﻿32 
  

  

  CIRCULAR 
  

  

  0. 
  U. 
  S. 
  DEPARTMEXT 
  OF 
  AGRICULTURE 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  maggots 
  are 
  more 
  

   easily 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  dark-meated 
  

   varieties 
  of 
  cherries, 
  snch 
  as 
  the 
  

   Lambert 
  and 
  the 
  Late 
  Duke, 
  care- 
  

   ful 
  examinations 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  

   the 
  white 
  cherries 
  are 
  often 
  in- 
  

   fested 
  just 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  tlie 
  black 
  

   ones. 
  The 
  infestation 
  at 
  times 
  

   amounts 
  to 
  75 
  to 
  90 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  

   crop. 
  This 
  insect 
  is 
  a 
  native 
  of 
  

   the 
  Eastern 
  States. 
  

  

  LIFE 
  HISTORY 
  

  

  The 
  maggots 
  winter 
  in 
  the 
  soil, 
  

   in 
  small, 
  hard, 
  brown 
  cases. 
  These 
  

   cases, 
  knoAvn 
  as 
  puparia, 
  are 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  by 
  the 
  shrinking 
  and 
  drying 
  

   of 
  the 
  outer 
  skin 
  of 
  the 
  maggot. 
  

   The 
  flies 
  (fig. 
  38) 
  emerge 
  from 
  the 
  

  

  Figure 
  38. 
  — 
  Cherry 
  fruit 
  fly. 
  Enlarged. 
  

  

  ground 
  during 
  June 
  or 
  July, 
  and 
  

   fly 
  about 
  in 
  the 
  sun 
  for 
  some 
  days, 
  

   feeding 
  on 
  any 
  moisture 
  or 
  honey- 
  

   dew 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  on 
  trees. 
  After 
  

   a 
  few 
  days 
  the 
  females 
  lay 
  eggs 
  in 
  

   the 
  cherries, 
  piercing 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  

   the 
  fruit 
  with 
  their 
  ovipositors 
  and 
  

   depositing 
  the 
  eggs 
  in- 
  the 
  flesh. 
  

   The 
  small 
  white 
  maggots, 
  about 
  

   one-fourth 
  inch 
  long, 
  hatch 
  in 
  a 
  

   week 
  or 
  less 
  and 
  immediately 
  begin 
  

   to 
  feed 
  around 
  the 
  pit. 
  Feeding 
  

   continues 
  for 
  about 
  2 
  weeks, 
  and 
  

   when 
  full-grown 
  the 
  maggots 
  drop 
  

   to 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  form 
  their 
  pu- 
  

   paria 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  beneath 
  the 
  sur- 
  

   face. 
  They 
  remain 
  there 
  until 
  the 
  

   following 
  spring. 
  

  

  CONTROL 
  

  

  Thorough 
  cultivation 
  undoubt- 
  

   edly 
  destroys 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  puparia 
  

   in 
  the 
  soil, 
  but 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  reach 
  

   enough 
  of 
  them 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  much 
  

   value. 
  As 
  the 
  maggots 
  hatch 
  

   within 
  the 
  fruit 
  and 
  are 
  protected 
  

   by 
  it 
  while 
  they 
  are 
  feeding, 
  there 
  

   is 
  no 
  satisfactory 
  means 
  of 
  poison- 
  

   ing 
  them. 
  Neither 
  has 
  any 
  effec- 
  

   tive 
  way 
  of 
  killing 
  this 
  pest 
  by 
  

   means 
  of 
  chemicals 
  while 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  

   the 
  soil 
  been 
  found. 
  Effective 
  

   measures 
  m.R\ 
  be 
  employed 
  against 
  

   the 
  flies 
  only 
  during 
  the 
  short 
  

   period 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  feeding 
  on 
  

   honeydew 
  and 
  other 
  moisture 
  

   before 
  laying 
  their 
  eggs. 
  

  

  If. 
  cherries 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  sold 
  as 
  fresh 
  

   fruit, 
  an 
  application 
  of 
  a 
  10-per- 
  

   cent 
  lead 
  arsenate 
  dust 
  at 
  40 
  

   pounds 
  per 
  acre 
  may 
  be 
  made 
  as 
  

   soon 
  as 
  the 
  first 
  flies 
  emerge. 
  This 
  

   treatment 
  should 
  be 
  followed 
  by 
  

   successive 
  applications 
  of 
  rote- 
  

   none, 
  either 
  a 
  0.75-percent 
  dust 
  or 
  

   a 
  spray 
  containing 
  3 
  pounds 
  of 
  a 
  

   4-percent 
  rotenone 
  preparation. 
  

   If 
  the 
  cherries 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  canned, 
  

   several 
  applications 
  of 
  lead 
  ar- 
  

   senate, 
  3 
  pounds 
  to 
  100 
  gallons, 
  

   may 
  be 
  made. 
  The 
  rotenone 
  

   should 
  be 
  applied 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  

   a 
  week 
  or 
  10 
  days, 
  and 
  the 
  lead 
  

   arsenate 
  every 
  2 
  weeks 
  until 
  the 
  

   fruit 
  is 
  harvested. 
  An 
  applica- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  lead 
  arsenate 
  spray 
  im- 
  

   mediately 
  after 
  harvest, 
  particu- 
  

   larly 
  to 
  trees 
  still 
  having 
  some 
  

   fruit 
  on 
  them, 
  will 
  help 
  reduce 
  

   the 
  numbers 
  of 
  flies 
  appearing 
  next 
  

   season. 
  Local 
  information 
  should 
  

   be 
  obtained 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  to 
  begin 
  

   using 
  these 
  control 
  measures. 
  

  

  Pear-Slug 
  

  

  The 
  j)ear-slug. 
  sometimes 
  called 
  

   the 
  cherry 
  slug, 
  frequently 
  skele- 
  

   tonizes 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  cherry 
  trees. 
  

   If 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  controlled, 
  the 
  trees 
  may 
  

   be 
  almost 
  completely 
  defoliated, 
  as 
  

   the 
  skeletonized 
  leaves 
  die 
  and 
  

  

  