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Pear Midge. 



until the end of March, and only about an inch below the 

 surface of the ground. It may therefore be assumed that 

 thoroughly digging the ground beneath the boughs of the 

 pear tree, making allowance for the skipping or jumping 

 habits of the larvae as they come from the pears, will bury the 

 larvae so that the flies cannot emerge. This should be done 

 as a means of prevention where possible. It would be 

 necessary to dig the ground with digging " spuds " so as to 

 completely turn it over, and the action of winter rains and 

 frosts would pulverise it and make it compact, and thus 

 prevent the flies getting through the clods. Obviously this 

 could not be done in grass orchards. Dr. J. B. Smith, who 

 has closely investigated this subject, says " ploughing an 

 orchard " (and ploughing is a frequent mode of cultivating 

 orchards in America) " infested by the midge, after the 

 middle of June, or, in fact, at any time during the summer so 

 as to turn the soil at least four inches, will probably result in 

 burying beyond resurrection a great proportion of the 

 midges." Ploughing is not adopted in England, but many 

 orchards are dug, and in gardens it would be easy to adopt 

 this practice. Dr. Smith, who has made careful experiments 

 in connection with the pear midge, has also found that 

 dressings of kainit immediately under infested trees have 

 been most effectual in killing the larvae. He recommends 

 that the ground under the trees should be top-dressed with 

 one ton of kainit per acre, and mentions an instance 

 of an orchard thus treated, of which the fruit practically 

 escaped infestation, while in an adjoining orchard not treated 

 he failed to find a single fruit that was not infested with 

 larvae. This treatment has been successfully adopted by 

 several pear growers. The kainit should be put on between 

 the middle and end of June, before or immediately after rain. 

 It is also suggesed that ploughing or digging might advan- 

 tageously follow towards the end of July or in August. 

 Where pear trees are in grass orchards the grass should be 

 cut very close before the kainit is put on. It is desirable to 

 apply the kainit before the larvae get into cocoons, as it has 

 much more effect upon them in their naked state. Rain, or 

 the moisture of the atmosphere, causes the kainit to 



