35 



numbers of beetles in the entire orchard, and since the sod was alrnost 

 if not quite destroyed by cultivation the next year (1922), the injury 

 of the present year (1923) has been almost nothing. The original 

 Vergon orchard adjoining this one, but in which plowing was not done 

 until the fall of 1922, has been vei-y heavily infested, and at this time 

 some of the trees are so weakened that they are in a precarious situa- 

 tion. 



Fig. 16. Fordson tractor equipped with a shield for orchard worl<. de.sigrned by 

 E. L. Main, Delaware. O. The boards, being smooth, lifted the limbs 

 without injury. 



The resident growers who have watched the practical elimination 

 of the apple flea-weevil from the Delaware Apple Company's orchard 

 are firmly convinced, as have been several trained observers who have 

 watched the work, that cultivation has in this instance effectively con- 

 trolled the apple flea-weevil and at the same time has been of decided 

 benefit to the trees from the cultural standpoint. 



It should be borne in mind, however, that the cultivation has been 

 absolutely thorough, and that the work done with the implements has 

 been supplemented when necessary by the use of hoes and mattocks 

 to kill any sod close to the tree trunks. On the other hand, a lack of 

 supplenientaiy hand-work may account for the fact that the beetle is 

 found in some Illinois orchards which have been only partially culti- 

 vated. 



General Summary 



1. The apple flea-weevil, a native insect generally distributed 

 from Nova Scotia and Quebec to Oregon, Texas, and Virginia, has 



