. The American fruit culturist, containing directions for the propagation and culture of all fruits adapted to the United States. Fruit-culture. DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS. 189. Fig. 255.—Thomas' Simple Curculio^ catcher. method altogether. Theoretically the poison spray should kill many of the curculios, for there can be no question about their feeding habits, as any one can soon convince himself by confining several in a box with fresh fruits or leaves. Many who have been fighting this pest for years are satisfied that the jarring method is the only way to circumvent it. Ap- parently this method wa


. The American fruit culturist, containing directions for the propagation and culture of all fruits adapted to the United States. Fruit-culture. DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS. 189. Fig. 255.—Thomas' Simple Curculio^ catcher. method altogether. Theoretically the poison spray should kill many of the curculios, for there can be no question about their feeding habits, as any one can soon convince himself by confining several in a box with fresh fruits or leaves. Many who have been fighting this pest for years are satisfied that the jarring method is the only way to circumvent it. Ap- parently this method was first proposed by David Thomas, the father of the author of this volume. In a communication to the Genesee Farmer, in 1832, he said: " Not three days ago I saw that many of the plums were punc- tured, and began to suspect that shaking the tree was not sufficient. Under a tree in a remote part of a fruit-garden, having spread the sheets, I therefore made the following ex- periment : On shaking it well I caught five curculios; on jar- ring it with the hand I caught twelve more; and on striking the tree with a stone, eight more dropped on the sheets. I was now convinced that I had been in an error; and calling in the necessary assistance, and using a hammer to jar the tree violently we caught in less than an hour more than two hundred and sixty of these insects.'' Several contrivances have been proposed for spreading sheets under the trees on which to jar down curculios for the purpose of killing them. Thomas found nothing better, and none so cheap and quickly made, as the contrivance represented in Fig. 255. In Fig. 256 is shown a modern circular frame which can be made by any one handy with carpenter's tools. It should be about ten feet in. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Thomas, J. J


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