THE PEAR MIDGE. 43 



While disclaiming any originality for the following account, 

 I may point out that large numbers of specimens and infested 

 fruit have been sent to me from all parts of England during the 

 last few years, and the life-history has been repeatedly worked 

 through. 



EARLY HISTORY AND IMPORTANCE OF. 



The exact date of the introduction of the Pear Midge into 

 this country is very uncertain. It was introduced into the United 

 States of America in 1877, or thereabouts, and it is not at all 

 unlikely that it arrived in this country shortly before that date, 

 ( J ) however that may be, the last few years have seen a rapid 

 increase in its numbers, which have spread themselves over an 

 annually increasing area, and unless prompt and stringent 

 remedial measures are taken to stamp out or keep in check 

 an insect so destructive, and whose depredations are accom- 

 panied by such considerable loss, we are threatened in the very 

 near future with the abandonment almost of the culture of 

 English pears. 



During 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903 and 1904, whole orchards 

 proved practically fruitless, where in previous years heavy crops 

 had been gathered. 



A correspondent writing from Withington, near Hereford, 

 states that it made its appearance in his orchards about 1894, 

 and since that date it has been almost useless trying to grow 

 pears in the open, scarcely a sound pear can be found. It also 

 attacks some kinds of Perry pears, trees which used to produce a 

 ton of fruit each, now hardly have a pear on. Strange to say, it 

 does not seem to attack the pears on the walls, although bush 

 trees within a stone's throw have hardly a sound fruit on ( 2 ). 



In this particular case there are 200 Perry pear trees, and 

 the crop is valued at from 2 to 5 per ton. The same corres- 

 pondent has also about 5oo~Busrfand Standard trees of dessert 

 pears, which should produce from los. to 155. worth of fruit each ; 

 for some years there has practically been no crop, although the 

 trees blossom and set their fruit well. 



A Worcestershire correspondent writes, " for the last five 

 or six years our crop has decreased each year, last year (1903) 

 it was practically nil, and this year it will be the same.* . . We 

 have nearly two hundred trees. . . The midge first made 

 its appearance in our orchards about seven or eight years ago, 

 and has increased and spread each year." 



Other correspondents from all parts of the Midlands write 

 similar letters. 



1. Meade records it as occurring in this country in 1874 (Entomologist, 1888, vol. xxL p. 12) and 

 Miss Ormerod makes mention of it in her Report for 1884. 



2. Possibly the reason that this wall fruit was not attacked may be, that being more sheltered it 

 blossomed before the pear midge appeared ; other correspondents inform me that their wall trees are 

 just as badly attacked as those in the open. 



