GALL FLY MAGGOTS. 213 



badly curled and the maggots are found only 

 where the leaf is curled. The maggots are so 

 abundant that all the leaves become curled in 

 this way, and as a result the whole plant is 

 seriously stunted. 



The effects of the maggots are to seriously 

 dwarf the growth of the plants and to practically 

 stop the development of the flower buds. In 

 many cases where the affected leaves are pulled off, 

 the side crowns will start, but they soon become 

 infested with the maggot. The maggot is the 

 larva of a small gall fly. which looks like a minia- 

 ture wasp. It is not uncommon to find maggots 

 in the soil, and from the latter they seem to be 

 able to reach the young leaves in some way. 

 Whether they pass from the leaves to the soil and 

 there attain the adult state we are not able to say, 

 and so far as we know, this point has not been 

 determined. Our observations lead us to believe 

 that the pest is much more apt to occur in localities 

 where proper attention has not been paid to mix- 

 ing the soil and to drainage On low, heavy, wet 

 ground the pest is much more apt to be injurious 

 than where good soil is at hand and where drain- 

 age is perfect. Certain kinds of manures seem 

 to favor the development of the maggot. Whether 

 it is capable of living in the manure, or on plants 

 alone has not been determined, so far as we are 

 aware. It seems to be a fact, however, that where 

 manure is not clean, that is, where it is mixed 



