PROCEEDINGS, 1915. 55 



soon spoil and the reputation of the grower is bound to suffer. So much 

 so is this the case that in one district, no one risked buying the summer 

 or early fall apples from the farmers as they inevitably rotted. In an- 

 other locality the evaporators refused to buy one man's fruit, as the ap- 

 ples spoiled before they could get round to them. 



Infested apples, cannot be satisfactorily used for cooking either, as 

 the browned tissue does not soften, but remains as a hard piece in the 

 apple sauce. 



Extent of Infestation. 



As a result of our inspection of this year (1915) we find that the in- 

 sect is distributed over a far larger territory than was formerly suspected, 

 it being quite serious in some localities, whereas mere traces were found 

 in others. It has been found, then, in varying degrees in the counties of 

 Yarmouth, Digby, Annapolis, Kings and Hants, and altho the remainder 

 of the province was given a hurried inspection, no signs of the insect's 

 work were seen. 



In Yarmouth two orchards were found seriously infested with the 

 maggot, these being located near Woodstock. In Annapolis county, a 

 scattering, but very slight infestation was found at Deepbrook, Middle- 

 ton, Wilmot, Torbrook, and Nicteaux. Maggots were found working in 

 the fruit of a hawthorne bush near Waterville, Kings Co., but this wa 

 the only instance of the insect's work in this county altho several orchard 

 just across the line near Hantsport showed evidences of the insect's work 



By far the worst districts were those localities near Digby, Wind- 

 sor and Hantsport. Those were given a very careful farm-to-farm in- 

 spection, and the interesting facts thus derived may be found in Tables 

 No. I and II. 



History. 



The first official record of the fly in this province was made in 1913. 

 In that year the then Provincial Entomologist, Dr. Matheson, having 

 found maggots in abundance in early apples from Ontario issued a warn- 

 ing through the press regarding this pest. This elicited a reply from the 

 Secretary of the United Fruit Companies,calling his attention to an out- 

 break of the insect at Smith's Cove, where it had been recently discover- 

 ed by Mr. Geo. Sanders. Later inspectors sent to that district, uncover- 

 ed a considerable infestation in the vicinity of Digby. The presence of 

 the pest in Nova Scotia was recorded in the reports of both the Provin- 

 cial and Dominion Entomologist for that year.* 



*Rept. Sec'y for Agric. N. S. 1913:36 (1914) 

 *Rept. Dom. Expt. Farm 1913:503 (1914) 



