115 



ovipositor. The Flies or Midges first appear during April 

 jusL about the time when the pear blossoms commence to 

 show their petals, and are to be found up to about the 

 •Txidclle of Ma}/. The eggs are laid within the blossoms, 

 and when the latter are unopened the petals are stated to 

 be pierced by the ovipositor and the eggs deposited on the 

 anthers. In opened flowers the pistil is pierced and the 

 eggs inserted therein. The larv^ are very minute w^hite 

 or pale yellow^ maggots and only attain a length of about 

 i m. w^hen fully grown. They feed within the develop- 

 ing fruitlets eating out their centres and leaving behind 

 them a mass of decomposing tissues. As m^any as ten, 

 twenty, or even thirty of these maggots may be found 

 wdthin a single fruitlet. The attacked fruits usually swell 

 more rapidly than sound o-nes, and can be readily recog- 

 nised on the tree by being often twice the size of the latter 

 and more or less distorted. When mature the maggots 

 leave the fruitlets either before or after the latter have 

 fallen. In either case they crawl out from their shelter 

 and exhibit curious jumping movements until they bury 

 themselves in the ground beneath the trees. Here they 

 spin delicate cocoons of a dirty creamhsh colour, and 

 hibernate therein throughout the rest of the year until the 

 following spring. Unfortunately there is no universal 

 measure for dealing with this Insect. All infested fruit- 

 lets should be collected and destroyed before the larvae 

 leave them. In very bad infestations it is better to gather 

 and destroy the whole crop. If an orchard be w^ell stocked 

 with poultr}/ in the spring w^hen the Flies appear and also 

 in June when the maggots reach the earth, mxaterial benefit 

 is very often attained. Removal of the surface soil con- 

 taining the pupcK is scarcely a practicable measure. In 

 America the application of Kainit is recommended. If 

 w^ell spread at the rate of half a ton to the acre around the 

 trees it is stated to destroy the larv^ and pup^ in the soil. 

 When the larvae are leaving the fruitlets 5 cAvt. to the acre 

 is said to be sufficient to destroy them.. In this country 

 Kainit has been very little used, and reports as to its value 

 are conflicting, nevertheless, it fully merits a fair trial. 



The Celery Fly (Aciclia heradez) (17) is a pretty 

 brownish Insect with mottled ornamental Vv^ings. It 

 may appear at the end of April but is commonest in 

 June and there are several broods in the year. The eegs 

 are laid on the leaves of celery and also parsnips. The 



