86 PEAR. 



of the little Pears injured by being gnawed into little hollows, or cells, 

 and galleries, but the inside not as yet gnawed out into a blackened 

 cavity. 



On May 16th, specimens showing attack of this Pear Midge — that 

 is, of Diplosis pi/rivora — were sent me by Mr. H. F. Getting, from 

 The Gardens, Glewstone, neai- Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, requesting 

 information as to the cause of the small brown or dark velvety-looking 

 spots on the small Pears enclosed. 



On May 80th, Mr. Benjamin Bomford again communicated with 

 me, from Evesham, as follows : — 



"I have delayed writing to you respecting the Pears, hoping to 

 have a better report to send from the late blossoms, but I am sorry to 

 say we have a complete failure again this year. I posted you some 

 specimens, from which you will see how bad the attack is." — (B. B.) 



These specimens, which I received a day or two previously, con- 

 sisted of five bunches of little Pears, from three to five in a bunch, the 

 largest of the Pears being about five-eighths of an inch across, and 

 three-quarters long. 



Many, if not all, of these were distorted in growth, — some lumpy, 

 some contracted on one side and swelled out on the other ; and of 

 those that I cut open, fifteen or more showed infestation within. The 

 maggots were of various sizes, from about two-thirds to apparently 

 full grown, and were lying in the gnawed and blackened centre of the 

 Pear. The part between this and the calyx end of the little Pear was 

 also more or less infested, but not the part towards the stem end. 



It was diflicult to count the number of maggots that might be in 

 one Pear with certainty, as they were much injured in cutting the 

 little fruit open ; but I found up to about a dozen in one half-'PeAr. 

 The maggots were in active condition, and dispersed themselves on 

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

 bury themselves. 



Most of the Pears were spotted with black, or some had much of 

 the skin discoloured and injured in texture, as if it was drying up 

 preliminarily to the cracking of the fruit, which often takes place 

 consequently on this maggot infestation. In two or three instances 

 the small cracks were already beginning to open. 



On June 6th I was favoured by a communication from Mr. Geo. 

 Brown, of The Gardens, Bowood Park, Calne, ^Yilts, relatively to the 

 nature and means of prevention of an attack to young Pears, of which 

 samples were sent accompanying, and by which very many of the Pears 

 were said to be infested. This attack was also of the Pear Gnat 

 Midge, Diplosis ptjrivora. 



Of above thirty or more Pears sent me (aU of which I opened), I 

 found all excepting one were infested. In many cases the attack had 



