45 



Biplosis pyrivora has been complained of as an injurious species for 

 the first time. It has reached Newark, Montclair, Elizabeth, and Pat- 

 erson, so far as my information extends, and has probably been in some 

 orchards for at least three years. Where it first made its start in this 

 State I ha\ e been nnable to ascertain. The Lawrence pear is the one 

 most generally attacked, in one orchard over 90 per cent of the fruit 

 being infested. From an examination of the infested fruit I believe the 

 egg is laid in the ovary, or if not that, the young larva does not pierce the 

 fruit, bnt follows the pistil into the ovary or seed chamber, the opening 

 in this variety of pear being quite wide. In many cases also this same 

 passage is used by the larva to leave the fruit where it remaius sound 

 and does not crack. This promises to be one of the most dangerous of 

 the fruit pests. 



Spraying fruit trees with London purple has been very generally 

 l)racticediu New Jersey and always with most gratifying results An 

 unexpected result has been the destruction of the fungus on the pear 

 which so generally disfigures varieties like the Bartlett. Fruit on 

 sprayed trees is fine and clean, that on the others is spotted and 

 clouded and of an inferior grade. 



The Plum curculio has made a plum crop almost impossible in New 

 Jersey. I made only one experiment myself during the season, spray- 

 ing one tree with the kerosene emulsion, 1 to 12, once a week for six 

 weeks. At the end of that period nearly every plum on the tree had from 

 one to six larv:e, and I called the experiment a failure. Several grow- 

 ers who had a few trees only report a favorable result in spraying with 

 the arsenites, and there seems little doubt but that a certain percent- 

 age of fruit can be saved in this way. For small trees of choice varie- 

 ties I suggested cutting out the Ggg. This was done in a few cases 

 with absolute success. It leaves only a trifling scar, no more than that 

 of the original puncture, and is certain in effect. Of course this would 

 not answer on a commercial scale, but for choice fruit in the garden it 

 is not impractical, and might be used to supplement spraying with 

 arsenites. 



I have followed out my inquiries into the actions of certain fertil- 

 izers as insecticides, and am more than ever convinced that in kainit 

 we have a powerful agent for the destruction of forms infesting sod- 

 land. Where this material is used before planting corn even on old 

 sod, cutworms and wireworms will do no injury. In addition I 

 always advise fall plowing to give the winter a chance. Direct exper- 

 iments in the laboratory show that Elater larvae will die in soil that 

 contains kainit, though it acts slowly and two weeks are required to 

 ])roduce a complete result. The experiments will be given in detail 

 elsewhere. 



Mr. Alwood, in discussing, said that iie had recommended London 

 purple against Fuscicladlum for some years. 



