by means of jaws placed at the end of this bill. The wing-cases, which are ridged, uneven, and humped, cover two transparent wings,. by which the perfect weevil is enabled to fly from tree to tree; but when these wing-cases are closed, the back appears without any suture, or division, which has led to the very erroneous idea among farmers that the insect cannot fly. When disturbed, or shaken from the tree, it is so similar in appearance to a dried bud that it can scarcely be distinguished, especially when feigning death, which it always does when: alarmed. As soon as the plums are of the size of peas, the weevil commences the work of destruction by making a semi-circular cut through the skin with her long curved snout, in the apex of which cut she de-posits a single egg. She then goes to another plum, which is treated in a similar manner until she has exhausted her whole stock of eggs. The grubs, which are hatched by the heat of the sun, immediately eat their way to the stone in an oblique direction, where they remain. gnawing the interior until the fruit is weakened and diseased, and by this treatment falls from the tree. The grub, which is a small, yel-lowish, footless, white maggot, then leaves the fallen fruit, enters the earth, changes into a pupa, and in the first brood comes to the surface again, in about three weeks, as a perfect weevil, to propagate its species and destroy more fruit. It has not yet been decided whether the latest generation of the weevil remains in the ground all winter in the grub or in the pupa state. Dr. E. Sanborn, of Andover, Massachusetts, asserts, however, that the grubs, after having entered the earth, return to the surface in about six weeks as perfect weevils, which must remain hidden in crevices until spring. The most popular opinion is that they remain in the larva or pupa state in the earth during the winter, and only reappear in the spring in a perfect state. The worm, or grub, is often found in the knots or excrescences which disfigure and destroy plum trees, and has been wrongfully accused of being the

cause of these swellings; but it is highly probable that the weevil, finding in the young knots an acid somewhat similar to that of the unripe fruit, merely deposits its eggs therein, as the nearest substitute for the real plum.

Some of the remedies recommended for preventing the ravages of these insects are actually absurd, such as tying cotton round the trees in order to prevent them from ascending, when it is known that they are furnished with wings and fly from tree to tree with the greatest ease. Among the remedies at present in use one is to cover the fruit with a coating of whitewash mixed with a little glue, applied by means of a syringe; another is to spread a sheet upon the ground under the tree and then jar the principal branches suddenly with a mallet covered with cloth, so as not to bruise the bark, when the perfect insects will fall into the sheet and feign death, and may be gathered and destroyed. Hogs are sometimes turned into plum orchards where, by eating the fallen and diseased fruit, they materially lessen the evil. Coops of chickens placed under the trees, and the branches often shaken, the insects fall, and are eagerly seized and devoured, have also been recommended. All fallen fruit should be gathered up several times in the course of the season and burnt or given to hogs, or destroyed in some other way. By so doing, thousands of the grubs which have not yet left the plums are effectually destroyed; but as yet, no thoroughly practical remedy has been made public, and the above are merely mentioned as being useful in small gardens containing only a few trees.

THE APPLE OR CODLIN MOTH.

The apple moth, (Curpocapsa pomonella,) plate 7, may be seen, during the latter part of June and the beginning of July, flying about our orchards in the evening, busily depositing her eggs near the crown, or the calyx, of the fruit. These eggs hatch in a few days, and the young worms immediately eat a passage towards the core, where they remain burrowing and eating until ready to change into the chrysalis state. The constant injuries received by the gnawing of the worm generally causes the apples to ripen prematurely and fall to the ground. The caterpillars are of a red or flesh color, when fully grown, and leave the apple through a small hole previously made, and through which the refuse of their food has been thrown out. They then creep into crevices in the bark, or any other place of concealment or shelter which they can find, and spin small semi-transparent cocoons of thin silk. In these they change into small chestnut-brown chrysalides, and in a few days the first generation of moths come out. These moths measure about seven-tenths of an inch across the wings when expanded, and are of a brownish-grey color, crossed by numerous darker and lighter colored wavy lines. There is a dark-brown spot of an oval shape near the margin of each upper wing. The under-wings are brownish grey, much lighter than the upper pair, and not watered in a similar manner but shaded darker near the margin.

The remedies which have been recommended are to fold cloths loosely round the forks of the trees, or around their trunks near the ground, so that the worms can retreat into them for shelter, when about

to form cocoons. The chrysalides may then be destroyed before they chauge into perfect moths. All wind-fallen apples should likewise be given to swine, or otherwise destroyed before the worms escape.

THE PEACH-TREE BORER.

The

The peach-tree borer, (Egeria exitiosa,) plate 7, is produced from eggs deposited at the foot of the peach tree by a wasp-like moth of a steel-blue color, with an orange ring round the abdomen. The eggs are deposited during the summer upon the trunk close to the ground, and sometimes also in wounds or between the crotches of trees. worms when hatched devour the inner bark and young wood, generally just beneath the surface of the earth, frequently girdling the tree and destroying its life. Often when the leaves turn yellow or appear sickly, as in the disease called the "yellows," if the ground round the trunk should be turned up, the cause of the disease would be discovered to be this worm, which should be immediately cut out and destroyed. Trees attacked by these insects can be easily recognized by the gum which oozes out of the wounds they have made. There appears to be a succession of broods during the warm season, as very young worms are found at almost all times, except in the colder months; but it has been stated that they must pass a whole winter before they can assume the perfect state. On the Hudson, in New York, the moths come out mostly about June and July, and from the chrysalides taken from a peach orchard I found nearly twice as many males as females. Nectarines and apricots are as liable to be attacked by these worms as the peach. They are also sometimes taken from the plum-tree roots, as well as the knots or excrescences to which the plum is liable, but which are in nowise caused by them. The worm is about an inch in length, of a yellowish white, with an amber-brown head. The chrysalis is brown, and formed in a case of an oval shape, made of the chips gnawed from the bark and a gummy substance which issues from the mouth of the insect. The perfect moth measures about an inch across the expanded wings. The male is smaller than the female, and may easily be recognized by all the wings being transparent, bordered and veined with steel blue, while the upper wings of the female are opaque and of a dark-blue color. The under ones are transparent, veined and bordered with blue as in the male. Her body is likewise distinguished by a broad orange-colored belt.

Dr. Harris, in his valuable "Treatise on the Insects of New England Injurious to Vegetation," recommends the following remedy: "Remove the earth around the base of the tree, crush and destroy the cocoons and borers which may be found in it and under the bark, cover the wounded parts with the common clay composition, and surround the trunk with a strip of sheathing paper eight or nine inches wide, which should extend two inches below the level of the soil, and be secured with strings of matting above. Fresh mortar should then be placed around the root so as to confine the paper, and prevent access beneath it; and the remaining cavity may be filled with new or unexhausted loam. The operation should be performed in the spring or during the month of June. In the winter, the strings may be removed,

and in the following spring the trees should again be examined for any borers that may have escaped search before, and the protecting appcations should be renewed." The ashes of anthracite coal have as been recommended to be put into the cavities made when the eart has been removed from around the trunks when searching for the worm; and if the trunks are thoroughly searched three or four times a year, especially in the earth near the roots, and the grubs or chrysalides dug out and destroyed, these insects would soon cease to be as inju rious as they are at present.

INSECTS BENEFICIAL TO AGRICULTURE.

All the insects figured on plate 8, especially the first four, may le classed amongst the best friends to the planting interests of the South. as by their united efforts they assist most materially in the work of destroying the cotton louse (Aphis?) During some seasons it would be almost impossible to raise the young and tender plants were it not that Nature had furnished these small and apparently insignificant als to feed upon and destroy millions of these pests, the natural fecunday of which is so great that we could never destroy them were it not for

their aid.

THE ICHNEUMON FLY.

The ichneumon fly, (Ichneumon?) plate 8, which destroys the aphis. is a very small blackish insect, with yellowish legs and abdomen, not quite the twentieth of an inch in length, and yet it destroys myriads, uneserved and unseen, constantly preying upon the vitals of the aphis. The female fly lays a single egg in the body of each louse, which, when hatched, becomes a grub.

This grub devours the interior substance of the aphis, leaving only the grey and bloated skin clinging to the leaf, which serves the young insect as a shelter, where it remains in the larva and pupa state, untà it changes into the perfect fly, which emerges through a hole gnawed through the back of the skin, and issues forth furnished with four transparent wings to recommence the beneficial labor of depositing more eggs in the surrounding colonies of lice on the neighboring plants. The numbers of the lice destroyed by this insect can be more fully appre ciated merely by observing the empty grey skins, each with a hole in its back, more or less scattered over the plants intested by the aphis. and which have been destroyed by the ichneumon fly.

THE SYRPHUS.

The larvae of the Syrphus, plate 8, are found wherever aphides, or plant lice, abound, and present the appearance of smail yellowish-white inked grubs, or maggots, of about two-tenths of an inch in length. The head part of these grubs gradually tapers to a point, whilst the

tail terminates abruptly as if cut off. Some species, however, have this part furnished with two or more protuberances or sharp points. The parent fly deposits her eggs singly, amongst the l'ce, in order to insure an adequate supply of food to each grub. These eggs are soon hatched by the heat of the sun, and the young grub immediately commences crawling about the leaf, and being blind, incessantly gropes and feels around on either side in search of its natural food, the plant or cotton lice, one of which being found by the touch is instantly seized by the grub, and elevated high above the surface of the leaf on which it is quietly feeding, in order to prevent the struggling victim from using its feet or clinging to the leaf when endeavoring to escape from its ruthless and voracious destroyer. After piercing the living insect, the grub leisurely sucks out the juices, throws away the empty skin, and recommences feeling about in search of another victim, which is immediately treated in the same way. When ready to change, the syrphus maggot fastens itself to a leaf or stalk by means of a glutinous secretion from its own body, and the outer skin, contracting into a pearshaped case, soon hardens by exposure to the air, and the pupa is formed inside. After a few days, during the heat of summer, the perfect fly emerges from a hole at the blunt end of the case to lay eggs amongst the colonies of lice on the neighboring plants. The perfect fly is about seven-tenths of an inch across the wings, which are two in number, and transparent. The body is generally more or less banded with brown, or black and yellow, and appears like a diminutive wasp. This fly has a peculiar habit of hovering on the wing, apparently without motion or exertion, during the heat of the day, near or over flowers, and when disturbed it darts away with great swiftness; but if the object that alarms it is removed, immediately resumes the same attitude and spot, only darting off every now and then to chase some other intruding fly from its own peculiar domain, over which it appears to imagine it possesses absolute sway.

These insects are of essential aid to the farmers and planters, as their larvæ materially diminish the numbers of lice which infest vege

tation.

THE LADY-BIRD.

The lady-bird, (Coccinella?) plate 8, here figured, is a most valuable auxiliary to the cotton planter, as it destroys the cotton louse, or aphis, by thousands, and is most plentiful where the lice abound, always busy at the work of destroying them; and, as such, I consider it one of the most beneficial insects to the planter. The larva is a small bluishblack alligator-looking insect, of about the fourth of an inch in length, spotted with a few orange marks on the back and sides. Whenever one of these is seen among a colory of aphides, the planter may safely calculate that in a few days their numbers will be greatly decreased. The larva, when hungry, seizes an aphis, and immediately commences eating him alive. This savory repast being finished, it eagerly hunts about until it has secured another victim, and has completely destroyed all others upon the leaf. When about to change into the pupa, it fastens itself by the tail to a leaf, the skin of the back splitting open, a