390 The Canadian Horticulturist. 



FRUIT AND INSECTS. 



HE Maine Report, containing in one compact volume the many 

 essays, repor'.s and addresses on the various departments of 

 farming, the proceedings of the Agricultural Experiment Station, 

 and the annual report of the Maine Pomological Society, is a 

 volume of much value, and replete with important matter. We 

 can only notice briefly some portions. 



The Apple Maggot (Trypela) receives a large share of atten- 

 tion, and the statement of the observations and experiments made at the 

 Maine Experiment Station by Prof. F. L. Harvey, the entomologist, occupy 

 over fifty pages, with some twenty engraved figures or more. This insect is 

 properly regarded as a worse enemy to the apple crop than the codling moth* 

 inasmuch as it perforates the whole interior of the fruit, while the codling 

 worm is mostly confined to the core. It cannot be reached by spraying, 

 coming too late in the season, and being shielded under the skin. It has 

 been known to entomologists more than twenty years, was introduced into 

 Maine from adjoining States eight or ten years ago, and its ravages have 

 gradually increased, so that it has spread over most of the counties of the 

 State. From careful observations, it appears that the fly deposits its eggs 

 early in July and so on into August, and early in September the worms are 

 found in abundance. When the infested fruit drops they go into the grounr 1 , 

 but not over an inch in depth. They have little power to penetrate hard 

 soil, and prefer sandy ground. Prof. Harvey examined them in connection 

 with more than sixty named varieties of the apple, and found that such early 

 apples and autumn varieties as Benoni, Oldenburg, Early Harvest, Porten 

 Red Astrachan, Gravenstein, Golden Sweet, and, in fact, all the early varieties 

 were badly infested by them, while most but not all the winter varieties 

 were more sparingly attacked. Hence the remedy proposed by some ento- 

 mologists, to cut down all the early trees and thus avoid them, is objected 

 to, and would still leave enough of the winter apples for their increase, 

 among which Tolman's Sweet, Wagener, Esopus Spitzenburg and Northern 

 Spy are mentioned. 



The insects have sharp ovipositors, and penetrate the tough skin of the 

 fruit, placing the eggs beyond the reach of any sprayed insecticide. Prof. 

 Harvey remarks that " there is no lazy way to check trypeta," and that it will 

 have to be done by a direct, squarely fought battle. He places the chief 

 reliance on destroying the windfalls. The larvaj do not leave the apples till 

 they drop, and if these are daily gathered and fed to animals, or still better 

 if sheep run in the orchard, they promptly gather the windfalls as soon as they 

 drop. This method is strongly recommended by other entomologists. Prof- 

 Harvey also suggests "that the making of cider from maggoty apples might 



