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THE PEAR MIDGE IN ENGLAND. 
Kev. E. X. Bloomfield, of Hastings, England, in a note in the July, 
1894, number of Science-Gossip, states that the pear midge {Diplosis 
pyrivora) has been very destructive in his garden the present spring, 
spoiling almost the whole produce of some of his pear trees. Mr. Bloom- 
field is familiar with Prof. Riley's first account of this important pear 
enemy, published in the Annual Report of this Department for 1885, 
pp. 283-289, but is evidently not acquainted with the results of Prof. 
J. B. Smith's important experiments with remedies against this insect. 
Prof. Smith finds that a heavy top dressing with kaitiit destroys the 
pear midge while it is pupating beneath the surface of the ground. 
DESTRUCTIVE GRASSHOPPERS IN NEW YORK. 
The long-continued drought of the past summer, particularly in the 
Northeastern States, has been very favorable to the uninterrupted 
development of swarms of the local or nouuiigratory species of grass- 
hoppers, especially of Caloptenus femur-rubrum, the common red-legged 
locust or grasshopper, and C. Mvittatus, the two-striped locust. New 
York papers have contained many items, for the most part somewhat 
exaggerated, of the condition of affairs, but indicating by their number 
that a very considerable amount of damage has been done to growing 
crops. In the western portion of the State, in Genesee and Wyoming 
counties, and in the south-central portion, they have injured oats and 
buckwheat, after damaging the hay crop to some extent. Garden 
vegetables have also suffered somewhat. In the northern portion of 
the State the damage has been almost equally great, while along the 
Hudson Valley both the species above mentioned have been exception- 
ally abundant. During late September in Greene County, among the 
Catskills, the red-legged species was more abundant than we have evei 
seen it before — so much so, in fact, that the insects would fly up in 
perfect clouds before one walking through the fields. 
No systematic remedial work was undertaken, and it is doubtful 
whether either of these insects will be more abundant than usual next 
season. We have noticed a newspaper statement that a farmer resid- 
ing near Perry adopted the driving method with some little success. 
He hired several men, armed them with branches of trees, and took a 
trip across his bean field, driving the grasshoppers into his neighbor's 
field of grain. This enterprising individual saved his bean crop, but 
we understand he and his neighbor are no longer upon speaking terms. 
A correspondent in Sullivan County, writing under date of October 
9, states that much damage was done to grass, oats, and gardens. 
Some farmers were obliged to plow their oats under and pasture, and 
those who cut their hay late suffered quite a serious loss. Heads of 
timothy grass were completely stripped, nothing but the bare stalk 
being left. After the grass was gone the insects attacked the tall 
weeds in the hedge rows. 
