New York Agricultural Experlment Station. GOl 



Both these gentlemen had used remedies the previous year. Mr. 

 •Cornell used kainit at the rate of 1,500 to 2,000 lbs. per acre, Mr. 

 Huested used muriate of potash at the rate of 1,500 lbs. per acre. 

 The orchards were visited April 19th. Traps covering about four 

 square feet of surface, made of cheese cloth were placed under 

 treated and untreated trees, and so arranged that the midges could 

 not escape when issuing from the ground. On April 27th Mr. J. R. 

 Cornell of Newburgh, found such countless numbers of " midges " 

 under all the traps that it was impossible to distinguish any difference 

 between treated and untreated trees. 



Very few midges were to be found under any of the traps set in 

 Mr. Heusted's orchard. 



May 9th, at the time the pears were beginning to flower, the orchard 

 at Newburgh was visited. None of the adult " midges " could be 

 found at this time, nor did I succeed in finding e^ss, within the 

 opening, or in the unopened flowers. One peculiar fact noted was 

 that about one-third of the blossoms on Lawrence trees in an old 

 orchard were blighted ; the fruit and in many cases the fruit stems 

 were much swollen ; the latter usually dwarfed. These blighted 

 flowers were always on the top branches which were the most 

 vigorous. Plenty of the '' Midge Maggots " were already at work 

 in these small fruits. On less vigorous branches only the central 

 flower of each cluster was found infested. 



In a letter received September 15th, from Mr. S. B. Huested, he 

 says : " The tree of Tyson which was most affected last year had 

 two and one-half barrels of pears on this year. The two Lawrence 

 trees you looked at have only one pear each." The Tyson tree which 

 Mr. Huested refers to was treated with muriate of potash at the rate 

 of about 1,500 pounds per acre. The Lawrence trees referred to 

 were not treated. They were small trees which had been left in a 

 corner of the nursery and not cared for. 



Mr. Cornell, of Newburgh, writes that the young Lawrence trees, 

 which were treated with kainit are in excellent condition, with a 

 fair yield of fine fruit. He is confident that the heavy dressing 

 W'hich he gave helped the trees, if it did not reduce the number of 

 the *■' midfjes." 



Mr. Huested's orchard is located in what is known as the "Red 

 Shale" belt, and, from results obtained by Dr. Smith, of New Jer- 

 sey Experiment Station, he might be able to prevent the increase 

 of the "midge" in destructive numbers by the application of kainit. 



