April, '12j PARROTT: PEAR THRIPS 185 



similarly injurious in plantings about the neighboring communities of 

 North Germantown and Cheviot. Scattering numbers of the insect 

 were seen on pear trees groA\Ti south of this region, about Tivoli; to 

 the north about Stuyvesant, and eastward to a line running between 

 Chatham and Clermont. According to Mr. C. E. Hover, an extensive 

 fruitgrower at Germantown, the thrips has caused most damage in a 

 compass of about ten miles of this village, although it has not been 

 equally destructive in all orchards. It is probable that the insect 

 occurs over a larger area than is indicated by these bounds. Several 

 growers, who reside across the Hudson River and have recently had 

 their attention called to the destructiveness of the thrips, have ex- 

 pressed their opinions that the work of this insect was also observed 

 during the past spring in their plantings about Milton and Marlboro. 

 It is expected that the distribution of the pest in this State will be deter- 

 mined A\'ithin closer limits during the coming year. 



The area in which the pest occurs is located in the leading fruit- 

 gro^^^ng section of the Hudson River ^"alley. It is a hilly region, but 

 the slopes are admirably adapted to the growdng of the common bush 

 and tree fruits, which are cultivated in an intensive manner. The 

 individual holdings are as a rule small, but they are thickly planted; 

 and as seems to be the prevailing practice each farm usually has a 

 pear orchard as well as plantings of other fruits. 



Nature of Injuries and Conditions in Orchards. The adult thrips 

 were very abundant on all of the common tree fruits grown about 

 Germantown, such as the apricot, apple, sour and sweet cherry, peach, 

 pear, plum and quince. Pears generally sustained the greatest damage 

 although the insect seemed to be equally numerous on other fruits, 

 especially the sweet cherry and the apple. Of the leading sorts of 

 pears grown in this community, Kieffer suffered the most and there 

 was not an orchard of this variety among a large number examined by 

 the writer that did not show evidences of the work of the thrips. Or- 

 chards on warm and protected slopes seemed to be especially attrac- 

 tive to the insects, which was attributed to the advanced condition 

 of the buds. During the latter part of April and early May the thrips 

 swarmed about the trees, injuring the buds and blossom clusters, 

 which turned browTiish or blackish and appeared as if blasted. The 

 trees which were most severely attacked were wet with sap which 

 ran down the fruit spurs, moistening the bark of the large branches, 

 while bud scales, leaf stipules, blossom bracts, sepals of unopened 

 blossoms and margins of leaves were blackish or discolored. In some 

 orchards such a large percentage of blossoms were destroyed that 

 very little fruit was harvested. While such damage according to 

 the statements of fruitgrowers, has been more common in preceding 



