. The book of the garden. Gardening. APPLE WEEVIL. loss of the apple-crop. ' Its wing-cases are of a dark-brown colour, marked with whitish- grey stripes; its rostrum, eyes, and the under part of the abdomen are black. It makes its appearance as soon as the blossom-buds are pretty full of sap, and soon after begins to lay its eggs, which, according to the state of the weather, are hatched from the beginning to the end of April. The female bores a hole with her pro- boscis in the centre of the blossom, and therein deposits her egg, proceeding in the same manner until every blos- som in the bud


. The book of the garden. Gardening. APPLE WEEVIL. loss of the apple-crop. ' Its wing-cases are of a dark-brown colour, marked with whitish- grey stripes; its rostrum, eyes, and the under part of the abdomen are black. It makes its appearance as soon as the blossom-buds are pretty full of sap, and soon after begins to lay its eggs, which, according to the state of the weather, are hatched from the beginning to the end of April. The female bores a hole with her pro- boscis in the centre of the blossom, and therein deposits her egg, proceeding in the same manner until every blos- som in the bud she has chosen has been perforated' and ten- anted by an egg each. She travels from bud to bud until she has laid her complete complement, which, although not correctly known as to num- bers, must yet be large, from the devastation com- mitted. The warmer the weather is, the sooner the eggs are hatched; and hence in seasons that are late, and the fine weather setting rapidly in, we find much less injury done to the blossoms than in others when the progress of vegetation is more slow. As soon as the grub or larva is hatched, it commences its attacks on the fructi- fication, and devours it entirely. The appear- ance of the blossom now is as if it were scorched, and if cut open, a small white grub, with a black head, will be found, which by degrees turns to a yellowish colour, and in a few days afterwards will be found in the perfect beetle state. During summer these beetles remain on the trees, and feed on the foliage, and in autumn ensconce themselves under the loose bark on the stem and lai'ger branches. The application of vege- table spirits of tar to the ti-unks and .branches, during winter, is by far the most effectual way to lessen their numbers, if not totally rid our trees of them. The oblong weevil, CurcuUo (Poli/drums) oUortgus of Linmeus ; Nemnicus oblovgtis of Ste- phens, fig. 180, is both a numerous and destruc- tive insect, in size only two lines long, and rather mo


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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectgardening, bookyear18