124 PEAR. 



of Evesham, the crop heing consequently (from hoth the 

 earher and later hlossoms) a complete failure. 



The specimens sent me consisted of bunches of little Pears, 

 about from three to five in a bunch ; the size of the largest 

 of the Pears about five-eighths of an inch across by three- 

 quarters long. Many if not all of the Pears were distorted in 

 growth, some lumpy or knobbed, some swelled on one side 

 and contracted on the other, so that the " eye " was quite 

 drawn to one side. Of these I cut open fifteen or more which 

 showed infestation. The maggots within w^ere of various 

 sizes, from about two-thirds to apparently full grown, and 

 were lying in the gnawed and blackened middle part of the 

 Pear, which was not as yet eaten away, but chambered by 

 their galleries. The centre round the core and the part 

 between this and the calyx end was the portion infested, but 

 not the part towards the stem end. 



It was difiicult to count the number of maggots with 

 certainty that might be in one Pear, but by careful ex- 

 amination I found up to about a dozen in the half of one 

 Pear cleanly separated from the other part. The maggots 

 were in very active condition, and dispersed themselves freely 

 on the paper on which some of the Pears were laid, as if 

 endeavouring to bury themselves. 



But perhaps the most interesting point observable was the 

 gradual development of the marking of external discoloration 

 of the skin, which appeared to be the gradual advance of in- 

 jury to the cracking open, often accompanying the completed 

 stage of destruction of the young Pear from this attack. In 

 the first stage the markings were merely of little black or 

 blackish patches on the outside {not as far as I could see 

 connected with internal injury), but gradually the patches 

 became roughened on the surface, and small splits appeared 

 across them, which in the more advanced specimens were 

 deepening into small but decided cracks, which it might be 

 presumed were the beginnings of the deep fissures often 

 occurring in the fully destroyed Pear, and through which 

 many of the maggots make their escape to the ground. The 

 black spotting would be well worth practical observation, as a 

 guide to which Pears were in an early stage of infestation 

 and might be destroyed before there was any chance of the 

 maggots within escaping to cause recurrence of mischief. 



Prevention and Remedies. — For preventive measures it 

 does not appear that any are more available than the following 

 methods of treatment : — 



In cases where the crop is in reach, to pick ofl" and destroy 

 (not merely throw aside) the little stunted Pears, and also to 



