84 



THE WESTERN POMOLOGIST. 



1871 



would lose the full stfength of our stocks, therefore 

 in such cases it is best to cut them off above these 

 ' roots but as near to as convenient and graft the 

 stocks there and bank up as before mentioned. 



If }he grafting is done early in tlie spring it is 

 best to cover the graft several inches with earth 

 and let it remain until all hard freezing is over, 

 otherwise the frost might lift the grafts out of their 

 places. When all danger is over remove the earth 

 and let the upper bud expand. Never allow a bud 

 to be in a hole to fill with water and mud. Watch 

 and keep the suckers down or they will soon rob 

 the graft. Cultivate well and protect the grafts by 

 tying them up to stakes as fast as they grow. The 

 earliear the work is done the better. 



If stakes are used they should be on the ground 

 and set as soon as convenient, and the fruiting 

 canes tied to them, for the bow or spiral system it 

 require one or two stout stakes for each vine, but for 

 horizontal training it requires from three to five 

 stakes to a vine (in proportion to the length of the 

 arms), but they can be of much less size, and about 

 five feet and a half long. The arms should be tied 

 tirmly to the stakes horizontally with willow. 



If a trellis is to be erected, everything should be 

 on the ground so the work can be done in good 

 season and the vines tied to the trillis before the 

 buds start, us they rub oil' very easily in handling. 

 Canes intended for layering should be short- 

 ened to about four feet in length, and let lay on the 

 ground until the shoots have made a few inches 

 growth, then make shallow trenches the length of 

 the canes about three inches deep and lay the canes 

 In, and as the shoots grow, fill up with pulverized 

 soil. The ground should have been thoroughly 

 stirred previously so the weeds cannot get a start 

 of the layers ; each bud will make a good sti'ong 

 plant in a good season. 



fntomnlogg. 



Odb Apple Trade with England.— The Pa 

 Mall OazetU says : "It seems that a new trade has 

 sprung into existence between Liverpool and the 

 United States, and is daily assuming greater pro- 

 portions. Some few years ago the quantity of ap- 

 ples brought as freight into Liverpool was compar- 

 atively small, but at present it appears as though 

 they were to form one great feature in the business 

 of the port. A Scotch paper mentions that one of 

 the largest importers of apples at Port Huron, 

 Michigan, has been in Liverpool for some time, 

 and has just returned to his home, after having 

 contracted for the delivery in Liverpool of 10,000 

 barrels of the best Michigan apples. It is said he 

 will clear about 5s. on each barrel. One singular 

 fact in connection with this new addition to the 

 commerce of Liverpool is, that large quantities of 

 the apples thus sent to Liverpool are trans-shipped 

 to the Mediterrauean in exchange for other fruit. 



Dr. S. H. Kridelbauoh, Editor, Clarinda, Iowa. 



^^Send in the Insects. — Dr. R. is chairman of the Com- 

 mittee on Entomology for the State Horticultural Society, 

 and would take it a^ a favor to be furnished with epecimeus 

 of iURects from the various localities of the State, by mail 

 during this year. Those sending will please state all they 

 know concerning the habits of tne insects sent; what they 

 arc found feeding on, etc. 



Onion-Flies. 



Of this species of insect there are two much alike 

 in their appearance and habits, yet there is differ- 

 ence enough to easily distinguish one from the 

 other. 



For several years past we have been some, though 

 not a great deal, in the West, troubled with the 

 "Native American" species — the Black Onion-fly, 

 scientifically named by Weidemann, Ortalis Jkxa, 

 who described it as long ago as the year 1830, as be- 

 longing to the genus IVypeta, and afterwards by Mr 

 Walker as Trypeta arcuata, but afterwards removed 

 by Mr. Loew to genus Ortalis, and is now specially 

 recognized as Ortalis arcuata, of Walker. 



The fly is about 33-100 of an inch in length ; color 

 blackish, with three oblique white stripes on each 

 wing. The wings of the 0. arcuata point obliquely 

 backwards, outwards and upwards — fight not rapid 

 or prolonged, but irregular, jerking and fanlike. 

 During the day they fl}' around among the onions 

 where they deposit their small whitish eggs, which 

 are very similar in appearance to fly-blows, so fre- 

 quently seen on fresh meat in warm weather. The 

 egg is small — 3-100 by 1-100 of an inch in length and 

 width. In from twenty-four to thirty hours after 

 the eggs are dejjosited on the bulbs at a point near 

 the base of the tops, thej' hatch out and are small 

 living larvae or maggots — the length of time varying 

 some, however, with thetemperatureof the weather. 

 The larvte, which is of a whitish color, as soon as 

 hatched make their way down between the layers 

 of the bulb, eating as they go for a period of about 

 fourteen days, when they will be full grown. The 

 larvEC of this insect is more -slender at the forward 

 (head) than it the back (tail) end, which latter end 

 has the appearance of being cut off. 



When the larvfe attain full growth they pass the 

 first transformation into pupa;, in which state they 

 lay in the ground about as long as they were feeding 

 in a domant condition ; at the end of which time, 

 (which is about four weeks from the laying ot the 

 eggs), they come out perfect Black Onion-flies — 

 Ortalis arcuata. 



At the commencement of cold weather all the flies 

 die, while the remaining larvas pass into pupae, and 

 lay in a dormant condition in the ground un- 

 til the return of warm weather the succeeding 



