76 N. H. AGE. EXPERIMENT STATION. [Bulletin 171 



ber mature comparatively few larvae, although as shown in other 

 records these drops may show large numbers of egg punctures. 

 In other words such drops probably do not mellow up sufficiently 

 before cold or freezing weather to provide suitable conditions 

 for the larvse in them to reach full growth. 



The detailed records from which these conclusions are drawn 

 and the manner in which the experiments were carried out are 

 given in Table 7, p. 62. 



Experiments in 1910. For the study of the period between 

 the fall of the apple and the exit of larvse 10 varieties of apples 

 were selected, representing summer, early fall, late fall, and 

 winter fruit. The varieties chosen, their period of ripening, 

 and the number of drops observed in the experiments are given 

 in the table below. 



With some of the varieties several trees were used in the experi- 

 ments. These trees were located in part at Durham, in part at 

 Beauty Hill. 



With each variety the work of recording the drops was begun 

 as soon as the apples had begun to fall in any numbers. The 

 records were continued as long as fruit continued to fall, and were 

 maiiitained with typical lots until the last fruit of each variety 

 had rotted, or until the ground was frozen and all issuance of 

 larvse had ceased. 



Under each tree the ground was cleared of any drops at the 

 beginning of the records. Each day thereafter all drops were 

 collected. 



A series of boxes was prepared for each variety. Soil was 

 placed in the bottom of each box. With each variety the pro- 

 cedure was then as follows: 



The drops of a given day were placed for the first twenty-four 

 hours in Box No. 1 ; for the second twenty-four hours in Box No. 

 2, and so on for first seven consecutive days. Each day, as the 

 drops from Box 1 were moved to Box 2 their place was taken by 

 the apples collected that day. As the drops in Box 2 were moved 

 forward to Box 3, their place was taken by the drops that 

 had been in Box 1 for the preceding twenty-four hours. And 

 so on for each of the boxes. Thus Box 1 represented the first 

 twenty-four hours after the apple fell ; Box 2 the second twenty- 

 four hours, and so on. At the end of each week the dirt in each 

 box was sifted and the pupae in it removed and recorded. 



