Appendix . 253 



punctures the skin of the apple and lays its egg underneath. The tiny- 

 worm is therefore beyond the reach of a spray as soon as hatched. No 

 matter how thorough the spraying may be, therefore, tne apples may be 

 completely ruined by this insect. No direct method of attack offers itself. 

 The most that can be done is to lessen injury for the following years. 

 The larvae are said to mature but slowly until the apple begins to ripen; 

 when it falls to the ground and grows soft they complete their growth, 

 leave the apple and change to pupae just beneath the surface of the 

 ground. In winter fruit, many are carried to the cellar, and pupate in 

 the bins or barrels. If the windfalls can be destroyed as soon as they 

 drop, and all refuse from the cellar can be burned, the numbers for the 

 next season can be reduced. In this respect pasturing the orchard has 

 an advantage. If well stocked with sheep or hogs, the apples are eaten 

 before the insect is likely to escape. But even then, if adjoining orchards 

 are neglected, little good may come. 



Experiments have been in progress to determine whether spring plow- 

 ing, if deep, may not bury the pupae so that they cannot emerge. The 

 fly is a weak insect, and this method seems promising. Experiments thus 

 far have been inconclusive. The soil of the orchard under treatment is 

 comparatively light and sandy. In such a soil the insects might more 

 readily emerge than in a heavier one. Other trees in the vicinity, under 

 which the soil is undisturbed, would afford breeding grounds from which 

 the orchard might be restocked each year. In another orchard a tree was 

 covered with cheese cloth, and the soil underneath spaded to a depth of 

 six or eight inches. This gave very promising results. The fruit was 

 almost entirely free from injury. Further experiments are needed before 

 the question can be settled. Such experiments are under way. 



The orchard in question has not had the care it needed. It has fre- 

 quently been neglected. In spite of this, it has proved that a neglected 

 orchard can be easily brought into good bearing condition. It is a family 

 orchard with many varieties and a large proportion of early apples. It 

 was not, therefore, feasible to put the experiment on a strictly commercial 

 basis. Yet in 1901, with only part of the trees in bearing, about $80 

 worth of fruit was harvested. Over $50 worth of Russets and Greenings 

 were sold. The orchard covers about eighty-six hundredths of an acre. 

 Few parts of the farm offer better chances of profitable return than the 

 orchard, if well managed. 



