274 



THE PEAR MIDGE IN ENGLAND. 



Kev. E. N. Bloomtield, of Hastiugs, England, in a note in tlie July, 

 1894, number of Science-Gossip, states that the pear midge [IHplosis 

 pyrlvora) has been very destructive in his garden the present spring, 

 spoiling almost the whole produce of some of his pear trees. Mr. Bloom- 

 field is familiar with Prof. Riley's first account of this important pear 

 enemy, published in the Annual Report of this Department for 1885, 

 pp. 283-281), but is evidently not acquainted with the results of Prof. 

 J. B. Smith's important experiments with remedies against this insect. 

 Prof. Smith finds that a heavy top dressing with kainit destroys the 

 pear midge while it is pupating beneath the surface of the ground. 



DESTRUCTIVE GRASSHOPPERS IN NEW YORK. 



The long-continued drought of the past summer, particularly in the 

 i^ortheastern States, has been very favorable to tlie uninterrupted 

 development of swarms of the local or nonmigratory species of grass- 

 hoppers, esi)ecially of Caloptenus femur-rubrum, the common red-legged 

 locust or grasshopper, and C. hivittatus, the two-striped locust. New 

 York papers have contained many items, for the most part somewhat 

 exaggerated, of the condition of affairs, but indicating by their number 

 that a very considerable amount of damage has been done to growing 

 crops. In the western portion of the State, in Genesee and Wyoming 

 counties, and in the south-central portion, they have injured oats and 

 buckwheat, after damaging the hay crop to some extent. Garden 

 vegetables have also suffered somewhat. In the northern portion of 

 the State the damage has been almost equally great, while along the 

 Hudson Valley both the species above mentioned have been exception- 

 ally abundant. During late September in Greene County, among the 

 Catskills, the red-legged species was more abundant than we have evei 

 seen it before — so much so, in fact, that the insects would fiy up in 

 perfect clouds before one walking through the fields. 



No systematic remedial work was undertaken, and it is doubtful 

 whether either of these insects will be more abundant than usual next 

 season. We have noticed a newspaper statement that a farmer resid- 

 ing near Perry adopted the driving method with some little success. 

 He hired several men, armed them with branches of trees, and took a 

 trip across his bean field, driving the grasshoppers into his neighbor's 

 field of grain. This enterprising individual saved his bean crop, but 

 we understand he and his neighbor are no longer upon speaking terms. 



A correspondent in Sullivan County, writing under date of October 

 9, states that much damage was done to grass, oats, and gardens. 

 Some farmers were obliged to plow their oats under and pasture, and 

 those who cut their hay late suffered quite a serious loss. Heads of 

 timothy grass were completely stripped, nothing but the bare stalk 

 being left. After the grass was gone the insects attacked the tall 

 weeds in the hedge rows. 



