172 



The object obtained by tlie puncture of the flower-stem is two-fold. 

 First, the development of the bud is arrested, the outer envelopes of 

 sepals and petals turn hard and dry, remain folded, and thus retain the 

 pollen and the eggs or growing larvae of the insect. If the flowers 

 were permitted to develop, the pollen, which furnishes the principal 

 food supply of the larvae, would be lost and the larvae would, therefore, 

 in any event die of starvation if indeed they did not drop out when the 

 flower opened or were not crowded out by the growing berry. Berries 

 were seen that showed scars on one side as if development had been 

 stopped at this point either by the punctures of the beetle or by the 

 work of the larviB which had hatched and failed to mature. It is not 

 to be believed that a single minute puncture made in the bud, such as 

 so small an insect is capable of making, could possibly kill the bud, but 

 a slight injury is sufficient to kill the narrow and delicate stem above 

 the point of attack. The second result obtained is that the bud in 

 most instances drops off in a few days to the ground, where it is kept 

 more or less moist. If allowed to remain on the stem in ordinarily dry 

 weather the injured buds would eventually become so dry as to prevent 

 the development of the insect within. 



To test this matter a quantity of injured strawberry buds with their 

 contained larvae were >ept in the Insectary under different conditions or 

 degrees of moisture. A number of the insects failed to reach maturity 

 in such buds as had become extremely dry. A second lot, gathered 

 from the vines late in the season, and which had probably remained 

 exposed to the sun for a considerable time, did not yield as many of 

 the insects as those which were taken from the ground at the same 

 time. A third lot was kei^t constantly moistened and became cov- 

 • ered Avith mold, but the insects thrived still better under these con- 

 ditions and not an instance was observed where they or their parasites 

 died from exposure to this excessive moisture or mold. 



It has been noticed that in cases where strawberry buds escape the 

 destroyer and throw out blossoms they usually remain tliereafter un- 

 harmed, but larvae have been found in full-blown but deadened flowers 

 the pedicels of which showed no signs of puncture, and beetles have 

 matured in flowers that had been injured, but not in such degree as to 

 prevent them from closing up and retaining the j)ollen. 



Nearly all of the injured buds gathered early in the season and which 

 bore external evidence of having been attacked at the customary time, 

 i. e., just before blossoming, contained larvae, a single individual to the 

 bud, and a large number were opened before more than one was found. 

 In the few buds that harbored two larvae, they occupied opposite sides 

 and there was ample room and food for both. 



WorJc onBlacTcherry. — A blackberry patch at Falls Church, of the 

 variety known as " Early Harvest," was visited June 3, and although 

 the bushes were covered with white blossoms betokening under normal 

 conditions a rich crop of berries, it was soon seen that the insect had 

 been at work, but not in the same uniform manner as on strawberry, 



