376 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. VII, No. 8 
in bearing orchards is also quite important, and aside from the actual 
injury inflicted would interfere a good deal with the proper shaping of 
the tree. 
Attack on the twigs begins in the spring when the shoots are from 6 to 8 
inches long and continues until active growth of the trees ceases in the 
fall. Many twigs injured in the latter part of the season present the 
appearance shown in Plate 28, B. As the twig hardens, the larva may 
leave its burrow and feed more or less on the exterior of the twig, cutting 
holes and pits into the bark and causing a copious exudation of gum, 
rendering the injury quite conspicuous. The more typical injury to 
twigs in the fall, however, is that represented in Plate 28, A. 
The larvae prefer tender, actively growing shoots, and their injury to 
these (PI. 29, A, JB) is scarcely distinguishable from that of the com¬ 
mon peach-twig borer, or peach moth (A narsia lineatella Zell). The cater¬ 
pillars pass from one shoot to another in their search for appropriate 
food, and several shoots may thus be injured by a larva in the course of 
its growth. A striking illustration of this preference for tender growth 
was noted in an orchard near by in Virginia. Here the orchard trees had 
practically ceased growth, and although a large percentage of the twigs 
showed injury a careful search of these resulted in finding no larvae. In 
an adjoining block of seedling nursery trees still growing vigorously 
larvae in all stages were found very abundant. Injury to the shoots is 
apparently continuous during the active period of growth of the trees, 
even in the presence of fruit. The writers' observations are not con¬ 
clusive as to whether the fruit is preferred to the twigs. 
INJURY TO TRUITS 
The fruit may be attacked while quite green, the infestation increasing 
as it approaches maturity. Larvae of all sizes have been found abun¬ 
dantly in peaches during the ripening stage from midsummer on. Mid¬ 
season and early fall varieties have been noted as being worse infested, 
owing probably to the concentration of larvae on the fruit by reason 
of the cessation of active growth of the twigs. Thus, in the case of some 
Sal way and Smock trees and certain varieties of clingstone peaches, of 
similar season, practically all the fruit on the trees was infested with from 
one to three or four larvae. 
In attacking the fruit the young caterpillars rather generally eat 
through the skin at or near the point of attachment of the fruit stem, the 
place being indicated by more or less frass adhering to the surface of 
the fruit (PI. 30, B). Entrance is also made at other places, especially 
where the fruit has been punctured by the curculio or abrased by limbs or 
branches or other causes, as by hail. If the fruit is ripe, or nearly so, 
the entrance point of the larva may soon be invaded by the brownrot 
fungus, the larva continuing its development, in frequent instances, in 
the fungus-invaded and decaying flesh of the peach. Owing to the com- 
