﻿136 
  ThiPwTIeth 
  Repokt 
  on 
  the 
  State 
  Museum. 
  [24] 
  

  

  111. 
  ISOSOMA 
  VIT1S 
  SAUCERS. 
  

  

  THE 
  GEAPE-SEED 
  FLY. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  September 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  year 
  

   (1876), 
  a 
  cluster 
  of 
  grapes, 
  in 
  very 
  bad 
  condition, 
  which 
  had 
  

   been 
  received 
  at 
  the 
  office 
  of 
  the 
  Country 
  Gentleman, 
  of 
  

   Albany, 
  was 
  submitted 
  to 
  my 
  examination, 
  with 
  a 
  request 
  for 
  

   information 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  injury 
  or 
  disease. 
  It 
  was 
  

   accompanied 
  with 
  the 
  following 
  letter 
  from 
  the 
  gentleman 
  in 
  

   whose 
  garden, 
  at 
  Plainfield, 
  N. 
  J., 
  the 
  grapes 
  had 
  grown 
  : 
  

  

  Eds. 
  Countky 
  Gentleman. 
  — 
  I 
  send 
  you 
  by 
  mail 
  to-day 
  a 
  

   single 
  bunch 
  of 
  Walter 
  grape, 
  to 
  ask 
  if 
  you 
  will 
  tell 
  me 
  in 
  the 
  

   columns 
  of 
  your 
  paper, 
  what 
  is 
  the 
  matter 
  with 
  my 
  grapes. 
  

   They 
  have 
  been 
  affected 
  in 
  same 
  manner 
  since 
  the 
  first 
  year 
  

   they 
  bore 
  (now 
  the 
  third 
  year 
  of 
  bearing), 
  but 
  never 
  so 
  badly 
  

   as 
  this 
  year. 
  The 
  disease 
  attacks 
  all 
  kinds 
  (I 
  have 
  about 
  a 
  

   dozen), 
  and 
  in 
  different 
  parts 
  of 
  my 
  garden. 
  It 
  shows 
  itself 
  

   about 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  ripening, 
  and 
  this 
  year 
  promises 
  to 
  destroy 
  

   the 
  whole 
  crop 
  before 
  they 
  are 
  fairly 
  ready 
  to 
  pick. 
  If 
  this 
  

   bunch 
  carries 
  well, 
  you 
  will 
  probably 
  notice 
  a 
  Berry 
  or 
  two 
  

   just 
  touched, 
  and 
  you 
  will 
  see 
  that 
  the 
  puncture 
  is 
  very 
  small. 
  

   Dr. 
  Hexamer 
  thinks 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  sun-burn, 
  but 
  I 
  am 
  sure 
  this 
  is 
  

   not 
  the 
  trouble, 
  for 
  this 
  very 
  bunch 
  which 
  I 
  send 
  you 
  was 
  cut 
  

   from 
  underneath 
  heavy 
  foliage, 
  and 
  bunches 
  heavily 
  shaded 
  

   are 
  just 
  as 
  badly 
  affected 
  as 
  others 
  more 
  exposed. 
  I 
  have 
  

   watched 
  for 
  bees 
  and 
  wasps, 
  but 
  find 
  scarcely 
  any. 
  Occa- 
  

   sionally 
  a 
  single 
  bee 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  sucking 
  the 
  juice 
  of 
  a 
  berry 
  

   already 
  broken. 
  Neither 
  do 
  I 
  see 
  many 
  birds 
  on 
  the 
  vines, 
  

   though 
  we 
  have 
  English 
  sparrows 
  in 
  the 
  neighborhood. 
  

   The 
  vines 
  are 
  very 
  thrifty, 
  and 
  are 
  taken 
  as 
  good 
  care 
  of 
  as 
  I 
  

   know 
  how 
  to 
  do. 
  

  

  H. 
  K. 
  M. 
  

  

  The 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  difficulty 
  was 
  so 
  singularly 
  concealed 
  that 
  

   it 
  was 
  not 
  readily 
  detected 
  by 
  me. 
  A 
  critical 
  examination, 
  

   however, 
  brought 
  to 
  view 
  the 
  hidden 
  cause, 
  and 
  enabled 
  me 
  

   to 
  return 
  the 
  following 
  answer 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  injury 
  which 
  threatens 
  to 
  destroy 
  an 
  entire 
  crop 
  of 
  

   grapes, 
  as 
  above 
  narrated, 
  proceeds 
  from 
  an 
  insect 
  pest 
  which 
  . 
  

   promises 
  to 
  prove 
  very 
  detrimental 
  to 
  the 
  grape-growing 
  

  

  