Insects and the Fruit Crop. 



59 



busy in many apple trees, as usual, and though repeated 

 washings had some influence in checking it, the habit, as in 

 the case of Psylla inali\ of the larvae going to the heart of the 

 blossom makes it difficult to reach them. 



Although the apple blossom was very good, the 

 cold, wet weather of May adversely influenced its " setting," 

 and made the growth of leaves and blossoms slow, giving 

 thereby opportunities to the caterpillars and other insects 

 which beset the trees, so that the crop will be again short. 

 The same influences militated against the crop of the plum 

 and damson trees, whose blossom has rarely been so abundant 

 or so beautiful, the trees being masses of white flowers. 

 However, even after the disadvantages of cold and wet, and 

 a very serious attack of aphides, it looks now (early in June) 

 as if there would be nearly an average yield of damsons, but 

 by no means a good return of plums. 



The frosts in the early part of May, and the general 

 inclemency of the season, so critical for their delicate 

 blossoms, though these were abundant, were too much for 

 pear trees, and their fruit will be extremely scarce. 

 • Cherry trees were clothed as thickly as possible with 

 blossoms, but will not give half a crop. In some cases the 

 caterpillars of the cherry moXh^ Argyrcsthia nitidclla^ reduced 

 the crop by getting into the tiny fruits and causing them to 

 fall off, as described in this " Journal " for September, 1896. 

 Among the soft " fruits, gooseberries are abundant, and 

 raspberries will give an average yield if the weather is suit- 

 able. Black currants have been injured by aphides and 

 weather, so that the crop will be short, and the yield of red 

 currants will not be of an average amount, while the straw- 

 berry crop, which promised to be very good, was affected by 

 the cold spell in June, and may be disappointing. 



Meadoav Saffron {Colchicuni autunmale). 



Some complaints have been received lately as to the 

 prevalence of this poisonous weed in meadows, and the 

 difficulty of getting rid of it. It has also been stated 



