Nkw York Agricultural Experiment Station. 617 



April 15, 1896, four cheese cloth traps were set in Mr. Halloek's 

 orchard. Two were set where salt had been applied, June 20. 

 1895; one was placed over ground that had not been treated in 

 any way; and the fourth was placed over ground which was 

 Hpaded at a uniform depth of four inches. 



These traps were examined on April 18, 1896, by Mr. Hallock. 

 He found the midges were more numerous under traps on un 

 treated ground than under those on the treated ground. 



Personal examination of the traps at Queens, April 28, showed 

 N'ery slight difference in the number of live midges under traps 

 or treated and untreated ground. All were females. 



Notes. 



As already stated the midges were found flying April 19, 1895, 

 at Newburgh, N. Y., and again in 1896, at the same place they 

 were noticed to be rising from the ground, collecting on the bod- 

 ies of the trees and pairing April 18, 1896. 



Early in April, 1896, soil was taken from beneath trees which 

 were infested the previous year, and taken into the laboratory. 

 No midges issued from this soil until the ISth of April. They 

 were found under the traps at Queens, N. Y., April 19, 1896. 

 This indicates that forwardness of the trees and the difference 

 in locality makes but little difference in the time of the issuing 

 of the midges. It was a marked fact that Lawrence pears on 

 Long Island were from a week to ten days later in starting and 

 flowering than those at Newburgh, N. Y. Ever since the " Midge *' 

 was first discovered in this country it has shown a decided pref 

 erence for the Lawrence pear. This preference has been sup- 

 posed to be due principally to the difference in the flowering peri- 

 ods of the different varieties. However, at Newburgh, N. Y., the 

 past season the difference in the flowering periods of the Law- 

 rence, Bartlett and Kieffer was so slight as to be indistinguish- 

 able. The most marked character in the Lawrence was that the 

 floral envelopes did not cover the stamens and stigmas, as in the 

 other varieties, before it was time for them to open naturally. 



