New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-13
DESTRUCTION or THE PEAR CROP.

4 conspiracy Of silence seems TO eNlso as"i"oo
the Delaware peach crop. Has it falled' OF wiz
there be a quartsrcrop? OF course, a quarter
crop is the most that the truthful Deia"are Po'o"
grower will ever admit: In fact, the l''l Dei"-
',oro coach cron Is something existing in theory
alone-an arbitrary, imaginary stahu"l"
lisbcd bv the first grower, and the actual crop
was never known 10 exceed One-fourth Oh H. t"O
wc hear nothing of the crop this year-or rather
nothing lately There were regular reports from IL
earlier in the season Thus there was dlspatch
in February which said that the young fruit was
bIigbti3r: one in March which claimed that
tho blossoms were dropping off, another in April
renortinp that the wind was blowing the green
fruit off the trees. and still another about May
I which brought the important information that
tho frost had nipped the buds. These were ecog-
nizcd bv old students of the Delaware peach crop
as simply preliminary symptoms-or practice les
if YOU will-and the regular reports ABOUT Tue
crop were expected as usual during the lat'er
mart Of Nav and in June and July Nothing
however comes from it, But the pear crop IN
this State is heard from, and it is going to DE
n failure. we regret to say, owing to the ravageS
NJ n npw insect which has mysterlously arrived
from somewhere.
DIR. Iintner, our skilful State EntomologiSt
has examined specimens Of this insect near uhent'
and SAYS that it is u nudge, and quite naturally
and very logically calls it the pear-mdge. Inc
infested fruit says DR.. Lintner, may be easily
detected by cutting open the young pears I'D
yiously. cutting open all of the young pears
with knife will work great injury to the
crop But if the fruit is not cut open
nothing is gained, as the larvae Will
destroy it anyhow. There is no insecticide known
70 DR. Lintner which will stay the ravages Of
the pear-midge This should not be the case
We are far from questioning the Doctors knowl-
edge of the situation, but has he tried the Aus
tralian lady-bug, which works such havoc with
the icerya? This intelligent bug, it will be re-
membered. hunts the icerya like pointer dog
and destroys it like a terrier III seems 10 Us
that if few of these lady-bugs were placed arounu
in the trees and on the fences early III the spring.
when the nudge is laying its eggs, great goou
,ni,bt como Of IT, Professor Snow, of Kansas, is
having remarkable success this summer in spread
ing pulmonary consumption among the chihch-
bugs lie has half of the bugs in the state dowA
with if. and millions of them are dying every
day. Three-fourths Of the others have hollow
cough. This should be tried on the pear-mldgeS'
4 man in Germany has invented machine winch
Is very discouraeing to bugs. 1t consists Oh a
nowerful electric light which attracts them ana
a mill which grinds them up into. poultry looo'
The German hens no longer scratch for insects,
and having no further use for toenals VIII
probably in a few generations, through the great
law of evolution, be walking around Germany on
paws or hoofs This plan also might work with
the midges
After all. it seems that the lady-bug should be
the most promising resource at our command
and the Doctor should ship his kennel TO the pear
district at once. Our entire pear crop
Is threatened and something must he DONE
This is no time TO fool around with that we'll
known insecticide so extensively advertised in the
rural papers in this wise :" Sure death to potato
bugs. Fifty cents and so familiar to the guile
less potato grower. who having sent his nall
dollar receives two small wooden blocks with
directions to place the bug carefully on one OF
these blocks and mash him with the other" Such
crude methods must be abandoned in the case oil
the pear-midge and something scientific like the
lady-bugs taken up.