Pear Midge. 



191 



dissolve slowly and the caustic solution thus formed burns 

 the tender bodies of the larvae that are within its influence. 



With respect to actual remedies it must be said that they 

 are few and not satisfactory. Spraying with insecticides is 

 -of no avail. Spraying with offensive materials, as paraffin or 

 carbolic acid, might prevent egg laying if done just at the 

 right moment. Dr. Lintner suggests sacrificing the Law- 

 rence pear crop by spraying Lawrence trees with London 

 purple just after the fruit is formed in order to kill midges and 

 starve the larvae within them. But unfortunately other pear 

 trees are liable to infestation, and in England it would be 

 more difficult to select the trees most subject to this attack 

 for this purpose. Picking-off and burning infested fruit can 

 be adopted in the case of small bush, espalier, wall trees, and 

 «ven half standards ; but it could not be done on standards. 

 As a rule infested pears can be recognised by their malfor- 

 mation, so that it would be easy, after the pickers were in- 

 structed, to pick them off and leave the sound pears. 



