24 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



marketed under the guarantee of freedom from mag-gots, while 

 the infestation of the fruit on the control trees increased until 

 practically every fruit was involved." 



In controlling the Mexican or Morelos orange worm a com- 

 mon ]X)isonous Mexican herb has been discovered and very sat- 

 isfactory results from the use of this preparation have been 

 obtained in combating the Mexican fruit fly. 



In 1908 the loss to the olive crop of Italy amounted to five 

 million dollars, due to the olive fruit fly. For a period of ten 

 years Italian entomologists have been experimenting with vari- 

 ous formulas of poisoned bait to control this pest and at present 

 a cheap and practical remedy has been discovered to combat this 

 fruit fly. 



In 1912 similar control measures were adopted against the 

 cherry fruit flies in New York. The fruit of the unsprayed trees 

 showed an infestation of fu'ly. one-third of the crop, while only 

 two-tenths per cent was wormy on the treated trees. The 

 sprayed fruit showed also a noticeable lack of curculio injury. 



During the past season experiments with poisoned bait were 

 carried on to control the imported onion fly under Wisconsin 

 conditions. The results obtained again-st the second brood of the 

 pest were most encouraging in a somewhat isolated onion field. 



Altogether the evidence in favor of sweetened jwisoned baits 

 as a control for fruit flies seemed strong enough to warrant 

 investigations under Maine conditions with this serious pest of 

 the currant and gooseberry. 



Sawflies. 



Currant "worms" and rose and pear "slugs" are familiar pests 

 wherever these plants are grown. In Maine where conifers 

 abound "worms" with round heads and bodies that jerk into a 

 curl at any disturbance are such frequent devastators of larch, 

 spruce and pine that summer residents as well as owners of 

 forest lands become interested and concerned at their appear- 

 ance. Related to these commonly known larvae are many less 

 familiar pests of varying degrees of economic importance, sig- 

 nificant enough to deserve serious attention from entomologists. 



Realizing that we had very slight acquaintance with the early 

 Stages of this family of insects, called sawflies, the Maine Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Station invited Dr. Alex. D. MacGillivray 



