144 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



The older members of this society will doubtless recall the 

 day when apple trees apparently grew naturally in the state of 

 Maine. That is, those who grew fruit in the past did not ex- 

 perience the same difficulty which the present growers do. Since 

 the time of our forefathers, conditions have materially changed. 

 Many new pests have entered our orchards and hence our meth- 

 ods must correspond in order to eradicate them. Not only do 

 the growers of Maine and other states have to contend with 

 native insects, such as the plum curculio, but also they must 

 combat many foreign pests which have been accidentally intro- 

 duced. The codling moth, the bud moth, the brown-tail and 

 gypsy moths and the San Jose scale have all been imported into 

 our country. Likewise, the pear-leaf blister mite has been intro- 

 duced, supposedly upon nursery stock. 



The blister mite was first scientifically recognized in America 

 at the office of the U. S. Entomologist, Washington, D. C, in 

 the year 1872. Of course, it may have been present in this 

 country many years before that time, but it did not attract the 

 attention of the entomologists until that year. At first, the 

 blister mite in America was regarded as a pear pest, but within 

 comparatively recent years it has been recognized as a formid- 

 able enemy of the apple. Since coming to this meeting, I have 

 been informed that the mite is becoming more abundant in 

 certain orchards, especially during the past season. 



The true blister mite is very small in size, being about i-i25th 

 to i-i50th of an inch in length. Owing to its diminutiveness, 

 the fruit grower would seldom detect the mite, but must learn to 

 recognize its presence by means of its work. It is an elongated 

 creature, possessing two pairs of legs. The abdomen or body 

 is divided into many rings, usually about 80 in number. The 

 head is terminated in a snout which contains the mouth parts. 

 The young mites are very similar to the adults, except that they 

 are smaller in size. The eggs are microscopic, slightly oval in 

 shape, with bluntly rounded ends and usually whitish in appear- 

 ance. I might add that the adults are usually whitish, although 

 there are some individuals which have a pinlWsh hue. 



In order to learn how to control any pest, and this might be 

 applied to fungous diseases as well, the life history must be 

 known. By thoroughly knowing the life history, the vulnerable 

 points may be ascertained. The adult blister mite hibernates 



