THE CHERRY FRUIT-FLY. 



Rhagoletis cingulata f Loew. 

 Order Diptera. ; sub-family Trypetinve. 



The growing of cherries is already an important phase of tlie 

 frnit industry of New York and neighboring states. And cherry 

 orchards now frequently supplement the few cherry trees often 

 seen in door-yards, in gardens, or along 

 lanes and roadsides. Everyone who eats 

 this luscious fruit when fresh is familiar 

 with the fact that cherries are often 

 " wormy." Most cherry growers now un- 

 derstand that the cause of " wormy " cher- 

 ries is that arch enemy of the plum — the 

 plum curculio, shown enlarged in figure 9. 



The crescent cut or " sting " of this little 

 beetle is a very discouraging factor to the 

 cherry grower ; and the resulting white 

 and footless grub, with a l)rownish horny 



head, which revels in the juicy fruit, is a familiar and distracting 

 object to most housewives. In view of these discouraging facts, we 

 are somewhat loath to announce to cherry growers, thi'ough the 

 medium of this bulletin, that another, and possibly even a more seri- 

 ous insect enemy, has recently appeared in at least one Massachu- 

 setts and in several New York cherry orchards. This new cherry 

 pest works in the fruit, as does the plum curculio, and w^iile it is 

 capable of being equally as destructive, it also works in a much 

 more inconspicuous manner. One can usuall}- readily determine 

 when a cherry is " wormy " from the attacks of the plum curculio, 

 but this new pest gets in its work in such a way that the fruit it 

 infests might easily be classed among the fairest and best on the tree, 

 or in the dish on our breakfast table. 



23 



9. — The plum curculio, en- 

 larged. Tlie insect which 

 "stings" or makes the 

 crescent cut on the cherry, 

 and is responsible for most 

 "toormy" cherries. 



