342 iiKi'oirr of 'iiik l)i:i'.vjrr,MKAT ok Entomology of jiik 



seems not to have been suspected. According to statements of 

 fruitgrowers the most severe attack of the thrips occurred during 

 igio, when the pear crop in many orchards was much reduced. 

 Besides losses in yields the trees were seriously checked by in- 

 juries to leaf buds and leaf clusters; and in some orchards the 

 season was much advanced before the trees presented normal 

 conditions of growth. The productiveness of pear orchards dur- 

 ing igii was greater than the preceding year, but blighting of 

 blossom clusters was general and orchards suffered losses in 

 yields according to the severity of the attacks by the thrips. 



The actual range of distribution of the thrips in this State has 

 not been determined. Its destructiveness to pear orchards has 

 attracted the attention generally of growers about North Ger- 

 mantown, Germantown and Cheviot. Scattering numbers of this 

 insect were found on pears growing south of this region, about 

 Tivoli, to the north about Stuyvesant, and eastward to a line 

 running betv/een Chatham, Glencoe Mills and Clermont. It is 

 reported also to occur across the Hudson River in orchards 

 about Milton and Marlboro. The thrips is probably distributed 

 over a larger territory in this valley than is indicated by these 

 bounds. In western New York, specimens of this insect were 

 found on apples growing about Geneva. 



During 19 ii the thrips was very abundant on apricots, appl.s, 

 sour and sweet cherries, pears, peaches and plums about Ger- 

 mantown. The injurious work of the insect was most notice- 

 able on pears, principally on the varieties Kieffer and Seckel. 

 While sour and sweet cherries and apples were much infested 

 by adult thrips, no material losses in the crops of these fruits 

 were observed. The stems of sweet cherries are especially at- 

 tractive to the adults for the deposition of the eggs, and they 

 showed quite generally considerable scarification; but these in- 

 juries did not appear to cause any premature dropping of fruit 

 or to affect the quality or yields. The work of the thrips in 

 pear orchards was given chief attention, but future efforts will 

 include the study of the thrips on other kinds of fruit. 



