20 BULLETIN 643, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



in diameter they may reach maturity, although before they reach 

 maturity pumpkins and squashes may support numerous colonies of 

 larvae in open surface wounds and become badly deformed. Out of 

 254 nearly full-grown pumpkins growing at Kahuku during the 

 winter months, 250 were found variously deformed. As many as 650 

 adults have been reared from a pumpkin not more than 4 inches 

 long; the staminate bloom while still a bud may support as many 

 as 37 well-grown larvse. 



TOMATOES. 



Tomatoes are very susceptible to attack. All tomatoes offered for 

 sale in Honolulu are likely to be infested, as shown by the reports of 



Fig. 19. — Cross section of young watermelon, showing destruction of interior by larvse of 

 melon fly. Reduced one-fourth. (Authors' illustration.) 



the market fruit-fly inspector covering several months. Fifteen ripe 

 or partly ripe fruits examined at Hauula on March 21, 1915, con- 

 tained eggs or larvse. Such severe infestation is so general during 

 the warmer months that data are superfluous. Under climatic condi- 

 tions less favorable for the increase of the melon fly the tomato 

 probably would be found to be less susceptible to attack than cucur- 

 bitaceous crops. The fruits of the small wild tomatoes and the spiny 

 3 T ellow-fruited Solanum, common in Hawaii, all are found growing 

 about fields of cucurbitaceous crops, but never yet have been found 

 infested. During January and February fields of tomatoes may pro- 

 duce a large percentage of sound fruits, owing to the effect of the 



