65 



surface of the leaf. It eats tremendously, and when mature crawls 

 down the tree, and develops into a pupa in a small cocoon made of 

 silk and soil. 



The pupd stage lasts two weeks in the summer, and there are two 

 broods in a year, and the larvae can be seen on the leaves until October. 



Insecticides. — Spray the trees to poison the larva's food with 

 I lb. of Paris green to 200 gall, of water.* 



Spray also with : i oz. of fresh hellebore, 2 oz. of flour, to 3 gall, of 

 water. 



This wash must be constantly stirred and the ingrediefits must 

 not be allowed to settle. 



The fruit must not be picked for four weeks after spraying with the 

 above washes, as they are poisonous. 



Or inject carbon bisulphide into the soil just before the sawfly is 

 emerging from the pupa. 



2. The Pear Midge, Diplosis pyrivora. Order Cecidomyidae. 



Pear-growers a few years ago used to think that the cause of little 

 pears falling was the unhealthy condition of the tree, or adverse 

 atmospheric conditions, but now they know it is often the work of 

 the pear midge. 



This insect has been known in this country for twenty-five years, 

 and has perhaps been longer, but there were not many good observers 

 at that time, and the result of the attack was easily explained by 

 atmospheric conditions. 



Early-flowering pears are much more liable to its attacks than late- 

 flowering ones, and Williams' Bon Chretien, with its allied form the 

 Bartlett Pear of America, are the ones most attacked. 



It is on the increase, and should be remedied as soon as it is seen. 



The fly is about one-tenth of an inch long, with a wing expanse of 

 one-fifth of an inch. 



Its body is blackish-grey or black in colour, and covered with pale 

 yellowish and white hairs. The male has very long, dark brown 

 antennae, with twenty-six joints. Its lep are very long and yellowish- 

 brown, and its wings are grey, vdth dusky hairs. The female is 

 slightly longer than the male, having an exceedingly large ovipositor 

 for the purpose of depositing her eggs in the blossom's calyces. It 

 has a four teen- jointed antenna, it is of a dusky grey colour, and is 

 always paler than the male. 



The larvae are yeUowish-white in colour, footless, and are composed 

 of fourteen segments, with a brown head bearing two two-jointed 

 antennae. On the underside, near the head end, is a brown anchor- 

 shaped piece, or the breast-bone. The mature larva is about one- 

 sixth of an inch long. 



The pupa is black above and yellowish-brown beneath, and one- 

 tenth of an inch long. 



* Use lead arseniate. 



