toil DECIDUOUS FRUIT INSECTS AND INSECTICIDES. 
surrounding tissue be flexible and moist, for the egg covering is elastic 
and the embryonic thrips within increases in size very noticeably 
before the larva issues. 
There is space within the adult insect’s body for only a few eggs at a 
time—seven or eight. A thrips probably places only a few eggs dur- 
ing a single day. She feeds for a time, deposits an egg, and then 
moves to another place, and later to still other places, and these may 
be all on one or scattered on several trees. The adult thus spreads 
her progeny from tree to tree wherever she goes. Nothing seems to 
hinder thrips which may be set on ovipositing. They have been ob- 
served placing eggs at all hours of the day and 
night and under all conditions of weather. 
The period of oviposition lasts for several 
weeks, or during practically all of the life of 
the adult insects. Injury from oviposition 
is most conspicuous on cherry trees. Oper- 
ating at the base of a cluster of fruits, a few 
thrips will cut several incisions and place as 
many eggs in a single stem. This so weakens 
the stem that it fails to perform its usual 
function, and the rapidly developing cherry 
soon becomes yellow, and falls. Thrips seem 
to prefer the cherry to other varieties of fruits 
as a place for ovipositing during the later sea- 
son, and this fruit suffers severely from 
ovipositing, though it may escape the first 
feeding injury. The result is a heavy drop- 
ping of half-grown cherries, which in badly 
infested regions means almost the whole crop. 
Numerous leaf and blessom stems in which 
, eggs had been placed were closely watched 
Fic. 4.-The pear thrips (ku. to determine the length of the egg stage. In | 
thrips pyri): larva. Much en- many cases these stems became dry during 9) 
larged (original). 
variably from these no thrips issued. Eggs need moisture for their 
confinement in the laboratory, and almost in- a 
preservation and development, and young thrips must have tender 
and pliable tissue through which to emerge. The egg stage lasts, 2 | 
approximately, four days. | 
THE LARVA. 
It is interesting to watch, with the aid of a strong lens, a young 
thrips issuing from the egg. The tiny incision in the stem of a 
blossom or leaf shows where an egg has been placed, and the enlarging __ 
egg within, causing a swelling in the plant tissue at the summit of 
which is the incision, indicates that the insect is about ready to 
emerge. The first sign of life is the appearance, pushing out from the 
