38 T^rLLETiN 172. 



crushed, aiul they are so near the surface tliat the usual shallow cul- 

 tivation of the orchard does not materially change their poj^ition 

 relative to the surface. Possibly deep plowing, which is not often 

 Dracticable in a cherry orchard, in late fall or early spring, might 

 bury these puparia so deeply that the emerging flies could not get 

 to the surface. Where only a few trees were infested it would be 

 practicable to remove the su7'face soil to a depth of an inch or so 

 from beneath the tree and either bury it deeply, put in the hen 

 yard, or in a much-traveled roadway. 



One atflicted cherry grower sends the following valuable hint : 

 " We have o^rowine: in our hen-vard several cherrv trees, and thev 

 were not as badly infested as the trees outside of it. We can only 

 account for it in that the hens found the insects as food." Undoubt- 

 edly hens would find many of the brow^n puparia in the soil, and could 

 doubtless be successfulh^ employed against the pest on a few trees. 

 Place a temporary wire-netting fence around one or more trees; turn 

 the hens loose in the enclosure, and stir the soil everv dav or two to 

 encourage them. Do this soon after the fruit is picked an.d we 

 doubt if many of the puparia will escape the sharp eyes of the fowls. 



Something can be done toward checking the pest by not allowing 

 any cherries to remain on the trees after the last picking. If what 

 few '' ^vindfalls " there niio-ht be were destroved, all the marketable 

 fruit picked and disposed of, and all fruits removed from the tree at 

 the last picking, most of the infested cherries would be gotten out 

 of the orchard before most of the maggots had matured and gotten 

 into the soil. Of course, where early and late varieties are infested 

 in the same orchard, this plan might not noticeably diminish the 

 numbers of the pest. It is well worthy of consideration, howevei*. 



There yet remains one stage of the insect against which we have 

 not turned our destructive batteries. One of the iirst questions 

 asked us by an aftiicted cherry grower, when he understood how 

 little chance there was of i>:ettino: at the insect while in the fruit or 

 hi the soil, was, why cannot we either kill the flies, or deter or pre- 

 vent them from laving' their ea^iJ^s in the cherries. He inquired if 

 bad-smelling substances hung in tlie trees or sprayed upon them 

 would not drive the flies away. Apparently no experiments along 

 this line have been made in this country against similar flies, but. 



