REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST I912 3 1 



treatment. There is no question as to the advisability of using 

 poison in the later sprayings wherever there is sufficient fungous 

 disease to warrant treatments for this purpose. 



A small crop almost invariably means a larger percentage of 

 wormy fruit, and if the prospects are even fair for good prices, the 

 third spraying (the latter part of July) would at least justify itself 

 because of the additional protection from possibly severe injury 

 by the second brood. The treatment three weeks after the blos- 

 soms fall may be advisable, especially if the first application is not 

 thorough for some reason or other. 



Fungous diseases are of comparatively little importance in the 

 Hudson valley. Many of our fruit growers have obtained fair 

 results with one treatment, and the above data, we believe, show 

 the reason why such is the case. Comparatively few have appre- 

 ciated the importance of one thorough treatment at the proper time. 

 With the information given above, we believe that our Hudson 

 valley fruit growers can ascertain for themselves whether more 

 than one spraying is advisable. There is no reason why the pro- 

 gressive fruit grower should not watch developments, and if wormy 

 apples seem to be somewhat common in early July, protect him- 

 self against further possible injury by thorough spraying the latter 

 part of that month and thus destroy many of the second brood 

 larvae before they can enter the fruit. This supplemental treat- 

 ment will hardly be necessary more than once in three or four 

 years, unless a light crop and high prices justify efforts to produce 

 the largest possible quantity of sound fruit. These results, while 

 especially applicable to the Hudson river valley, should prove help- 

 ful in other regions, even though conditions may be somewhat 

 different, since they emphasize the importance of thorough work 

 during the first period. Other sprayings are more or less supple- 

 mentary in nature and their relative value should be clearly recog- 

 nized by the orchardist. 



HESSIAN FLY 



Phytophaga destructor Say 



There is perhaps no important insect pest where nicer discrimina- 

 tion and a closer balancing of varied factors is necessary to the 

 production of a profitable crop than in the case of the Hessian fly. 

 This pest is very susceptible to climatic conditions; dry weather 

 results in long periods of practical inactivity, while rains and the 

 accompanying succulent growth are most favorable to the pest. 



