July, 1914.] THE APPLE MAGGOT. 115 



cal time is limited to the two-months period, from mid-July to 

 mid-September. 



The essential point of control is to prevent infested fruit from 

 decaying on the ground. This is the one most important step, 

 and is an efficient check. It is the only knoAvn measure that in 

 itself is definitely effective. 



This end may be accomplished by picking infested fruit before 

 it ripens sufficiently to fall, by collecting drops bj^ hand, or by 

 making use of live stock to gather up drops. 



The frequency with which drops should be collected depends 

 on the variety of apple. With the earliest and softest of summer 

 fruit, drops should be collected twice a week. This applies to 

 apples of the type of Early Harvest. With early varieties of 

 somewhat firmer flesh, such as Red Astrachan or Sops-of-Wine, 

 once a week is sufficient. This applies also to the softer fall 

 apples, such as the Porter. Later varieties may safely be col- 

 lected once in two weeks, or longer with hard, winter fruit. With 

 this schedule very few maggots in the apples will be able to 

 leave the fruit and enter the soil for pupation. A reasonable 

 rule to follow, whatever the variety, is not to permit infested 

 apples to grow mellow or soft on the ground. 



Drops that have been collected by hand, if not available for 

 sale, may be disposed of by feeding to live stock, provided only 

 as many are fed as the stock will eat. Otherwise drops may be 

 placed in tight boxes or barrels. The refuse from these, after 

 drying out, may be burned in a fire; or it may remain, and the 

 following season the open ends of the containers may be covered 

 with cloth or screen. In the latter case the remaining rubbish 

 should be burned, since there may be live pupae in it. 



In making use of live stock the principle is the same as in the 

 collection of drops by hand. The stock must be able to get at 

 all drops, and must dispose of the same so that no fallen apples 

 are permitted to decay on the ground. Hogs, cattle, sheep and 

 colts are successful agents, but hogs sometimes injure trees. 

 Hens are effective, if confined to a limited area, at the rate of 500 

 to an acre. Their value lies partly in their ability to find pupae 

 in the soil. 



Whatever measures are adopted, full benefit is not likely to 

 result the first following season, since live pupse, representing 



