SB 818 .C397 ENT Wil 3¢ pee aa | AUTHOR’S EDITION - FROM ANNUAL REPORT ON EXPERIMENTAL FARMS FOR THE YEAR 1898 CANADA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST (JAMES FLETCHER, LL.D., F.R.8.C., F.L.8.) 1898 i OTTAWA ( GOVERNMENT PRINTING BUREAU ) i eR Pag (3 C347 ENT AUTHOR’S EDITION FROM ANNUAL REPORT ON EXPERIMENTAL FARMS FOR THE YEAR 1898 CANADA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM (ottews, ont, REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST vy, (JAMES FLETCHER, LL.D., F.R.S.C., F.L.S.) SES OTTAWA GOVERNMENT PRINTING] BUREAU 1899 INDEX Acknowledgments... .. ......- 170 AGrOPyTUM CENCTUME n.\ Sos ole eee ce 167 Amputating Brocade Moth .... ......... 180 Anderson, J. R., assistznce from..... .168, 169 Anthonomus quadrigibbus ... 0 ......--.. 203 Aphides im orchards (400). 22 sb... een 206 Apnndiusgnanariaphis. 2.00. ee 179 OUSCUPURGE Sian heed st te teks a ea 179 FA ITSO MOSSUCKE ats) Ver ee ants (os Ss LEER 194 MUON Ds oc chs aie isis '5.9! te, «5 206 BATTEN? 6 ot a hbo RRR BORE BIDE Cae LC Eee 213 experiments in wintering. Ete 213 (Hn ala) ARE Ot 3 eS a aaeeree 215, 218 BeasomiofdS89B8e2 00... .. 217 experiments with foundations of differ- GiHIE TVAEI RE A aN rege ae eee 218 FHEIOUNAYS) Sc ky Seat merce 218 Apple Aphis......... BG Set es te 206 TING OME RT tro hialarsicis'Soicles cee vee 203 | atic SmI Tag ih a Laer ee 4 teeelos PND PIGMECRVMEEVEL seins he csc cee nc cutee 207 Apple-worm Lesser... . rely, arta Seale 199 Argyresthia conjugella.............. 198 PREM WORM EIAs.) ioc cases... 188 Aspidiotus eee 204 Awnless Brome grass.. ............-.005 167 Bands, paper and tin, a as plant protectors... 190 Barton, A.5S., on Rocky Mountain Locust 186 IBGHMOMVMCEMh eee ae cs. «ci dileauacds ois 192 Bethune, Rev. Dr., assistance from ...... 170 Breeze-flies, destroying plant-lice......... 179 Brome-grass, Awnless................... 167 LBUDTTA ROS COCALO Tae ne a ee 192 PIORIOTPONIG: soo Rear 8 Aelia Te 192 Burke, Rey. A. 8., notes on the year .172, 196, 219 Cabbage Root-ma; eet. nde 195 CALCITE SES TIREUUS Ie oa, cie Je Siasejentie ess. nis a's 180 Calosoma calidum . BPO ER Sica nae ee 190 Camnula pellucida ..........-.... Os LT Carbolic wash for reot-maggots ....... .. 195 Carneades ochrogaster ............. 189 BCOMMEMS ies te wool a ss aes 189 Carrot Rust-fly . Kee i ae 193 Cecidomyia BeNOR: 22s) olin vas. 173 PUPS EAS p03 oa oe wd ofa cere nee es os 179 Cereals, insect enemies of.........-...... 171 (Chiatiny AY gin0S,; | Bee ee 206 Circotettia verruculatus ....... Bete apn, lard 187 Clistocampa Americana... © ......24 00 201 (WESTER oo SS), Go Bt SE EE aCe ee 201 Cockerell, Prof. T. D. A., assistance from. 170 Coelimius meromyzee ..... 0. 66... cee ee 176 Colorado Potato-beetle...... ..... Mae 196 Conotrachelus nenuphar........0..+-2055- 202 Correspondence ........... Shoe OR eee 167 Cutworn; Climbing: )o.2. 0.5.6.2 22.0 189 Classy seeee Seon a Aa ee 180 Red=bmeleedie asd sors sts 22 oe 12s wees oe 189 VTE. oo 52 BORE ee 189 (Oiiexerden. “” keyed oye ae ee 190 DWUtworms Tera. 4... cee hye aes: 19 in vegetables and root crops.......... 188 ** Dead headS™in wheat.................. 175 Dearness, J., assistance from .. ...... 170 Devastating MaetiMoth.>..... 0.00622. 2. pe orp ete ee pee eres 72 Wrplosis tritict, ©, 6.2... dns Emphytus Cagadensts ....,..00 0.00... ee. 169 Bupelmus epieaste, =... 4. kag teres Farm stock, insect enemy of ............. 219 Fixter, J., report of, on Apiary.......... 212 (Hour-limed) Wesf-bue). 0... eee one oe 196 Frit-fly,:the-American’ .. 5. S02) See 176 Hriitaropsis, Haste 1 seen Pape ae 197 INSECtreMOMIfestOE sock cid. ge Oe Wruit-worms, Green. 7.0. Uslaes vee se tae 203 Gibson, EH. A. Carew-, note on Lesser Apple- WOPTI ors sks (aara/einns Set ate alae tece a 200 note on Black Gooseberry-borer...... 209 GiOmplocenus Spier: csi eae 185 Gooseberry-borer, Blacks Leal cers 207 Gram: Apphisy ail wbs coat ee ee ee Bae Dally) (Grain GRO pS eatin neatke ea ae erie rere ligie Grapholiiha BruUnvvond. 1. daca ont. 199 Grass experiments to redeem waste Jand.. 167 Grass mixture, Experimental Farm....... 167 Hadena arctiea.. .. 6.4.4 hes ie 180 ROUASHOTING fa. DTA ee 180 TL OMOLODUMISERT Adit. nme ees pee 219 Harrington, W. H., assistance from... .. 170 Hessian Fly BARA hte SrchAPaet ne raciG PSY 173 attacking timothy... sa. ae eee 174 Homoporus chalcidiphagus ............... 178 Hopper-dozer :..“vic0 ow mane anes 184 Hlorm=fly ok soe eee eee ee eee 219 Howard, Dr. L. O., assistance from .... 170 Hurdman, C. G., on Cutworm Lion...... 191 F808 010 «6556 -ain ha a ae ee 178 CP ULLCU SE a as grat Do eS na Nae 178 Jack, R., & Sons, on Plum Curculio ..... 202 Johnson, Prof. W. G. , assistance from. . 170 JOIMt=WOrmMsi. 6 cee Ra Lite: Jones, Prof. L. R., assistance from. ..... 170 Kainit, for root- “maggots 5 ale Naas 195 Locust mite. Aero A Seni 185 Tioctists. cic tennem cas ates 180 Lugger, Prof. O., on Rocky M ountain Locastt, 228 a aeeapaerss ite 183 Lyda larva on raspberries...... Pree enya 05) Macoun, Prof. J., assistance f¥omir. | Je 170 Magdalis NEBR Ie 207 Nanitobayiwistigtoles sido see ae 169 Mclver'siitve-prassi.4 ce cieece oan 167 McKellar, H., assistance from........... 169 Meetings attended 2 Wanye ote eee 169 Melomoplus atlanis.. (3... esea ek oes 185, 187 MUN OPES 2 ra Bev Aten rir keh 6 ee Metered ois: MeromyzasAmericana. sees. 2sce eee 175 MMYUS COPASU Wi. ee aes OPE CEE SES 206 IN OCHUA ICICI Pc ere ta) eee eee 188 Ormerod, Miss E. A., assistance from.... 170 OSCUNUS: COPDONUTIM 45 Jaen ie 176 SOTO. oasis eae Ae nee Pe ee 176 Oyster-shell Bark-louse.................. 205 Palmer, R. M., on Apple Fruit-miner.... 198 on Black Gooseberry-borer........... 207 on Bronze Apple-tree Weevil......... 207 onent Caterpillars!) 22. puen anes 201 Parkers) Ce; om truitienopses.sce.2. ae 197 Ped Mothisc > (ON) dave See hee 191 Wieevillee. serach Se. in ee eee 192 PU ORD TAO USSICOe nee sae ate area 195 Plant-lice im orchards) -.224.....ceccoe se 206 INDEX. PAGE PAGE leAlwrray! CrovrqullTo ners meetacks # Soa SIeecas ae 202 Sprayine yea ec Meee rie ea els Gakecc eves 0's 210 destroying apples. 5. s-.c. semis en 202 Starr, R. W., notes on fruit crops...... 197, 211 IE MrinmeVUO pie rk Sele hi. Aieee sates 199 SYTHE Foe ee ce ence eines 2 179 Peecilocapsus lineatus.....-..2..-.eeeeeee 196 Tarred paper-cards for root-maggots.... . 196 Poisoned bran for cutworms........ ....- 190 Tent Caterpillar, American. ............ 201 J ELON ARON ORG) o>, 5 2 oe on Ia eS RISC 196 MOrest Sn. eee eames eee ee sees fs 201 ATV SECIS eee Mae hire) ierarele’ Mie bus Sitsicacreve hase clears 196 PUNE OU OPUS CUNT ace bees tice eine 2-8 + a SG PESTA OSE MIM see Asie iP egacol dere Celoiaievsasievsis 193 Trombidium locustarum.......-..22 12... 185 Quassia spray for plant-lice.............. 206 Turnip Aphis See eer Reem cls; 194 Reuter, Prof. Enzio, on Apple Fruit- miner 198 Waldron, Prof. C. B., on Rocky Mountain Rocky ‘Mountain Locust...... Boe estes 170, 180 Locietis 6.0 (Arsaeeee Ec. 184 Root) Maggots............-.0-2 se cess eens 195 Weed campaign in the North-west........ 169 Dalle OSC NSCALC sb. cashes somes oP ctaelcyene 168, 204 . Western "Hye-orash ante. te. ecnee aie ae eYeiss 167 Sankey, C. A., on Rocky Mountain Locust Wiheat crops mmulSd8ee saan year ace ee /- 171 Ea facaia ois ete eRe ERTS eI EES = 185, 186 Wiheatantsects. 355 Seereremeeeine ie 1 lie NE YSr ICTS OO | OP RRIO LS. Salo ah AS 185 Wheat Midget... 4 samen mek Brae 172 Scott, John, on Rocky Mountain Locust. 181, 186 Wheat-stem Maggot. . co cisencsceee ee 175 Scudder, Dr. 8S. H., assistance from...... 185 Wiheat-stem'Saw-tly.. cuss. caveeeeecen. 179 SCMASIG NGTICUND.....- ic bales «cee os ole 191 Wireworms in grain crops.... .......... 172 PT UTEVU OG S isiue Bape RIAU Pe siete alice (leak 199 KYUNG: sais io.calian ae ee mettle s ere ene 203 Siphonophora aven... .-0.+--+sesceee-e> 179 XCLOCTIUS AOASSIZtUe ene eee ee 168, 207 Smith, Dr. J. B., assistance from ........ 170 CrabTOlUs:. &civaacicenie ote: Sale Genes on 210 REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST (James Frercuer, LI..D., F.R.S.C., F.L.S.) 1898. Dr. W. SAUNDERS, Director, Dominion Experimental Farms, Ottawa. S1r,—I have the honour to hand you herewith a report on some of the most impor- tant subjects which have been brought officially under my notice during the past season. As in former years it is, of course, impossible and unnecessary to treat in the annual report of the Division of many subjects which have required attention by the Entomolo- gist and Botanist and his Assistant during the year. The correspondence has increased considerably and is of a varied character ; there were 2,771 letters received and 2,906 sent out. I have had several opportunities of studying important outbreaks of injurious insects and noxious weeds in the field and of attending meetings in widely separated parts of Canada, where it has always been my endeavour to bring prominently before farmers the work which is being done for them in my Division. These occasions have been of inestimable service to me in learning the different conditions prevailing and the methods of farming in vogue in the various parts of the Dominion. The experiments with grasses and fodder plants have been continued and are al- ways of great interest to visitors. It is satisfactory to be able to record the great success which has attended the extensive introduction of Awnless Brome-grass into the arid regions of the West. Where it has been tried in the East it is also spoken of very highly and is a heavy producer of excellent fodder and hay. MclIver’s Rye-grass or Western Rye-grass, a form of Agropyrum tenerwm, Vasey, found wild in Manitobaand cultivated for some years by the introducer, Mr. K. McIver, of Virden, Man., has given most satisfactory results as a hay and pasture grass. Mr. S. A. Bedford, Superintendent of the Brandon Experimental Farm, who has grown it for many years has always spoken of it in the highest terms. This is also the case with Mr. Angus Mackay, at Indian Head, and with some others who have tried this grass. Of many mixtures for permanent pastures, grown together under the same circum- stances, that known as the Experimental Farm Mixture has again given the best results. This mixture consists of : Timothy, 6 pounds, Meadow Fescue, 4 pounds ; Orchard-grass, 2 pounds; Kentucky Blue-grass, 1 pound (where the ground is low, add 1 pound of Red Top) ; with the above sow the following clovers: Common Red, 1 pound ; Mam- moth Red,"l pound; Alsike, 2 pounds ; Lucerne, 2 pounds; White Dutch, 2 pounds. The above quantity of seed is for one acre. Some rather important experiments have been begun along the Ottawa River in the province of Quebec to utilize the swampy lands in places subject to denudation or drowning out during the spring freshets. Mr. C. D. Tylee, of Ste. Thérése de Blainville, 167 168 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. has been very successful in seeding down some land of this nature which had been broken up and from which the surface soil was carried away or much impoverished by the over- flowing of the river in spring. Another series of experiments is being carried on at the suggestion of Dr. T. Christie, M.P., near Lachute, where there is now a large tract of shifting sand, some five miles in length by about half a mile to one mile in width. The provincial Government of Que- bec has encouraged the farmers and assisted them in planting trees. Many of these have done well, and the farmers being all interested are working hard to bring back this tract to what it was only fifty years ago, a beautiful undulating forest land. For the last few years the desert tract has spread very much, the shifting sand drifting over good farm lands and rendering them useless. Several sample packages of seed of the Awnless Brome-grass have been distributed, which it was advised to mix with white clover and sow among the trees. As this land was within quite recent times covered with trees and as all the farmers around it are keenly interested, there is every reason to hope that if all will keep on doing a little every year, planting trees and sowing grass and clover, in time the encroachments of the sand will cease, and the land will be brought back again to usefulness. Several thousand specimens of plants and insects have been sent in for identification from naturalists in all parts of the Dominion. From these collections several additions have been made to the museum. Many rare and valuable specimens have been added through the kindness of Mr. J. R. Anderson, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture for British Columbia, and from my own collections in British Columbia and the Rocky Mountains during the past summer. Subjects requiring special attention since I last reported were the following :— The Rocky Mountain Locust and wheat insects among the enemies of cereal crops ; these are treated of fully in this report. Root maggots did much harm throughout the season to cabbages, turnips, radishes and onions. Of fruit insects, particular mention may be made of the San José Scale and many other scale-insects sent in by correspondents who had noticed them in looking for the San José Scale. The efforts which have been made to control and prevent the spread of the San José Scale, have been so far successful that it may still be said, I believe, that none of our Canadian nurseries are infested, and, as no nursery stock is now allowed to be imported from infested countries, there is every reason to hope that Canada will soon be free from this terrible scourge of the fruit growers to the south of us. An unusual outbreak was of the Green Fruit-worms on fruit trees in Western Ontario and on maple trees at Niagara, and near Ottawa at Aylmer and Hull, Que. Tent Caterpillars were enormously abundant in nearly every province of the Dominion, and no important occurrence of parasites. was noticed except in British Colum- bia, where the caterpillars died in large numbers about the time they began to spin their cocoons. Plant-lice were very destructive to cherries, currants and turnips. This last named attack on turnips was very severe in Manitoba and also in Ontario, where it constituted one of the chief injuries of the year to field crops. The apples in British Columbia were much injured by the Apple Fruit-miner and by a small moth which has not been much mentioned of late years but which many years ago, under the name of Plum Moth, was described as destructive to plums in Tlinois. It also attacked plums as weil as apples in British Columbia this year. I have no doubt that the caterpillar of this moth is the one which has frequently been erron- eously referred to by British Columbian correspondents as the Codling Moth. In the province of Quebec a serious and rather remarkable outbreak was by the Plum Curculio in apple orchards at Chateauguay Basin, the fruit being much distorted and rendered unfit for the market. A few new insect pests must be mentioned :— In British Columbia the larve of an extremely rare longicorn beetle, Xylocrius Agassizii, Lec., were imported as borers in the stems of young gooseberry bushes from Oregon. This insect I hope and believe is not likely to become a serious pest. REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST, 169 In New Brunswick the larve of a sawfly belonging to the genus Lyda occurred abundantly upon raspberries at St. John. There is no mention in literature of a similar attack, but several larve are wintering in our breeding jars and it is hoped that the perfect insect will be reared next spring and the species identified. In Ontario, considerable injury was done in beds of violets, grown by Mr. J. Dunlop, the well known florist, of Toronto, by the larvee of another sawfly, Emphytus Canadensis, Kirby. These false-caterpillars have been complained of occasionally in the past as attacking the foliage of pansies (Viola tricolor, varieties), but no great injury by them has been previously recorded. The Bean Weevil, often mentioned as injuring stored beans in the United States, has this year been found at Strathroy in Ontario. Meetings attended.—Under the instructions of the Hon. Minister of Agriculture and in accordance with plans made by you as Director, I have taken part in several impor- tant meetings during the past year. In January last I attended a convention of fruit growers, nurserymen and official entomologists at Washington, D.C., to discuss the question of legislation with regard to the San José Scale. During the same month, farmers’ meetings were attended at Lachute and Cowansville, Que. In February, a series of several meetings was held in New Brunswick in company with Mr. W. W. Hubbard, of Sussex, N.B., and Mr. J. E. Starr, of Nova Scotia, who had just returned from England, where he had been examining into the transit and sale of Canadian fruit. This series ended with a grand convention at Fredericton. On the 24th and 25th of the month meetings were attended in Montreal and at Huntingdon, Que. On May 7th I visited Lachute to examine grass experiments. On June 15th a large farmers’ pic-nic was attended at Farrelton, Que. June the 16th and 17th were spent in the Niagara district, driving with Mr. Geo. E. Fisher, the energetic San José Scale Inspector, who has done excellent work in detecting and destroying trees infested with the San José Scale. On June the 27th I left for the West: the first half of July was spent in the pro- vince of Manitoba, holding meetings in company with Mr. Hugh McKellar, the Chief Clerk of the provincial Department of Agriculture. There is probably no one better informed as to the history of the development of Manitoba and its requirements than Mr. McKellar. I, therefore, obtained much valuable information from him with regard to the capabilities of the province. The subjects treated at the several meetings were all in connection with weeds and the legislation relating thereto. The meetings this year were held in parts of the province not visited by us during the two previous years. The subject of weeds is of great interest throughout Manitoba and the Territories. It was a great satisfaction to me to notice a decided improvement in the condition of the farms in this respect since four years ago. This must certainly be credited to the vigorous policy adopted by the Hon. Thomas Greenway, the Minister of Agriculture, and his Deputy, Mr. McKellar. A popular feature of this year’s campaign was the establish- ment of a Weed Tent at the Winnipeg Exhibition, wher2 large bundles of all the weeds of the province were exhibited. This tent was always under the charge of some ofticial from the provincial Department of Agriculture, and I was able myself to be present for the first three days. This exhibit may fairly be said to have been thronged by inquiring farmers who wished to examine the specimens or brought with them weeds to be named and to get advice as to their treatment. On July the 20th Ijoined Mr. J. R. Anderson, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture for British Columbia, and travelled with him continuously till August the 8th. Through Mr. Anderson’s intimate knowledge of the country, no time was lost and a much larger number of meetings was held than could otherwise have been the case. He being also an enthusiastic botanist, assisted me very much in procuring many valuable specimens of rare plants. By many acts of kindness he added much to the pleasure of my visit. On my way back to Ottawa, in response to a telegram from the Hon. J. H. Ross, Commissioner of Agriculture for the North-west Territories, I stayed off at Regina, and addressed a meeting of farmers upon weeds and theireradication. This meeting, of which Mr, Gerald Spring-Rice was chairman, was fairly well attended and considerable interest was shown in this important subject. 170 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. With the consent of the Hon. Minister of Agriculture, I had the pleasure of pre- paring for the Hon. J. H. Ross, a Bulletin on the Worst Weeds of the North-west Territories. This bulletin of 29 pages and containing many illustrations, has been widely distributed and has been received with favour by North-west farmers. While in Manitoba in the beginning of July, and again on 16th August, I had an opportunity of investigating an occurrence of the Rocky Mountain Locust. The out- break had been referred to in several newspapers, and there was much anxiety among farmers. I was pleased to be able to detect a great many parasites and to explain through the newspapers the true state of affairs ; at the same time farmers in the infested district were advised what should be done to avoid a recurrence of the injuries experienced this year. I returned to Ottawa on 20th August. On the 8th Septemker I attended a meeting at Toronto of the new Canadian Horticultural Society, and delivered an address on fungous diseases and insect pests. The 7th and 8th of November were spent at Lachute and Ste. Thérése examining the progress of grass experiments, and on the 9th November I attended the annual meeting of the Entomological Society of Ontario in Montreal. Acknowledgments.—I am under many obligations to kind friends and scientific specialists for much assistance. Mention must first of all be made of my colleagues, Prof. John Macoun, and Mr. W. H. Harrington, of Ottawa, also of Rev. Dr. Bethune of Port Hope, Ont., for valuable help on many occasions, as well as of the following who have extended many courtesies and furnished me with their invaluable publications :— Dr. L. O. Howard, United States Entomologist, and his staff at Washington, D.C.; Dr. J. B. Smith, of New Brunswick, New Jersey ; Professor W. G. Johnson, of College Park, Md.; and Professor T. D. A. Cockerell, of Mesilla Park, N. Mex., for special identification of insects; Professor L. R. Jones, of Burlington, Vt., and Mr. J. Dearness, of London, Ont., for the identification of many plants and fungous diseases. T must again thank my kind friend, Miss E. A. Ormerod, for her continued interest in our work and much valuable advice always freely given. In conclusion, I beg again to acknowledye the great help I receive continuously in all branches of the work of the Division from my assistant, Mr. J. A. Guignard, B.A. I have the honour to be, sir, Your obedient servant, JAMES FLETCHER, Entomologist and Botanist. REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. i71 CEHREALS. The season of 1898 has been a very anxious one for the farmer in Canada. From all quarters correspondents have reported unusual climatic conditions with extremes of heat and drought or low temperatures and heavy rainfall. On the whole, the wheat crop of the Dominion at the end of the season turned out better than could have been anticipated. In British Columbia, with its diverse climates, the small grains gave good returns, particularly on Vancouver Island, in the rich lands along the Fraser River and in the Okanagan Valley. From the North-west the accounts both as to quality and yields are very satisfactory, notwithstanding almost unprecedented rains after the grain was cut. Mr. Angus Mackay, Superintendent of the Experimental Farm at Indian Head, says at the end of September: ‘From all parts of this district the wheat crop is better than was expected. The lowest yet reported is 28 bushels per acre on stubble land, while many have over 30 bushels per acre. The crops on summer-fallow run from 30 to 45 bushels per acre. There will be an average of from 30 to 35 bushels per acre.” In the Manitoba Crop Report of August 22, we find: “Perhaps in no year in the history of the province has the productive nature of our soil been so noticeable as the present season. Seeding time was unusually favourable, but for a month or six weeks after seed was sown there was no rainfall. In many fields seed did not even start to grow until late in June, so that, up to the first week in July, prospects were far from promising. A change came during the second week in July, when hot, growing weather gave crops a good start. “From that time to maturity conditions were favourable. After this, however, another six weeks of cold wet weather set in, from which the whcat suffered consider- ably. This loss varied much in the different sections of the province, and is variously estimated at from 1 to 33 per cent of the crop. The best reports were from the North- central, South-central and Eastern districts. In the South-west, particularly north of the Turtle Mountains, the crops suffered much from want of rain, and ix restricted areas from the ravages of the Rocky Mountain Locust. Some fields never recovered, but others picked up in a most remarkable manner, giving the whole country a strange patchy aspect. The spring drought, followed by rain and growing weather, brought on a copious second growth of grain which, from lack of moisture, had been unable to germinate in the spring.” Mr. Wm. Scott, of the McKay Milling Co., Ottawa, who purchases large quantities of grain both in the Province of Ontario and in the West, says: ‘‘The wheat crop this year throughout the Province of Ontario was of exceptional quality, the grain being clean, hard and heavy, some samples grown in the Ottawa valley going 644 pounds to the bushel. We have received from our correspondents no complaints of attack by weevil or any other insects. The wheat from Manitoba and the Territories is this year of exceptionally good milling quality. The weed question, however, is still one of enormous importance in the Prairie Provinces, and notwithstanding all that has been done, even more effort will have to be put forth by our western farmers in sowing clean seed and weeding their crops, if they hope to maintain their grades of hard wheat and to get the best prices in foreign markets.” ; In the Ontario Crop Report for November, 1898, we find: ‘Fall wheat: poor yields were exceptional, and large yields were common. The plumpness of the grain is frequently alluded to, in many cases the weight going over the standard and as high sometimes as 63 or 64 pounds to the bushel. Here and there only did correspondents complain of rust, midge or other injury to the crop. The yield is 24 bushels per acre. The acreage of spring wheat is only a little over one-third of that of fall wheat. The crop has been over an average in yield and the quality good.” In the eastern parts of the province of Quebec and through the Maritime Provinces the reports are less statisfactory, rust being frequently complained of ; oats, barley, 172 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS, rye and buckwheat were below the average. The early summer months were very favourable to growth, but the autumn being rainy and foggy had a bad effect on nearly all crops. FA WSrtn: P.E.I.—The wheat was very badly rusted, totally ruined in some sections, much damaged everywhere. I never remember a season since I began to make observations when the grains were so universally rusted. The Campbell’s White Chaff wheat was being pretty generally sown and this kind suffered most, although no kind was exempt. This was all the more regrettable since the whole crop was so promising. Up to the harvest all went so as to cause us to expect an extraordinary return; such a growth of straw and such fine roots we seldom see; but then came close, damp weather suited to the spread of rust, and the whole province was afflicted with the evil. Besides this we have a short crop of potatoes, and even turnips are not up to the average. The hay crop alone was good, extraordinarily so; but, owing to the great quantities everywhere available, it sells at only half figures. A very moist season like the past advances growth here in this sandy loam of the island wonderfully, if it does not continue too late ; if it does, all grain crops are subject to rust. There is this to be remarked, which might well be expected, however, that in these years of blight those who farm intelligently, manure and work well the soil, escape very much better than the makeshift farmers. I would estimate the farm crops of the whole province, as follows: Wheat, a quarter crop; oats, a half crop; potatoes, a half crop; turnips, an under crop ; hay, an extra crop.”—[Rev. Father Burke. | ‘“‘ Pleasant Grove, P.E.I., Sept. 9.—All wheat in this section, with the exception of White Russian, is a failure, with rust, maggots or blight. Harvest is about over with us now, all wheat being housed.”—[Edward Wyatt. | WHEAT INSECTS. It seems strange that there should be so much lack of knowledge and confu- sion with regard to the few insect enemies of such an important crop as wheat. The different kinds of wheat insects are few in number and unlike in appearance, but there is no crop with regard to which for purposes of exact identification it is so necessary to see specimens of the pests complained of as in the case of wheat. The words weevil, fly, maggot, joint-worm, rust or blight are made to do service for almost any insect or disease which may occur. The chief insect enemies of wheat in Canada in the past have been the Wheat Midge, the Hessian Fly, the Wheat-stem Maggot, the American Frit-fly, the joint-worms, and the Grain Aphis. There are of course some others, such as wireworms, cutworms, and the Wheat-sten Sawfly, which attack the wheat plant occasionally or locally, but the above mentioned are those most frequently inquired about and which, therefore, are of most interest to wheat growers. With regard to WirEWorMs, which are sometimes the cause of much injury to grain crops, unfortunately it must be acknowledged that up to the present no practical remedy has been discovered. The only agricultural treatments which have proved beneficial are late fall ploughing and sowing infested land to rye or barley which it is claimed that wireworms do not attack badly. It may be convenient for reference to give a very brief account of each of the worst pests. Toe WaHear Mince or “ Weevil” (Diplosis tritici, Kirby).—Several small red- dish maggots crowding around the grains of wheat in the ear and eausing them to shrivel. Some of these when full-grown fall to the ground and pass the winter beneath the surface. Others remain in the ears of wheat and are harvested with the grain. The eggs are laid in June among the flowers of the wheat, being pushed down between the chaff by means of the long slender ovipositors of the females. There is unly one brood in a season. femedies.—(I.) Burn all rubbish and screenings from the threshing machine. {I1.) Plough deeply as soon as the crop is carried. REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 173 Formerly this insect was enormously abundant in the older provinces of Canada, so much so that wheat growing was given up in many sections. Of late years the Wheat Midge almost entirely disappeared from Ontario until the present season, and, although mentioned occasionally by correspondents, no specimens were submitted or those sent in proved to be something else. Wheat Midge injury is probably more wide-spread in the Maritime Provinces just now than in any other part of the Dominion. Mr. Wm. O’Brien, of Windsor, Hants Co., N. S., writes: ‘The wet weather forced the hay and grain to make very rapid gyowth. But the grain did not appear to fill well, especially wheat and oats. Wheat only about two-thirds filled and very much affected with weevil.” At Middle River, Victoria Co., N.S., there was also slight injury by Wheat Midge. A restricted but severe outbreak of this insect occurred during the summer of 1898 in the Niagara peninsula, Mr. A. T. Small writes :— “Beamsville(Lincoln Co., Ont.).—I send youa packet of Wheat Midge sifted from one gallon of tailings, some from each of my two neighbours. One of these, Mr. Tufford, a reliable farmer of long experience, who remembers the Midge when it was so bad here 25 or 30 years ago and who has done most of the threshing in this locality, estimates the damage at about 25 per cent. He says that all fall wheat had Midge more or less, Dawson’s Golden Chaff and Seneca suffered most. Spring wheat was not affected, but little is grown here. Goose wheat and White Fife were sown last spring.” Mr. Wolston Small, of Ottawa, who spent the summer of 1898 in the Niagara peninsula, saw the Wheat Midge larve ‘‘so abundant at the time of threshing that the ground beneath fanning mills was quite yellow.” He reported the insect as very destructive all along the lake shore in the county of Lincoln. Tue Hesstan Fry (Cecidomyia destructor, Say).—This insect has been at different times the cause of serious injury to the wheat crop of all the older provinces, covering practically the same area as the Wheat Midge. hd The adult is a very small sooty two-winged mosquito-like fly about 4 of an inch long (Fig.1). a The females lay their minute reddish eggs singly i or in clusters on the upper side of the leaf. The young white maggots as soon as hatched Fig. 1.—The Hessian Fly—enlarged and work their way down to the bases of the ee leaves, those of the autumn brood becoming imbedded in the crown of winter wheat, and those of the summer brood at the base of the first or second joint of the stem under the leaf sheaths ; there they attack the stem, weak- ening it so that it very easily breaks down at the point where the injury occurs. When full-grown the outside skin of the mag- gots hardens and turns dark brown in colour, when they bear a very close resemblance to small, slender flax seeds, * for which reason the pupal stage is frequently spoken of as the “‘flax seed ” stage (Figs. 2and 3). There are two broods in the season ; the fires from the autumn = : brood which winter over gpg ee in fall wheat appear in seeds”—natural size May and June, together and enlarged. “ with some of the flies from the first summer brood which did not emerge in the autumn; the flies of the autumn brood appear in August and the early part of Fig. 3.— Hessian Fly: attacked barley stems: September. -The change from the maggot to 1, elbowed eawnns showing “flax ee: 174 HX PERIMENTAL FARMS, the pupal condition takes place inside the brown hardened skin of the flax-seed-like pupa-case a short time before the fly emerges.’ Remedies —The remedies most relied on are: (I.) Late sowing. The postpone- ment of seeding until after the third week in September delays the appearance of the young plants above the ground until all the Hessian Flies of the second brood are dead. (II.) Burning refuse. As a large proportion of the “flax seeds” are carried with the straw and at threshing are dislodged and thrown down beneath the machine among the rubbish and broken straw, it is of great importance to destroy all rubbish or screenings wherever it is known that grain has been infested. (III.) Treatment of stubble. As soon as the crop is cut, a harrow should be run over the field so as to start a volunteer crop from the grains which have dropped in harvest- ing. By the time the fields will require to be ploughed, many flies of the August brood will have emerged and laid their eggs on these plants. The eggs will thus be destroyed at the same time as many seedlings of weeds, when the land is ploughed in the autumn. If fields are conveniently situated away from barns, houses and stacks, much good may be done by burning over the stubbles before ploughing, for the pupz occur, as a rule, at the first and second lowest joints of the stem. To facilitate burning, a little dry straw may be scattered lightly over the stubble. Should the Hessian Fly ever develop as a serious enemy of wheat in Manitoba and the West, where fall wheat is not grown, burning over and ploughing down of stubbles immediately the crop is cut, will be the best remedies. (IV.) When it is found that a young crop of fall wheat has been injured by the Hessian Fly, it is a good plan to apply the following spring a light*dress- ing of some quick-acting special fertilizer. The worst attacks by the Hessian Fly which have come under my notice this year have been in Prince Edward Island, and in the province of Ontario in the counties lying between Lake Ontario and Lake Huron. References to injuries by the Hessian Fly in the province of Manitoba were, as far as I could learn, erroneous, although this insect may at some time be expected to appear there also as an injurious species, for Prof. Otto Lugger finds it in Minnesota, in the Red River valley, where the conditions are similar to those of a large part of Manitoba, hesays: “A large area is infested, especi- ally the western part of Central Minnesota from Brown’s Valley to the Mississippi River at St. Cloud. Further north and south the fly is found in lesser numbers, and only afew occur in the northern part of the Red River valley and along the Iowa State Nine. The damages in some places amounted to more than 25 per cent, in others to 5 per cent and less, but on an average our farmers lost from 5 to 10 per cent of their en- tire wheat crop.” (Otto Lugger, 2nd Ann. Rpt., 1896.) ‘“‘ Pleasant Grove, P.E.I., Sept. 9:—I send you two samples of infested straw, one from my own field and the other from my neighbour’s, which fell down badly this year. There were only a few plants in my field which fell down this season. Since learning from your reports the history of these pests, I have grown good crops of wheat by sow- ing late and dressing the land with a coat of good manure. My crop this year is a good one, the straw is as yellow as gold and almost free from rust.”—[ Edward Wyatt. | Mr. Wyatt kindly supplied me with several samples of infested wheat straws and also with many stems of grasses from a field which had been badly attacked by Hessian Fly. Among these it may be mentioned that two stems of Timothy grass (Phlewm pratense, L.) contained undoubted puparia of the Hessian fly. This was a matter of con- siderable interest to me because from the statement made in Miss Ormerod’s well-known Manual of Injurious Inseots I have frequently endeavoured to find traces of the Hessian Fly in any of the wild grasses. The statement referred to (quoted from Dr. C. Lindemann, of Moscow, Russia) is as follows: ‘Two kinds of wild grasses subject to the attacks of Hessian Fly are Timothy grass and Couch grass. In 1887 the first named of these was found to be severely attacked in the Russian Government of Tambov, and Couch grass was attacked in the Government of Tambov and also of Woronetz ; Couch grass was so severely attacked that in whole districts covered with this grass, it was destroyed.” This statement is of interest because of its possible bearing on the question of the original home of the Hessian Fly, A species which attacked a wild grass so severely as REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 175 above mentioned would appear to be much more at home than where it attacked only a cultivated plant of exotic origin, such as wheat is in America. From Mr. Wyatt’s observations it would appear as though at least two or three different kinds of insects were attacking the wheat on Prince Edward Island. Samples of Hessian fly were received from several other places on Prince Edward Island. One sample, which came through Mr. F. G. Nash, of the Charlottetown Patriot, and was taken from a field of wheat on the farm of Mr. Joseph Wise, was found to be very much parasitized by minute hymenopterous enemies. Tae Wueat-stem Maceot (Meromyza Americana, Fitch).—The presence of this insect in a crop of wheat is very easily detected in the summer time when the ears of attacked stems turn white before the rest of the crop ripens. This injury is known under various names in different parts of Canada, such as “ white heads,” “bald heads,” “silver top.” If these stems are examined, it will be found that the base of the top. most joint of the stem has been gnawed away by aslender glassy green maggot a quarter of an inch in length, pointed at one end and having black horny mouth parts ; to this injury is due the dying of the heads before the grain ripens. In addition to the above, there is another attack on the wheat crop by the same insect, similar to that of the autumn brood of the Hessian Fly, in the root shoots of fall wheat ; it also occurs in many kinds of wild grasses, There is besides an intermediate brood which feeds upon grasses and volunteer wheat <2 — and barley. The severity of the summer attack in es - ema wheat fields seems to vary very much in different Fig. 4.—The Wheat-stem Maggot: a, egg; years, according to the season. Occasionally the 6, maggot ; c, pupa; d, fly—allenlarged. injured stems will constitute as much as 5 per cent eee Be ean) of the crop. This was the case nine years ago in Ontario. When full-fed the larva of the brood which attacks the stems works its way up to the upper portion of the sheath and turns to a slightly flattened and very ‘trans- parent green puparium, from which the fly emerges at the end of July and during August. The perfect insects, of which three distinct broods appear at Ottawa, viz., in the beginning of June, at the end of July, and at the end of September, ave active, greenish- yellow flies, one-fifth of an inch in length, with shining green eyes and three dark stripes extending down the back (Fig. 4d). The hind thighs are much thickened, and when the fly is at rest the fore part of the body is raised. Very soon after emerging, the sexes pair and the eggs for the next brood are laid. These are snow-white, spindle-shaped, beautifully marked with narrow longitudinal lines, some of which run into each other. These lines are connected with each other by much slighter transverse lines. When looked for, the eggs are easily seen on the upper sides of the leaves, owing to their white colour, although, of course, they are comparatively minute, about {4 of an inch (Fig. 4a). The Wheat-stem Maggot, which, owing to its attack at the roots of wheat, is also called the Wheat-bulb Worm, occurs all through Eastern Canada, and although the adult flies are enormously abundant in meadows and prairies all the way from northern Quebec through the Lake Superior region, Manitoba and the North-west Territories, its attacks in grain fields have not been complained of under its own name until last season, when it was discovered by Mr. George Greig, the Manitoba agent of the Farmer's Advocate, that this insect is the cause of a considerable part, at any rate, of the injury to wheat in Manitoba which has of late years attracted so much attention under the name of “dead heads”. In company with Mr. Greig, I was able to confirm this obser- vation at several points in the province of Manitoba during the past summer. There were, however, several stems of wheat which showed the ‘‘ dead heads”, in which we could find no injury by the Wheat-stem Maggot. Some of these stems in one locality had been bruised, without being broken down, by hail. Im no case could I find any trace of fungus attack. From the observation of Prof. Otto Lugger, it appears that ‘ dead 176 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. heads ” are also caused by the attacks of a Frit-fly (Oscinis soror, Macq.), the maggot of which is described as boring inside the lower portion of the culm. Throughout the pro- vince, although many enquiries were made, there were far fewer complaints of “ dead heads ” this season than last. Mr. Peter Elder, of Blyth, near Rounthwaite, Man., showed me all through one of his large fields where last year a serious loss occurred from “ dead heads,” and not a trace was this year to be seem. Mr. A. C. Hawkins, of Swan Lake, Man., cited in my last report, writes : ‘“‘ Sept. 10.—According to promise, [ endeavoured to procure speci- mens of the larva causing damage to wheat, known as ‘ dead heads’; but the only sign of insect work I found was an empty cocoon alittle over 4 of an inch long and yellowish- white in colour. (Undoubtedly ot Wheat-stem Maggot. Bes, F.) There were very few ‘dead heads’ in the crop.” Mr. George C. Mannix, of Stonewall, who suffered last year, also writes : “ I am happy to say “there are no ‘ white heads’ in the wheat this ear.” ; References to ‘‘ dead heads ” made by Manitoban farmers all speak of this injury as being a new one, and, judging from the behavivur of the Wheat-stem Maggot in Ontario, and in Manitoba during the past season, I think it may be confidently hoped that this is not going to be a constant source of loss to the wheat farmers of the West. The insect feeds naturally in the grasses of the prairies, to which under ordinary circumstances it will chiefly resort, ‘and I believe that its attacks upon wheat occurring so occasionally are due to climatic conditions which are not likely to occur every year. Moreover, wherever I have collected the mature flies by sweeping the prairie grasses with a collecting net, I have invariably found large numbers of its special parasitic fly, Celinius meromyze, Forbes. Notwithstanding the above, however, Prof. Otto Lugger, of Minnesota, who has also studied it in his State, where in 1895, 1896 and 1897 it was common from the Red River valley to the central part of East Minnesota, says that it threatens to become in the future a serious enemy of their crops of small grain. “In some parts of the State the late sown rye, which had made but little growth during the autumn and which grew slowly in spring, was greatly damaged, in some cases to the extent of one-tenth of the crop. Wheat did not entirely escape, and the plants infested by the insects showed their presence by their small size and general weakly appearance.” Remedies.—(1.) Should the attack of the Wheat-stem Maggot increase seriously and its presence be shown by the “dead heads,” certainly much may be done towards reducing the numbers of the next brood by sowing a drill or two of wheat or barley in close proximity to the infested fields. This should be sown as soon as the injury is detected, so that the young plants may be up in time to attract the females for egg laying. After the middle of August these strips should be fed off by sheep or ploughed down. All stubble should be harrowed as soon as possible after the crop is carried, so as to start a volunteer crop, which should be ploughed down early in September. The late sowing of fall wheat, where this crop is grown, could not profitably be delayed long enough to escape the egg-laying period of the last brood. (II.) The application of special fertilizers as a top dressing when young wheat is known to be attacked, will help injured plants to throw out new stools and overcome to some measure the effects of the attack. THE AMERICAN FRIT-FLY (Oscinis carbonaria, Loew.).—The maggot of this enemy of the wheat is only 74, of an inchin length and yel- lowish-white in colour. These maggots may lhe found in autumn destroying the bases of the stems of several kinds of grasses and of fall wheat. They also occur in spring wheat and grasses in June, at- tacking the young root-shoots close to the ground and either destroying or seriously weakening them. Some eight or ten years ago the American Frit-fly was the ‘cause of extensive and widespread loss in Canadian wheat fields, but since that time hardly a mention of it has been made by cor- respondents; nor have its attacks been noticed Fig. 5.—The American Frit-fly — enlarged. REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 177 on grain crops at Ottawa. In 1890 this insect was very injurious in Kentucky, and was well worked up by Prof. H. Garman, who published an excellent bulletin thereon under the name 0. variabilis, Loew. (Bull. 30, Ky. Ag. Ex. Sn.) Prof. Garman writes : “T think it very likely that the Oscinis carbonaria of Coquillett’s notes is the 0. variabilts observed by you and me in 1890. I never felt quite satisfied with the deter- mination. The flies were abundant here at that time, but have not been seen since.” The life history in many particulars agrees with those of the Wheat-stem Maggot and the Hessian Fly, but there is still some uncertainty as to the range of variation in its habits, Such part of the life history ashad been worked outup to 1890is given in the Annual Report of the Experimental Farms for that year. In Prof. Lugger’s Second Report, 1896, what is apparently an allied species is described with the important diffe- rence of habit that the larva bores inside the stems of wheat caus- ing them to break down, and before that producing the appearance known as “dead heads.” This attack was not observed at Ottawa when the American Frit-fly was so abundant, but the family to which this insect belongs is one which is remarkable for the diversity which is found in the feeding habits of the larve. Remedies.—The remedies for this insect are the same as those for the Hessian Fly, viz., the late sowing of fall wheat, the har- rowing of stubble (or in the West the burning over or ploughing down of stubble), and the application of special fertilizers in spring. As some of my correspondents have had difficulty in distin- guishing between the American Frit-fly, the Hessian Fly and the Rig, 6. LE he Aaa root-infesting larve of the Wheat-stem Maggot, I quote from my Hrit-ily ; praReiri La annual report of 1890 the chief differences:— enlarged. ‘‘The three insects are easily distinguishable in all their stages. In the larval or maggot stages, in which they do all their injury to crops, they may be known by the following characters :— 1. The American Frit-fly :—Maggot long and slender, yellowish-white with two small but distinct black hook-like jaws. The last division of the body bears two little knob-like processes. Length when full grown 51, of an inch. 2. The Wheat-stem Maggot :—This resembles the last named in shape and structure, but is conspicuously different by reason of its clear glassy green colour, and also by its much larger size, + of an inch when full grown. 3. The Hessian Fly :—This is proportionately much broader than the other two, of a clearer white than the American Frit-fly maggot and nearly always shows a green stripe down the centre. Instead of the two hook-like black jaws which are present in the two previously mentioned maggots, the Hessian Fly larva has a horny forked organ sometimes called the ‘breast-bone.’ Length when full-grown, 4 of an inch. “In the chrysalis stages the differences are equally marked :— 1. The American Fritfly.—The pupa-case is shaped as shown above (Fig. 6) and is of a pale chestnut brown. 2. The Wheat-stem Maggot.—Changes to a pale translucent pale green pupa-case Fig. 4c). Pa 3. The Hessian Fly.—The pupa-cases of this insect are of a deep rich brown, like small flax seeds (Figs.2 and 3), and it is in this stage that farmers will most easily recog- nize the Hessian Fly. “The perfect insects are very unlike. The American Frit-fly is shown at Fig. 5 very much enlarged. The colours are black and yellowish-white. It is a very small insect, large specimens being only ;'; of an inch in length. They are extremely active and hard to observe. The fly of the Wheat-stem Maggot is a slender yellowish-green fly $ of an inch in length, with three dark lines down the back , eyes golden green (Fig. 4d). The Hessian Fly is a delicate dusky gnat, well shown in Miss Ormerod’s excellent figure where it is represented magnified and enlarged (Fig. 1).” 8b—12 178 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS, The Jornt-worms (Jsosoma).— There are probably more species than one belonging to the genus Jsosoma which attack the wheat plant in Canada. These injuries appear to be of rare occurrence, but have sometimes been serious in certain localities. In 1895 specimens of fall wheat infested by a Joint-worm were received from Meaford, Ont., on the Georgian Bay. This attack, although amounting to 5 per cent of the entire crop in the year named, has not occurred since. The galls made by this insect were almost entirely in the sheaths of the leaves and not in the tissues of the stems. Last year infested straws con- taining joint-worms were received from Mr. Wm. Welsh, of Verdun (Bruce Co., Ont.). Although from a district less than 100 miles from Meaford, and further, strange to say, although it is the only other report of noticeable injury by joint-worms to wheat which has been reported to me for some years, it would appear from the different nature of the galls which are entirely in the tissues of the stems and not in the leaf sheaths, that this occurrence may be of a different species of joint-worm. Mr. Welsh writes at the end of the season of 1898 : “The joint-worm, which was so abundant last year has done little injury this season. I made many examinations for the insect but could find very little damage. In the grain after threshing there were very few of the hard broken pieces such as I sent you last spring. This disappearance, I think, may have been due to the very wet spring and early summer we had.” Unfortunately, the exact identity of the Meaford specimens could not be determined ; but, through the kind assistance of Mr. Welsh, who has sent several parcels of infested straw from Verdun, large numbers of the flies have been bred. These were chiefly from stubble collected in the spring, April 15, in a clover field, where they had lain on the ground from the time the fall wheat was cut the year before. Specimens of stubble from the same field, but collected in November, 1897, and broken joints from the stems taken from the threshed wheat which had been kept in breeding jars through the winter, failed to produce more than two or three specimens of the perfect insect, whereas the stubble which was left in the field all through the winter gave hundreds of specimens of the gall-former, all the females of which were winged like the males. Besides these there were two kinds of hymenopterous parasites. Specimens of all of these were submitted to Dr. Howard, so as to get an authoritative decision on the species. Dr. Howard reports as follows: ‘‘ The species is undoubtedly Jsosoma tritici, Fitch (nec Riley). If you will consult my Bulletin 2, Technical Series, page 17, on Phytophagic Eurytomine, you will find that this is the species called J. hordet by Walsh. I think Walsh’s specimens also came from Canada. Among the material sent by you after it was mounted I found two species of parasites, viz., Homoporus chalcidiphagus, Walsh, and Lupelmus epicaste, Walker.” There are so many discrepancies between the descriptions of the galls and their modes of occurrence and with regard to important points in the life histories of the joint-worms that with a view to working out the identity of the different species I shall be pleased to receive specimens from anyone who may find his crops attacked by joint- worms. The galls will somewhat resemble the figure (Fig.7), given herewith or may be as in the case of the Verdun specimens mentioned above, merely hardened and somewhat curved portion in the straws of wheat, barley or rye. Remedies.—There is only one brood of the joint-worms, and as they pass the winter in the straw, for the most part so near to the ground that a large proportion of the larve occur in the stubble left on the fields, they can be largely reduced in numbers by burning over the stubble or by ploughing it down deeply. The broken off hardened Fig. 7.—The Joint-worm: galls on wheat stems— natural size; fly—enlarged. REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST, 179 pieces of straw observed in threshing and cleaning should be carefully gathered and burnt. Sometimes, as stated above, there are no galls formed, the presence of the larve causing merely slight swellings and the hard thickened condition of the straw. These portions break off in threshing and many are carried through with the grain. The threshed straw should be examined, and if the larve are found therein it should be destroyed either by feeding or some other consumption before the ensuing spring. Tue Grain Apuis (Siphonophora avene, Fab.).—The green, yellow, red or blackish plant-lice which are frequently seen upon all the small grains are well known by most farmers. These insects are found in some numbers every year and in occasional seasons increase to such an extent as to cause widespread alarm. Notwithstanding this general increase in numbers, it cannot be said that their attacks have ever materially decreased the wheat crop of the year, for they are invariably accompanied by various parasites which gradually increasein numbers and feed upon the plant-lice until most ofthem are destroyed. The two most numerous cf these parasitic species in Canada are Aphidius granariaphis, Cook, and A. obscwripes. In addition to these there are always many of the leech-like larve of the Breeze-tlies, Syrphide, which crawl about among the colonies of plant-lice and every day destroy large numbers, as they feed entirely upon plant-lice. The Grain Aphis multiplies with great rapidity and the insects may be found of all sizes and colours al] on the plants at the same time. The females bring forth living young continuously and these young lice are in a few days full-grown and themselves begin to propagate in the same way. There are no practical artificial remedies which can be applied on a large scale to fields of grain. The Wueat-stem Sawrty (Cephus pygmeus, L.), treated of at length in my report for 1896, has only been mentioned by one correspondent. ‘“‘ Buffalo Lake, Moose Jaw, Assa., March 3, 1898.—I send a few heads of wheat such as appeared in one of my fields last year. This field was hailed out in 1896 and having been sown on summer-fallow the straw was burnt as it stood in the spring of 1897. 4A week or two previous to cutting, I noticed a great many straws and heads like those I enclose scattered loose among the grain, fully 5 per cent of the crop. You will notice that the heads were well developed at the time. Is this the work of the Wheat-stem Sawfly ?”—[George S. Tuxford. | It may be hoped, I believe, that the attacks of this insect upon grain will be only of an intermittent nature, for where the insect was abundant at Souris, in Southern Manitoba, no appearance of it has since occurred. Mr. J. Wenman writes me again this year that he has not heard of nor seen any trace of the insect since 1896. In company with Mr. Angus Mackay, I examined carefully the wheat fields around Indian Head, where I had collected specimens in 1895 and at the date the mature insects should have been flying, but although the standing grain was swept with a collecting net at all times of the day and in several different localities not a single fly could be found. Curworms in grain.—Occasionally considerable harm is done in grain crops by cutworms. There are several grass-feeding species in this large family which are liable to attack cereal crops. The injuries to Indian corn are well known and can be prevented to a large measure, but when a field of the small grains is attacked the only recourse is to adopt some agricultural treatment founded on the known life-history of the depredator. The exact identity, then, of the species is of importance, so that the life-history, if recorded, may be used as a guide to escape loss. An instance of the value of such information is found in the following correspondence :— “Carleton Place, Carleton Co., Ont., May 26.—We send a box containing some cutworms. _ They have destroyed two fields of our oats. What can be done to prevent them from destroying all our crop? Would spreading lime over the fieid kill them, and how long will it be until they have passed away, so that it will be safe to sow some other grain or to plant corn on the fields where they ate the crop off?”—[J. Yuill & Sons. ] Reply: “Your letter of the 26th inst. containing cutworms from your oat field came to hand, but the cutworms had eaten each other until only one shrivelled up bitten 8b—124 180 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. specimen remained alive. Please send me some more, and if possible in a tin box with plenty of food. There are two kinds of these cutworms much alike, and I cannot, from the specimen I have, tell whether they are of one which matures early, or of the other which does not reach full-growth sometimes till July. In this case exact identification is very important before I can advise you what crop to sow on your land. Corn for ensilage may, I suppose, with you be sown as late as 12th or 14th June, turnips up to 20th June and rape or Hungarian grass up to lst July. Spreading lime would have no effect whatever on these caterpillars.” “ June 2.—We send you another sample of cutworms, as requested, and have culti- vated the field again. We are now waiting your answer to know when we shall be safe to sow again. If it would be safe to sow oats soon, we should prefer that crop.”— [J. Yuill & Sons. } Reply: ‘I am in receipt of your letter of the 2nd inst. as well as the cutworms sent. These are the Glassy Cutworm, the caterpillar of the Devastating Dart Moth (Hadena devastatrix, Brace). I have waited a day or two before answering your letter so as to be able to say— what I now believe to be the case—that you can sow oats safely on your land. If you have any convenience for turning chickens or turkeys on to the field for a day before the oats are sown, they would doubtless destroy large numbers of the caterpillars or their chrysalids. I shall be very much obliged to you if you will let me hear from you later in the season what success you obtain from sowing oats on this land so late in the season. You will, I suppose, probably cut them for green feed. “ The other cutworm referred to which resembles very much the Glassy Cutworm, but _is whiter and has a redder head, is the caterpillar of the Amputating Brocade Moth (Hadena arctica, Bdv.), a species ee also attacks the roots of grasses and grain. This caterpillar does not reach full-growth usually till after the middle of June.’ * Dec. 28 We broke up about 30 acres of sod land. The autumn before being so dry, we did not get it ploughed. Ten acres of this were sown in peas, the remainder was sown in oats. There were no cutworms in the peas, but all the oats that were sown on sod were eaten more or less. About ten acres was eaten clean out. Following your advice, we turned the turkeys py 9 _: and chickens on a fields and have no doubt but they eRe TPKE would have cleaned the cutworms, had it not been that the crows took so many of the young chickens that we were obliged to bring them home. “On the eighth of June we ‘sowed with peas and oats, about 3 parts oats to 1 of peas. This crop was not injured by the cutworms. We had a very heavy crop which we cut a little green and are using for fodder.”—[J. Yuill & Sons. ] Fig. 8.— The Glassy Cutworm. THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN LOCUST (Caloptenus spretus, Uhler). Tt is now some years since any serious injury has been reported in Canada by the Rocky Mountain Locust, although from time to time mention was made in newspapers of the temporary spread up into Southern Manitoba, of small swarms from parts of the Turtle Mountains in North Dakota, where the species breeds probably every year. Such was the case in the autumn of 1897, and the females were seen laying their eggs on the farm of Mr. John Scott, near Deloraine. From these eggs enough young locusts hatched in the spring of 1898 to cause considerable loss in grain crops. The season was ee = ee ; = REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST, 181 exceptionally dry, and there was no green thing in the country for the young locusts to eat except the settlers’ grain crops. The injury of this attack was augmented by the fact that from lack of spring rains a large proportion of the seed grain had failed to germinate, and, consequently, all crops were very thin on the ground. I visited the infested localities, in company with Mr. Hugh McKellar, Chief Clerk of the Manitoba Department of Agriculture, and drove with him to all the places at which it was known that locusts had been observed. None of the farmers, with the exception of Mr. John Scott, remembered seeing locusts in injurious numbers before. Considerable damage was done on the farms of Mr. J. H. Urie, Messrs. Leonard and Robert Sawyer, Mr. John Scott and Mr. D. S. McLeod. The farm of the last named is at Lennox, the most westerly point visited ; this is just round the spur of the Turtle Mountains from Deloraine. I was unable to visit some farms said to be infested near Boissevain, but through the kindness of Mr. Arthur 8. Barton, of the Dingle, Bois- sevain, and Mr. Charles A. Sankey, of Boissevain, I was kept well informed as to the visitation and provided with specimens for examination. On my return to Ottawa and at the time when the farmers would have finished their harvesting and be at liberty to plough their land, I prepared the foilowing article upon this important subject, and so that it might reach as many farmers as possible, sent it to the Farmer’s Advocate, which has a very large circulation and which published it both in its Manitoba and its general edition. Similar articles were also published in the Weekly Star of Montreal and two or three in the Winnipeg Free Press. THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN LOCUST. During last June notices appeared in the newspapers that injury was being done by grasshoppers or locusts in southern Manitoba. These reports naturally caused much anxiety among the old settlers who had been in the Prairie Province at the time of the serious locust depredations during 1868, 1870, 1872, and 1874. By instruction of the Honourable Sydney Fisher, and at the request of the Hon. Thomas Greenway, I visited the localities reported to be infested in the beginning of July and again in the middle of August. The reports of injuries to growing crops were found to be correct, and the locust which was doing the injury was, as in the former invasions referred to, the Hateful or Rocky Mountain Locust (Caloptenus spretus, Uhler). The exact identification of the species was in this case a matter of no little importance, for it is well known that, although there are many kinds of locusts in the west, none of them are to be feared as crop destroyers to anything like the same extent as the above named, which has exceptional powers of flight and is gregarious in its habits. As is usually the case in such matters, when conviction on this point involved a good deal of extra labour, some farmers were slow to believe that such an ordinary- looking insect could be so serious an enemy as was claimed by those who recognized in the grasshopper of this year their old enemy of the early seventies, and doubts were being cast on the correctness of the identification. This question was at once decided upon catching a few specimens near Deloraine. To one who has studied these insects it is, of course, just as easy to distinguish the Rocky Mountain Locust from its near allies as it is for a farmer to tell wheat from rye, barley or oats. A good use of this specia] knowledge was made by Mr. John Scott, who has lived a few miles south of Deloraine for many years. He noticed a swarm of the locusts to alight on his farm last autumn, and this spring warned his neighbours to be on their guard and take some steps to protect their crops, similar to those he himself adopted. As soon as the grasshoppers hatched he spread rows of dry straw across the field where they were most numerous ; the young hoppers gathered into these at night in large Fig. 10.—The Rocky Mountain Locust. 182 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. numbers and were destroyed by the straw being set on fire after nightfall. This was repeated four nights running, and myriads were thus killed before they had spread far from their hatching grounds or had done any appreciable harm. Had Mr. Scott’s neighbours followed his advice and example, there is no doubt that the loss would have been much less than was the case in that district last summer. The area over which the Rocky Mountain Locust occurred in Manitoba this year was a narrow strip only a few miles in width, lying to the south of Deloraine and Boisseyain, and running along the northern slope of the Turtle Mountains. It is probable that this locust breeds regularly every year in parts of the Turtle Mountains, but it is many years since it spread from these breeding grounds north into Manitoba. It has, however, shown only too well in previous years that it is able to breed and multiply on our prairie lands when once established there. As, therefore, judging from the experience of the last twenty years, itis unlikely that fresh swarms will for some time again spread from their permanent breeding grounds, it is of the utmost importance that everybody in the infested region should do everything possible to help in exter- minating this formidable foe. This is particularly the case in the present instance, because if all will work together complete extermination should be a matter of compa- rative ease. The life habits of the insect are well understood, and the experience of farmers living in regions where it occurs much oftener than with us, shows that by making a very small change in the ordinary methods of working their farms, and at no very large extra expense, this dire enemy can be practically wiped out, even where eggs have been laid in enormous numbers. WHAT TO DO. It is conceded by all that the best remedy is the ploughing down of the eggs so deep—five or six inches is sufficient—that when the young locusts hatch in spring they may not be able to work their way up to the surface. The important things, then, for Manitoban farmers to do now are to discover where eggs have been laid on their farms and to see to it that every rod of this land is ploughed either this autumn or next spring before the young locusts emerge and move off into the crops. WHERE THE EGGS ARE LAID. The places where the mother insects lay their eggs can be discovered only by seeing them at work, or by examining the soil carefully for the egg-pods. The time required for boring the hole and laying the complement of eggs is three or four hours. The appearance of the insect itself, the pods and the separate eggs are well shown of natural size in Dr. Riley’s excellent figure herewith. The female locust lays her eggs in the ground, about an inch beneath the sur- face, in small pod-like masses, as shown in the figure. The egg-pod consists of a coating of a waterproof mucous ma- terial, which is deposited at the same time as the eggs. There are in each pod about 30 eggs, and each female lays about three pods during the autumn. = There is only one brood in a season, the winter being passed in the egg. When the young locusts hatch, they emerge Fig. 11.—Locusts laying their eggs. through the upper end of the egg-pod. In Manitoba last season the young hop- pers were noticed about the Ist of June, but they probably hatched early in May, because it takes seven or eight weeks for the insects to attain full growth, and winged hoppers were abundant by July 8th at Deloraine. j F : ' 7 : ' | REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST, 183 The eggs are laid for the most part in stubble fields. They are very seldom laid in thick sod or in loose, newly-ploughed earth. In the first case it is difficult for the female to form the chamber in which she lays her eggs, owing to the numerous roots of the grasses, and in the second case the burrows could only be made with great difficulty in the dry, powdery earth. All observers report that eggs are rarely laid in newly- ploughed and well-harrowed land. The late Dr. C. V. Riley wrote: “The egg may be laid in almost any kind of soil, -but by preference they are laid in bare sandy places, especially on high dry ground, which is tolerably compact and not loose. . . . Newly ploughed land is not liked, it presents too loose a surface ; but new breaking is often filled with eggs.” (This is doubtless owing to the firm surface of the sod before backsetting.) ‘Sandy soil that is compact, especially when having a south or east exposure, is much chosen; but in loose and shifting sand the eggs would perish.” Prof. Otto Lugger, State Entomologist of Minnesota, writing in July, 1889, after examining a district which had been devastated, says as to the places chosen for egg- laying: “A close inspection soon revealed the fact that fields with last year’s stubble contained large numbers of eggs, whilst stubble land of the previous year and older con- tained none or but very few. . . . There were some eggs in denuded spots of timothy fields; . . . where the timothy plants covered the ground entirely no eggs could be detected ; a similar observation was made in pastures; if well sodded, no eggs; if bare of vegetation, a few could be detected. No eggs could be found in the native prairie land, and but a few along roads and the elevated beds of railroads.” In the Special Bulletin issued on this subject by the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station in 1891, it is stated: ‘As the eggs are never laid in thick sod nor in loosely ploughed earth, it will be seen that the ploughing need not extend to any land except the stubble fields.” From the foregoing extracts by three of the leading authorities on the subject, it is evident that if farmers will attend carefully to their stubble lands, where by far the greatest proportion of the eggs are laid, there is every hope that next year there may be no trouble from locusts; but, at the same time, it must be borne in mind that unless all help, there were certainly sufficient locusts this year in the district I visited, for the young to commit serious depredations next year, and to spread over a much wider area in the Province. REMEDIES. Ploughing.—The remedy above all others, as stated above, which has given satis- factory results is the ploughing down of the eggs, and although harrowing has been recommended by some, it cannot be relied on. Knowing the importance of giving definite advice to the farmers of southern Manitoba, I corresponded with the State Entomologists of Minnesota and North Dakota, both of whom have had extensive experience in fighting the Rocky Mountain Locust. I submit herewith quotations from recent letters giving most valuable information : “St. Anthony Park, Minn., August 23.—Ploughing from 4 to 44 inches deep is the only true remedy. It is not necessary to plough during the fall, though best; if ploughed early in the spring the surface of the field will become quite compact by rain, even by the wind. Noneor but very few young locusts will reach the surface, and these will starve before reaching plants upon which to feed. Permit no stubble fields. They should all be ploughed, as in them most of the eggs will be deposited. A few acres of stubble land can and will breed enough locusts to endanger the crops of all the surrounding fields. In the past I have repeatedly tried the plan of harrowing in the autumn instead of ploughing, and have invariably failed, since sufficient numbers of locusts hatched to destroy the crop. In fact, the trouble near Perham was almost entirely caused by a party who insisted on harrowing the fields containing eggs instead of ploughing them. He harrowed thoroughly during the autumn, but in spring I found numerous eggs and egg-pods. At my request he harrowed again in spring (would not piough) and seeded with a drill. This field was the principal one in which numerous locusts hatched and from which they migrated to others.” —[ Prof. Otto Lugger. } 184 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. “ Acricultural College, N. Dak., Aug. 30.—There is no question as to the efficacy of ploughing. Fields lying side by side on the same ridge of land that were visited by Rocky Mountain Locusts last fall showed this point very clearly. One of the fields was left unploughed, and from this small area probably 250 bushels of grasshoppers hatched out, while in the fields that were ploughed no trace of grasshoppers could be found except as they came from unploughed fields. The farmers in parts of this State find that early fall ploughing gives a much better yield of wheat than either late fall plough- ing or spring ploughing, and, for this reason, as well as for the destruction of the locusts, . we recommend that all fields in the infested localities be ploughed as early as possible. “ So far as ploughing simply to destroy the eggs of the locusts, there is no reason why this need be done in the fall any more than in the following spring. In fact, in the localities where grasshoppers appeared this year, fields that were ploughed immedi- ately before seeding were as free as those ploughed shortly after harvest, though the ground in both cases was undoubtedly filled with eggs. « Now, in regard to harrowing, there is no doubt that if the egg masses are brought to the surface and broken at this time of the year the vitality of the eggs will be destroyed. The only question connected with harrowing is how thoroughly the egg- masses will be broken up. Where soil is firm I have recommended harrowing, and then cross-harrowing, so as to disturb every portion of the surface. The disk harrow used for pulverizing sod about five or six weeks after breaking would probably do good work if the ground is too firm for the ordinary harrow. The heavy rains which usually come in August and September here, compact the soil so much that ordinary harrowing would probably fail to serve the purpose. Disking the fields immediately after harvest would leave the soil in such loose condition that the insects would probably avoid that locality for egg-laying.” —[ Prof. C. B. Waldron, Horticulturist, N. Dak., Agr. Exp. St.] To secure the best results as far as the destruction of the locusts is concerned, fall ploughing is undoubtedly the most effective method ; but, if from press of other work it is impossible to plough all land which was under crop this year, much good may be done by early spring ploughing before the insects hatch or before they are large enough to move from their hatching grounds to adjacent crops. Stubble land which it is intended to summer-fallow next year must be turned down, if possible, before the 1st of June, and at the latest by the middle of that month. Other Remedies.—Should grasshoppers, notwithstanding all precautions, be found abundant, farmers may have recourse to burning by means of strips of straw, as was done by Mr. Scott this year, or to the use of hopper-dozers or tar pans, which are imple- ments made of sheet-iron, containing some tar or coal oil in the bottom. A cheap and lH \\ : | \ | HA A ik \\\ N INHALT UTE eg Cf WO Vag aly WWW TE: Sea 3 in; | IK i \ \ KAN I =. 2 ALUN i ALA RELL ELSON LUELLA Fig. 12.—Grasshopper Dozer. simple plan of one of these, costing from $1.50 to $2, was described many years ago by Prof. Riley. It consists of a strip of sheet-iron, 8 or 10 feet long, turned up 1 inch in front and 1 foot behind, with pieces soldered in at the ends (or made of wood) and hooks placed in front at both ends for the attachment of ropes. If to run on rough ground, it will be better to put runners, 14 or 2 inches high, underneath Into this put a layer of coal tar 4 inch deep, or water and coal oil. The implement can be drawn by a boy at each end, or by a horse if preferred. (Farmer's Advocate, Winnipeg, 5 Oct., 1898.) REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST, 185 When examining the insects on Mr. Leonard Sawyer’s farm a few miles south of Deloraine, on 8th July, Mr. Sawyer took me to a ravine where he had noticed a great many dead locusts lying among the grass. These were found to have been destroyed by the larve of a dipterous parasite. By digging down into the ground beneath the dead locusts, from 1 to 8 of these larve could be found, and the dead locusts were so numerous that they lay in every direction among the grass at a distance of only an inch or two from each other. Tachina flies and Flesh-flies were extremely abundant. Upon catching several of the locusts in both the pupal and the perfect stages, by far the larger proportion of them were found to contain the maggots of a fly, and in addition a great many of them were infested with locust mites, Trombidéum locustarum, Riley. Although many of the maggots of the parasites had buried, none were found which had hardened into brown puparia. This was on 8th July, which may be considered the time when the first brood of maggots leaves the locusts. These latter were just passing the last moult and assuming the winged form. They were hanging in every direction from the stems of grasses, stretching their tissue-paper-like wings by means of their long hind Jegs. A box was filled with the parasitic maggots and from these were bred (22nd to 26th July), both at Ottawa and by Dr. Scudder, at Boston, large numbers of a fiesh-fly which has been named through the kindness of Mr. D. W. Coquillett, of Washington, and pronounced to be “a species of Sarcophaga near incerta, Walker.” They were bred from the living locusts, some of the larve being actually taken from insects caught flying in the field. Dr. Scudder, who kindly furnished me with this identification, also named some other locusts taken at Deloraine among the specimens of Jf. spretus, as Melanoplus atlanis, Riley, Mf. minor, Scudd., Camnula pellucida, Scudd., and Gomphocerus sp. Efforts were made during the past autumn to discover where eggs were laid and to secure specimens, but all to no avail. Many observers in all the infested localities tried to help me in this matter, but none could find that eggs had been laid. The weather was exceptionally dull and wet. Notwithstanding that no eggs could be found, farmers are earnestly urged to plough all the stubble land that is possible, and endeavour to do this before the middle of June, whether it is to be cropped or summer-fallowed. This matter is one of far too much importance for any one to run the risk of trusting to luck that all will be well, when so much is at stake. Although no eggs have been found, I ovserved the locusts copulating on 17th August, and large numbers of healthy females with their abdomens well filled with eggs. I append extracts from letters referring to this outbreak in which most of the points of importance are brought forward :— * Boissevain, July 9.—I received your letter respecting the locust invasion in southern Manitoba. I have made general inquiries and had extracts from your letter published in local papers. So far, no one has observed any parasitic destruction of the pests ; but that may have been from the fact that, soon after I reported to you, the colony which appeared close to the bush on two farms near here seemed to disperse in a northerly direction. Some were found three miles north of the point where they first appeared. Of course, in this scattered fashion no immediate or general destruction of crops has been observed, but the danger may be all the more serious for another year. I understand that extensive precautions are being taken to the south in the way of deep ploughing, &c.”—[Charles A. Sankey. | “‘Boissevain, August 14.—I have been unable to discover any number of dead locusts or any of the parasites you asked about. The swarm is now scattered over a distance of a five or six mile radius from the spot where they were first observed, in varying numbers; we have them here in small quantities. I found one farm, near the bush, where small patches of the wheat heads appeared to have been stripped of the grains, and I discovered a few locusts and a number of several species of ordinary grass- hoppers in the grass surrounding the field. I hope you will discover from your investigations that the danger for next year is, after all, not so great as we fear, but I do trust that if there is any danger you will not minimise it in the least, as farmers are only too ready to put off the thought of an evil day, especially if they can avoid 186 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. v 4 thereby any present inconvenience or expense. There are a number, however, who are only waiting for your report to take energetic action, should you consider it neces- sary.”—[ Arthur S. Barton. ] “ Boissevain, September 10.—I have not yet found any eggs of locusts. They are still pairing, and great numbers can be found on the lee side of the wheat stooks. Is there any distinguishing mark on the ground where they lay their eggs ?”-—[Charles A. Sankey. | “Deloraine, September 14.—I met Mr. D. Steedsman to-day. He has his man ploughing the ground you advised him to, and the man reported that he had not seen a single grasshopper. Yesterday, Mr. Steedsman himself went with the plough all round the field and did not see a single grasshopper nor any trace of eggs. Per contra I have noticed several hoppers six miles north of Deloraine. There is one point which it may be of importance to mention: during the two weeks preceding Friday, 9th September, we had very unusual weather—cloudy, heavy fogs by night, occasional heavy showers of rain, one especially so on Friday, 2nd September, when for two hours we had a perfect deluge. On Thursday, 8th September, we had a sharp frost, since which the weather has cleared, but to-day (14th September) is again cloudy and threat- ening rain.”—[Dr. Robert S. Thornton. } ' “ Boissevain, September 24.—“T have not been able to discover any locust eggs as yet, and I have delayed writing in the hope of finding some. There are locusts on rearly every stook of grain. They are still mating, but appear very sluggish, fre- quently being lifted on to the stack on the sheaf and not attempting to move; this is principally in cloudy weather. I havescraped and dug, and examined (and so have my friends and neighbours), but so far we have not discovered a single egg. Can you tell me, if not too late, if there is any indication or mark left on the surface of the ground that would guide one in looking for the eggs? “T saw a pretty sight last Friday ; a large flock of Black-headed Terns or gulls came swooping down the field; dividing at the leeward side, they ranged the rows of stooks to the other side of the field ; returning with the wind ina body, they again and again quartered the field. I was near enough to see them picking the locusts off the stooks as they passed. I came to the conclusion that it was not their first experience, and it would be interesting to learn if their absence this summer was due to locusts further south (in Minnesota), or whether their usual breeding place at Whitewater Lake was too dry for them. In other years we have a constant procession of them backwards and forwards from the lake to the bush, and constantly they follow the plough, picking grubs and larve out of the freshly turned furrows.”—[ Arthur S, Barton. | Boissevain, October 22.—I have made a close search for eggs of locusts, but so far with no result. Mr. Barton has also been unsuccessful, though it seems almost incredible to think that none have been laid ; apparently a disaster in the shape of a severe snow-storm and frost has destroyed them. I do not think more than one supply of eggs can have been laid.”—[Charles A. Sankey. ] “ Deloraine, November 14.—With regard to grasshopper eggs: I have not written to you sooner because I had no information to give you. I have scraped and looked on our wheat stubble and on my neighbours’ fields and have seen but one female loaded with eggs and no eggs in the ground. I heard of some being found two miles north-east of here and I went there to get some, but I could not find any. Mr. David Steedsman said that they had all moved north from his place and he did not think that there were any eggs laid on his land. Mr. Leonard Sawyer says he saw numbers of small grasshoppers full of eggs. I caught lots of them, and a good many had those worms in them which you showed me when you were here. I do not think many eggs have been laid here, where we had them thickest last year. The grasshoppers seem to have moved north and east and cover more territory than they did last year. While some farmers have ploughed a good deal of land, the fall has been so backward and the harvest prolonged that people have, on the whole, done very little work. I believe we all intended to follow your instructions: as much as possible, but now we are frozen up. I heard of eggs being found 8 miles north of Deloraine, through reading your description of them in the Weekly Star. REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST, ; 187 T may find some yet, and if I do will forward them to you without delay. I am very much afraid the province may have more hoppers next year than most people have any idea of. I know that Mr. C. A. Young was trying to get information to send you, but he has nothing definite, so has not written lately.”—[John Scott. ] Another outbreak of locusts occurred in the Nicola Valley in British Columbia. This was brought to my notice by Mr. Hewitt Bostock, M.P., who also forwarded speci- mens for examination. Reports were also received from Mr. Pooley and Mr. Sidney J. Solomon as follows :— “Nicola Lake, B.C., September 7.—Yours received re grasshoppers. I am sending by this mail some grasshoppers and their eggs, which I hope will be of some use to you in determining the species. The injury done by the hoppers was principally to the ranges and bunch grass pasture fields: also considerable injury to the oats, by their eating off the small stem which connects the grain with straw, and consequently all the oats were lodged on the ground. Injury to wheat, not any ; peas, scarcely per- ceptible. This is the second time the grasshoppers have appeared in our valley. The first time (which was in 1890) they made complete havoc, and unless something happens to destroy the eggs before hatching, it will be very little use putting in a crop next spring. The eggs are deposited on gravel and sandy hills (about an inch below the surface). Some of the eggs seem to have become dried, but the majority are quite fertile. Nearly all the grasshoppers have disappeared and a great many have died.” — [ William Pooley. ] “ Nicola Lake, B.C., Dec. 31.—I could not grow enough feed to keep any quantity of hogs. The grasshoppers were very bad last summer and laid their eggs, so that we are expecting our crops will be all eaten by them next year. I shall put in very little wheat or oats, but principally peas and potatoes, as they do not bother these crops so much.”—[Sidney J. Solomon. | The early disappearance of the locusts mentioned by Mr. Pooley would indicate the probable presence of parasitic insects or some fungous disease. As it was important to know the exact identification of the species which were committing these depredations, the specimens received were forwarded to Dr. Scudder, who reported :— “ Cambridge, Mass., U.S., Dec. 2.—The mass of the material was a species of Trimerotropis, probably cincta, Thom. Out of the balance, I made out Camnula pellucida, Scudd., (many specimens), Circotettix verruculatus, Kirby, and Melanoplus atlanis, Riley.”—[Dr. S. H. Scudder. ] The most numerous species was Camnula pellucida, which is sometimes extremely abundant and destructive in the West. This was the case between Kelowna and Vernon, B.C., in 1895. In the case of this species, undoubtedly the use of hopper-dozers before the locusts have developed their wings would be attended with good results, and if, as is frequently the case with Camnula pellucida, the places chosen for egg laying are restricted areas,” these may be treated early in June with much less trouble than later. The poisoned bran remedy recommended for cutworms, page 190, has also been found very effective againts locusts in California. When the eggs are found to be laid in cultivated ground, the ploughing of this in fall or spring would destroy all the young locusts contained in these eggs, and, if cir- cumstances would permit of it, it might be tried in the Nicola Valley, by placing several small piles of the poisoned bran in the hatching grounds. This material seems to have a wonderful attraction for the locusts. 188 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. VEGETABLES AND ROOT CROPS Curworms.—The complaints of injury to garden vegetables and root crops have been this year fewer than usual, most references to the ordinary garden pests, such as cutworms, Tarnished Plant-bug, plant-lice, etc., being merely to mention their absence. In the province of Quebec, however, there was serious loss in some localities from cut- worms, both in gardens and field crops. Very few specimens were submitted for ex- amination, so only general instructions could be given. If correspondents would always send in specimens with their inquiries it would be far easier for the Entomologist and Botanist to give definite information and instructions, and he could thus be of more service to inquirers than is now sometimes the case when no specimens are forwarded. “Quebec, June 14.—We are receiving from different parts of the province of Quebec letters informing us of the immense damage which is being done to vegetables by the plague of cutworms, against which our farmers do not appear to have any means of protecting themselves.”—[S. Sylvestre, Secretary, Dept. Agr. | “‘Causapscal, Rimouski Co., 30th May.—I am instructed by the Directors of the Agricultural Circle to send you the accompanying specimens of caterpillars which are occurring herein large numbers and eating up completely our peas, at first the stems and then even the seed pease in the earth. Farmers have been obliged to sow their fields of peas over again. Can you tell us where this pest comes from, how long it will continue to devastate our crops, what it will change to, and above all the best means of destroying it? If we are not able to check this plague, our crop will be a total failure.” —[V. O. Morrissette. ] ; As specimens accompanied this inquiry it was seen at once that they were the so- called Black Army-worm (Noctua fennica, Tausch.) and had reached full-growth, so that the application of a remedy was not necessary. These caterpillars were also somewhat abundant in gardens at Ottawa, where they attacked every kind of vegetables, and also to some extent in clover fields. This insect is one which from time to time appears suddenly in large numbers, and then does a good deal of harm. In the last stage of its growth it isa voracious caterpillar which eats indiscriminately almost every kind of vegetation. Prof. Lugger, who treats of it under the name of the Erratic Army-worm, when record- ing an outbreak which occurred in the State of Minnesota, says that: “The caterpillars devoured every green thing upon the face of the ground. They preferred, however, such plants as were bitter, hence the foliage of cherries, willows, poplars and sumachs was the first to be eaten. After these nearly all others were devoured.” From my own observations of several occurrences of this insect at Ottawa I believe its natural food plants to be the Leguminosee—cultivated peas and clover being par- ticularly relished. The early maturing of the caterpillars (generally by the end of May or very early in June) frequently prevents the injuries of this insect from being as serious as they might be and actually often seem to be. In 1891 a three-acre field of peas upon the Central Experimental Farm was swept bare by an army of these cater- pillars. The damage was stopped promptly by spraying a strip 5U feet wide ahead of the caterpillars with Paris green, one pound in 100 gallons of water, to which 4 pounds of soap had been added to make the solution adhere to the pease. This was applied with knapsack sprayers. Although the pea plants were eaten down entirely on three acres of the field mentioned, owing to the injury being done so early, the plants threw out fresh roots and gave actually a better crop than an equal area in the uninjured portion of the field. . Professor Lugger gives a similar instance in his Second Annual Report, as follows : “Nor was the actual damage done very great, as all the wild plants soon recovered and made a denser growth. The cereals which had been cut down to the very ground, assisted by the moist warm days which followed this invasion, not only recuperated but were in some cases even improved as they stooled better than those not cut by the worms.” ] REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 189 The full-grown caterpillar is a handsome creature between 14 inches and 13 inches in length, cylindrical in shape, about ss of an inch in diameter. The general colour being velvety black, with white longitudinal stripes; head, red, black in front ; legs, reddish. The dorsal area is more or less shaded with brick red ; dorsal stripe of velvety black diamond-shaped marks; the lower edges of the dorsal area clearly defined by a black line, shaded beneath with an equally distinct white thread; sides dull-black, spotted with a few white points which hardly form a line. Spiracles black ; sub- stigmatal band distinct, white and undulating, bearing in the centre a very ragged black line washed with yellow, the upper margin dipping below each spiracle and then running up considerably higher than it towards the posterior margin of each segment. Ventral surface semi-translucent, dusky, mottled with white, the green contents of the body showing through the thin skin. When full-grown, about the end of May, the caterpillars burrow rather deeply into the ground and turn to dark brown chrysalids from which the moths emerge about a month or six weeks later. The perfect insect is for a cutworm moth handsome, and all the markings are sharply defined. It expands about 14 inches across the wings. The upper wings are dark blackish-brown, the orbi- cular and reniform spots white, bearing a few yellow or reddish scales and outlined with black. In the male the inner margin of the, upper wings is yellowish brown, by which this sex can be recognized at once. The lower wings are gray, darker at the margins. Thereis in Professor Lugger’s Second Report a beautiful plate by L. M. Hart, showing the caterpillars, the chrysalis and the perfect moths. Remedies.—When the Black Army-worm attacks field crops, remedial measures must be taken with due regard to the nature and condition of the crop to be protected. Tn all instances which I have seen when the caterpillars were abundant enough to march in swarms, it has been possible to forestall them by adopting the well known methods used against the true Army-worm, namely, running a deep furrow in advance of: them, burning them in wind-rows of straw, or poison- ing them by spraying a strip of the vegetation before they reach it, with a strong poisonous mixture. In gardens, they may be advantage- ously combated by the same methods used against other cutworms. Owing to their large size at the time when garden vegetables are very small, two or three caterpillars can in a single night work terrible havoc in young vegetables grown in rows, This was the case at Ottawa last spring where the larve of this species worked at the same time with the cater- pillars of the White Cutworm (Carneades scandens, Riley, Fig. 13) and the Red-backed Cutworm (Carneades ochrogaster, Gn.) and all three species were particularly troublesome in radish beds. Fig. 13.—The White Cutworm. THe Waite-Cutworm (Carneades scandens, Riley), “The Climbing Cutworm ” * of Dr. Riley, is an uncommon species at Ottawa and has not been sent in from else- where, although it is recorded as having done much damage to orchard trees in Western Ontario some years ago. The full-grown caterpillar measures about 14 inches in length. Its general eolour is a pinkish white. The head, the thoracic feet and the thoracic and anal shields are yellowish-brown, dotted with minute black points The spiracles are deep black and the piliferous tubercles very dark, but not so black as the spiracles. This cutworm is easily recognized by its delicate whitish almost glaucous colouring. I was surprised to find it in large numbers at Ottawa in a garden with only two small poplar trees growing near. These were in no way injured, but it seemed as though the cutworms spread from a bed of Couch-grass (Agropyrum repens, Beauv.) which was growing at the base of one of these trees. The White Cutworm passes the winter about half grown, but in the piece of sandy land where the attack 190 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS, referred to occurred some individuals did not revive until a surprisingly late date last spring, namely, the end of May. Some half grown specimens were dug from the bed of Couch-grass in November last. The moths expand about 14 inches across the wings. The general colour of the forewings is pearly bluish-gray, tinged in some speci- mens with pink or brown scales ; different specimens vary very much in distinctness of the transverse lines, but all show a well defined white subterminal line shadowed on the inner side by a row of dark triangular marks, and the reniform spot shows more distinctly than any of the other markings. Hind wings whitish, with a broad, pale fuscous band and discal spot. Head and body concolorous with the forewings. Remedies.—When it is known that cutworms are abundant in gardens or even in fields, much can be done by the use of well-known and well tried remedies to destroy them and prevent injury. Several correspondents have borne testimony to the benefits of clean culture, by which all haulms, vines, stems and leaves of crops which had been gathered were promptly destroyed and the land kept free from weeds, so that the female cutworm moths when egg laying were not attracted to the spot. The banding of freshly set out annual plants, either with rings of paper or tin, has as usual given good results. An enterprising Ottawa fina, Messrs. Taylor and Gilbert, has put out a device made of a specially prepared stiff paper 10 inches long by 3 wide, called the Taylor Plant Protector for tobacco, cabbage, tomatoes, etc. These are stated to be a sure pro- tection against cutworms, cold winds, light frosts, ete. The price, less than $1 a thou- sand, brings them within the reach of ail. A great many were used at the Experimental Farm both in this Division and by the Horticulturist and were found to be extremely satisfactory. Cutworm injuries are of so nuch interest to every grower of vegetables, flowers and fruits in all parts of the Dominion, that I think it well to draw attention to the above device. I may mention that identically the same thing has been used for many years by Mr. George Thurber, of Upton Village, Que., to protect tobacco plants: from frosts and cutworms. The most striking results have been obtained from the use of the poisoned bran remedy, which consists of a mixture of bran and Paris green in the proportion of 50 of the former and 1 of the latter. In making this mixture (which may be applied either wet or dry) it is best to dampen the braa slightly with water containing a little sugar. After mixing thoroughly, so that the whole mass may be permeated very slighly with moisture, add the Paris green by shaking on a very little at a time and stirring it in. Ifthe Paris green be added to the bran when it is perfectly dry, it will, owing to its weight, sink at once to the bottom when stirred. If it is desired to use this mixture as a wet application, more sugar and water must be added until it is of about the same consistency as porridge ; but if to be used dry, alittle more dry bran may be added until the mixture will run through the fingers easily. Mr. F. A. Sirrine, of Geneva, N.Y., drew attention to the fact that the mixture could be used dry with even better results than when applied wet. It is far easier to distribute and lasts longer without getting mouldy. . A convenient implement for distributing this poisoned mixture, among crops which are grown in drills or rows, is a combined wheel hoe and seed drill. The seed box is filled with the poisoned bran, and lines of it are run across the field or along the rows close to the crop. In sandy land it was found convenient first to run a shallow furrow and then drop the bran into this shelter, which prevented “the * bran from being blown away by the wind. Strange as it may seem, it certainly appeared as if the bran mixture was more attractive to the cutworms than the living plants. This remedy is, after all, only a modification of the poisoned trap remedy which has been used so successfully for many years, and which will continue to find favour with many, as green succulent vegetation suitable for the purpose is nearly always to be had, for it must be remembered that any weed will answer the purpose, whereas bran or shorts would have to be purchased. THe Cutworm Lion (Calosoma calidum, Fab.).—Cutworms have many enemies. In addition to various insectivorous birds and small mammals, there is a host of parasitic REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST, 19] and predaceous insects which hunt them out and devour them. One of those most often inquired about is the Fiery Ground beetle (Fig. 14) and its voracious black grub, the Cutworm lion (Fig. 15). Specimens of these are sometimes sent in by observant corres- pondents. The beetle is a large showy and bold species, which is seen in pastures running about quickly and hunting for its prey. Too often, we fear, through ignorance as to its good offices it is destroyed by the many thoughtless people who seem to think that every insect seen should be stepped upon and killed. The appear- ance and habits of this good friend of the husbandman should be known to every one. The beetle is truthfully portrayed life size at fig. 14. Itis a brownish-black beetle, having the wing cases Fig. Sion spotted with coppery red in nearly all of the eastern specimens, anor iwerie. although occasionally a green spotted specimen is seen. In British Columbian specimens the spots are almost invariably green, the red spotted form being exceedingly rare. Both as a perfect beetle and as a grub (Fig. 15) this insect destroys enormous numbers of cutworms. The following letter is similar to many others which have been received concerning this useful insect: “ Mattawa, June 25.—I applied to you last June for instructions how to fight the cutworm which had made a complete havoc of my garden, and I received your valuable treatise on insects that are destruc- tive which gave me valuable instructions. I followed your advice and kept down weeds during the later summer and in the fall. After I got the crops off I cut all weeds in field corners, raked them up together with all potato tops and other refuse and burnt all; the result is that this year, while the cutworm has destroyed everything in my neigh- Fig.15.—Cutworm bours’ gardens, they have troubled me very little; in fact, nothing to Lion. complain of, for of 2,000 plants transplanted, I have not had two per cent loss caused by the cutworms, and in plants grown from seed what little harm they may have done was not perceptible. I inclose you a specimen of a little insect that seems to be a mortal foe to the cutworms. One day recently I noticed a cutworm making very fast movements and contortions, so I picked it up and found one of these insects fastened to it just at the back of the head. I put both intoa tin can and watched for the result of the combat. Several times I caused the insect to loosen its hold and placed each as far as possible apart; when the insect was Jet go it would immediately attack the cutworm again, always trying to fasten about the back of the neck. The result was that the cutworm was dead in twenty minutes. On Thursday last I found the inclosed specimen and then secured a cutworm and put both into a can, when the combat of the few days previous was renewed, with the same result. I put two more cutworms, one each time, into the can, and the black grub killed both.”— {C. G. Hurdman. ] Tue Pea Mors (Semasia nigricana, Steph.).—In previous reports I have referred to the common injury to green peas, particularly the large late garden varieties, by the caterpillars of a small moth. During the past summer this insect was found in many districts, where it had doubtless always occurred, but from which no reports had been received. One of the localities where the insects has done most harm is Constance, in Huron Co., Ont. Mr. John McMillan, M. P., puts the loss in 1897 at no less than one-third of the crop. Up to the present no specimens of the moth have been caught in the field, but some specimens were reared in the insectary during 1897, which emerged between the 12th and 15th of July, and last summer three more specimens emerged at the same dates, namely, from 13th to 15th July. This would indicate that the natural time for egg laying is not till after the middle of July. Therefore, if peas are planted in good time and of early varieties—of which there are now several of high quality—good crops of green peas for the table can be secured before they are liable to be attacked by the caterpillar of the Pea Moth. At Ottawa several varieties of the small early peas can be picked by the first week in July, and the first crop of all the 192 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS, best large varieties before the end of the month. The caterpillars of the Pea Moth would not be large enough to enter the pods and injure the green peas at earliest before the end of the month ; consequently, at Ottawa and in localities with the same summer climate, green peas for the table can always be grown if early varieties are chosen and seed is got into the ground in good time. Mr. W. T. Macoun, Horticulturist of the Central Experimental Farm, has furnished me with the following list of what he con- siders the six best early varieties and of the dates when they were ready for picking :— J2W ENC 2S pa oe Saeee et Ra ge Jaume) { Gradusiss seas Sea eeee June 18 American Wonder..... ‘“ 17 Nott’s Excelsior....... . 6 920 Gregory’s Surprise....... “ 17 McLean’s Little Gem.... “ 23 In his annual report for this year is given a list with dates of maturing of 25 of the best varieties of all kinds. Where peas are grown for the seed they will be injured in districts where the Pea Moth is prevalent. Experience would indicate that early sowing is in all cases advantageous, but it is also possible that late sowing, so as to hold back the podding, if possible, late enough to escape the season of egg-laying, might give a crop of uninjured seed. Tue Pea Weevit (Bruchus pisorum, L.).—This perennial pest is, year after year, the cause of enormous loss, notwithstanding the fact that millions of the beetles are destroyed every season in the “ bug houses” of the large seed dealers. Prof. C. C. James says in his November Crop Report :—“ Pease seem to have been the most unfortunate of the grain crops. The drought of the early part of the summer and a frost about the 10th July told upon the growth, and the bug made its appearance in nearly every sec- tion of the province. Some of those reporting are inclined to take a discouraging view of the outlook for pea growing, owing to this pest.” It is probable that there has been some confusion in the reports of which the above extract isa summary, between the injury of the Pea Weevil and that of the Pea Moth. The distribution of the Pea Weevil is very much more restricted than that of the Pea Moth, and there are large areas in the province of Ontario where the highest quality of seed pease can be grown without any danger of infestation by the Pea Weevil. Tue Bean Wervit (Bruchus obtectus, Say).—Attack—Small beetles closely resembling in shape and movements the Pea Weevil, bat only half its size, namely, 45 of an inch long, oval in form, with the head bent down and more or less concealed as seen from above, and prolonged into a short squarely cut snout. Antenne distinctly jointed and enlarging towards the tip; the first 4 and the last joints reddish: The wing covers marked with ten impressed and dotted longitudinal lines. The whole body covered with short silky hairs. The lines on the wing covers are broken up into pale yellowish dashes and dark brown spots. The tip of the abdomen extends beyond the wing covers and is of the same reddish tinge as the tips of the antenne and the legs, but is covered more or less with short silky hairs and bears a central white line, but there is no appearance of the two black spots which are so conspicuous in the Pea Weevil. The life-history of the Bean Weevil differs in some important points from that of the Pea Weevil. ‘he eggs of both are laid upon the pods while these are young and tender. On hatching, the young grub of the Bean Weevil eats its way inside and pene- trates one of the forming beans, several grubs entering a single bean, each one forming for itself a distinct cell. They become full-grown and change to pupe in the autumn and a little later te the perfect beetles. The date of emergence from the seed depends very much, as in the case of the Pea Weevil, on the temperature in the autumn months; it may be in the late autumn or not until the spring ; when the seed beans are stored in a warm building, the beetles may emerge at any time through the winter. One of the important differences between the life-histories of the Pea and Bean weevils is that, whereas in the case of the former the young grubs can only enter the soft green seeds, those of the Bean Weevil can propagate for three or four generations in the dry stored seeds. This fact renders the well known domestic remedy for the Pea Weevil of holding over the seed for two years quite ineffective in the case of the Bean Weevil ; that is, if a REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 193 bag of pease infested with Pea Weevil were put away for two years, the Pea Weevils would emerge the first spring and die in the bags. But, in the case of a bag of beans infested by the Bean Weevil kept in the same way, the beetles on emerging would at once set to work laying eggs upon the beans. The young grubs when hatched would penetrate the dry seeds and go through all their stages, and this breeding might be repeated as long as the supply of beans lasted. Curiously enough, the Pea Weevil does not bore holes through the paper or cotton bags in which infested seed has been stored, but in the case of the Bean Weevil such bags are readily perforated and the beetles escape,—frequently, when this happens in houses, as is sometimes the case, to the great consternation of the inhabitants. The Bean Weevil seems to be a cosmopolitan species, the original home of which was in Asia. It was probably introduced into America through commerce and has been the cause of considerable damage in various States of the American Union. It has been mentioned in the reports of several United States entomologists, full articles heing given by Professors Riley, Popenoe and Lintner. There has been a great deal of discussion as to the proper name of the species. The last decision seems to be that the beetle should be called Bruchus obtectus of Say. The Bean Weevil has never been recorded as an injurious insect in Canada until the present year, when I received from Mr. B. Gott, of Strathroy, Middlesex Co., Ont., specimens of the beetles and some seed beans which had been entirely destroyed for seed or food purposes. Each seed had been so perforated and the contents eaten away that it could be crushed with gentle pressure between the fingers. These specimens answered in every particular to Dr. Riley’s description of Bruchus fabe given in his Third Missowrt Report, but authorities now consider that B. fabe, Riley, and BL. obtectus, Say, are identical. Mr. Gott stated that the beans had been held over from the spring in strong paper bags and put away inacool room. At the time of his writing, December, 1898, large numbers of the beetles had been found in his house. They were thought at first to be Pea Weevils, but Mr. Gott noticed that they were different, and after some search found that they came from the bags of beans, of which the paper was perforated with nume- rous holes. Remedies.—As in the case of the Pea Weevil, the best remedy for this insect is the destruction of the weevils inside the beans as soon as possible after the crop is ripe. Fumigation with bisulphide of carbon is the best treatment in every way. It must not be forgotten that this liquid and its vapour are very dangerous to use, owing to their ’ extreme inflammability. The most convenient way to fumigate seed is to place it in an ordinary coal oil barrel and pour on the beans one ounce of the bisulphide of carbon for every 100 pounds of grain, then close the barrel tightly, first with a wet canvas or cloth and, on the top of this, boards which should be left undisturbed for two days at least. Tue Carrot Rust-rty (Psila rose, Fab.), mentioned in my last report, has been sent in as having appeared in injurious numbers at two new localities in the province of Quebec and also occurred in small numbers at Ottawa. This year white field carrots were attacked, as well as red ones. The semi-transparent yellowish maggot 4 of aninch long perforates the roots in every direction, leaving dirty brown burrows. The maggots are blunt at the tail end, but taper towards the head, where is a black hooked tip forked at the base, by means of which the maggots burrow their way through the roots. The pupa-case is reddish-brown and, as a rule,.is found in the earth outside the carrots. The mature fly is. } of an inch long, bright shining black with yellow legs and red eyes. There are at least two broods, if not more, in a season. This is a serious pest of the carrot, rendering the roots quite unfit for table use. Its occurrence, however, has been intermittent, bad attacks one year being sometimes followed the next season by a total absence of injury. “ Knowlton, Brome Co., Que., July 6.—I send you to-day by mail a little box in which are a few carrots badly infested by a small white maggot. Nearly one-third of my patch of carrots are dead from the effects of it, and it is only a few days since they 8b6—13 194 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. began eating them. Can you give me any information as to what to do to get rid of them? What is it that lays the eggs? It is something new to meas I never noticed them before.”—[J. Raymond Ball. ] “Quebec, Oct. 18.—I send you herewith a White Belgian carrot. My crop this year has been almost ruined by this disease, which you will be able to examine on the samples sent to you. Please tell me what is the matter and how to prevent it.” “Quebec, Oct. 27.—In reply to your inquiry as to whether my crop is the only one in this neighbourhood which has been injured by the Carrot Rust-fly, I beg to inform you that this year is the first that I have known the carrots to be injured by this fly. I secured a superb crop from the same field last year without any trace of the disease. My farm is situated at Ste. Marie, Beauce, and all the crops of carrots in the district have been attacked by the fly this season.”—[A. B. Dupuis. | Remedies.—Spraying the carrots along the rows with kerosene emulsion, | part to 10 of water, by means of a knapsack sprayer, or sprinkling along the rows dry sand, land plaster or ashes, with which coal oil has been mixed at the rate of half a pint to 3 gallons of the diluent, or crude carbolic acid at the rate of half a pint in 5 gallons, are the only applications which I know to have been used to any advantage. This should be done once a week through June from the time the roots begin to form and particularly after the rows have been thinned. Late sowing has also been found very useful. Changing the location of the beds as far as possible from infested land has also been attended with excellent results and this common sense precaution should always be prac- tised, when possible, in the case of all attacks of injurious insects. Where carrots are stored during the winter in sand or earth, this, of course, must be treated to destroy the pupz which leave the roots and enter the soil to pass their last preparatory stage. Miss Ormerod suggests that this earth might be put into a wet manure pit so as to prevent the hatching out of the flies. Should neither of these methods be convenient, at any rate, the earth might be buried in a deep hole dug in the ground for the purpose. Tue Turnip Apuis (Aphis brassice, L.)—One of the worst attacks upon root crops this year has been by the Turnip Aphis. In many parts of Ontario Swede turnips were badly injured. In Manitoba, likewise, an outbreak of this pest was brought to my notice by Mr. Bedford. The following extracts bring out the chief points upon which information was asked by correspondents :— “Eddystone, Northumberland Co., Ont., Sept. 2.—On account of the very hot weather, lice are threatening to destroy the turnip crop in this part of the country. Is there any cure or preventive for it? Can spraying be successfully done ?”—[W. G. Sargent. | “Sherwood, York Co., Ont., Nov. 25.—In reply to your letter I would state that lice on turnips are not an entirely new pest, but they have never appeared in such numbers or with such destructiveness as this year. They have appeared in past years in smal] patches and were not considered very damaging. I think the reason that they were so numerous was the dry weather, as we had no rain from Ist July till the begin- ning of September, and it was exceedingly hot also. It wilted the mangel leaves in some localities. In the townships east and south of us, where they had more rain, the injury to the crop was not so great. In answer to your other question, I notice that the pest was destructive on all soils except perhaps some very low wet soils where sufficient moisture was obtained to keep up a steady growth.”—[James H. Keffer. | “Morden, Man., Sept. 28.—I send herewith a turnip leaf infested with some sort of insect. Last fall the same insect attacked the turnips, destroying the crop entirely. The root starts to decay as soon as the plant is attacked. All the turnips in this dis- trict went the same way. Ishould like to know what can be done to save the crop another year. I am taking up those turnips not already affected. ‘Morden, Man., Dec. 28.—When you replied to my inquiry re turnip aphis, you asked me whether there had been much damage done in this neighbourhood. I have been inquiring of those who grow turnips, and find that nearly all the turnips in this district were damaged. In some cases the turnips were not attacked till late in the fall, and these were not damaged to any great extent.”---[ Alfred Bradshaw. ] REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 195 The plant-louse which does most harm to the Swede turnips in Canada, is the same species which is also sometimes destructive to cabbage and is better known as the Cab- bage Aphis. It does not usually appear on turnips until August, and is stated by many correspondents to be worst in dry years. There is a general impression that nothing can be done to prevent injury, and as a consequence these insects are, as a rule, left un- molested and a great loss sometimes occurs. Remedies.—At the time these plant-lice first appear in fields, they are nearly always found in patches of restricted area. These should be looked for at the time the turnips are hoed and thinned, when good service may be done by simply hoeing out the infested plants and, having pulled some earth over them with the hoe, then pressing it down firmly with the foot. When the plant-lice are too numerous for this simple treatment, the plants should be promptly sprayed with a knapsack sprayer, using as an insecticide kerosene emulsion, | part to 9 of water, or whale-oil soap, 1 pound in 8 gallons of water. Roor Maaeors in turnips are seldom complained of in the West, where radishes are grown to the greatest perfection. Occasionally, however, there is a local outbreak of these troublesome insects. Mr. T. N. Willing, of Sylvan Glade, near Olds, Alta., sends specimens of the Cabbage Root-maggot (Phorbia brassice, Bouché), which, he says, “arefrom a larva about 2 of an inch Jong, whitish with black hooks at end, which feeds in the Swede turnips. From one small turnip I found about 75 had entered the sand in which I had placed the turnip, and were in the pupa form. I inclose some with the flies. I had the turnip in the house about three weeks before these flies hatched out. Quite a large proportion of my turnips were damaged by this fly. I suppose it would be well to change the location of my turnip patch next season.” There were, as usual, inquiries from several other parts of Canada where the maggots of this fly are known to occur injuriously, one of the worst occurrences being along the shores of the lower St. Lawrence in the province of Quebec, where sad havoc was wrought in the gardens of the poor fishermen, who have to depend to a large measure on the products of their gardens. An account of this outbreak was sent to me by Dr. A. Mackenzie Forbes, of Montreal. Remedies.—A sure remedy for these troublesome maggots is still much needed. Every year they are the cause of much loss in crops of great importance to a large number of people, such as cabbages of all kinds, turnips, radishes, onions, and sometimes beans and corn. A great many experiments have been tried with the object of discove- ring something of use. Many materials give partial immunity in ordinary seasons, but in had years everything seems after a time to fail. With onions and radishes, kerosene emulsion of the ordinary strength, 1 to 9, or carbolic soap-wash sprayed along the rows once a week gave tolerably good results, indeed some of the best results of many applications tried. The carbolic wash was made as follows: Dissolve 2 quarts soft soap in one gallon of boiling water, add 1 pint crude carbolic acid; when required for use, take 1 part with 50 of water. The most satisfactory application, but only to a small measure and early in the season, was White Hellebore or Pyrethrum powder dusted dry along rows of radishes at the time they appeared above ground and once a week afterwards. This is only applicable on a small seale. Experiments with kainit showed that this material assisted the plants very much in outgrowing injury, which in the case of cabbages is of very great importance. Kainit has also insecticidal value; but not, I think, to the degree which is claimed for it. It was tried (i.) broadcasted along the rows of onions and radishes, (ii.) sunk in a drill close to the rows and (iii.) in solution. When sunk in a drill it seemed to give better results than with the two other methods. In solution, when used strong enough to affect the maggots, it also injured the bulbs of the radishes, causing black spots, which afterwards rotted. Onions, however, were not injured, and the treated rows were decidedly better than the untreated. Experiments with cabbages showed that the best results were secured with a mixture of 4 ounces of kainit and 4 ounces of hellebore in 24 gallons of water, half a teacupful being poured round the base of each cabbage after pulling away the soil down to the true roots and applied in the third week of June, just as soon as the maggots were detected. 8b—13} 196 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS, Through the kindness of Mr. M. V. Slingerland, of Cornell University, I was sup- plied with a number of the Goff tarred-paper cards. These are hexagonal pieces of ordinary tarred building paper, 3 inches in diameter, with a slit from one angle to the centre, where there is a star-shaped perforation to allow the placing of the card around the stem of a young cabbage. These were asked for rather too late in the season to. give them a fair trial, but the plants upon which they were tried were well protected by them, and all those growers of cabbages who have used them speak highly in their favour. POTATO INSECTS. The potato crop in Ontario has been a good one. The seed was got in early and the plants suffered no checks from severe frosts. The Colorado Potato Beetle was less destructive than usual. Fine weather at the time of digging, except in some parts of the Maritime Provinces, allowed the crop to be got in in excellent order. There were very few complaints of insects or potato rot. In Manitoba and British Columbia the only adverse reports were from the drier sections, where in some instances the sets had failed to sprout. This was almost entirely where the tubers had been cut before planting. Moderate-sized whole potatoes had given by far the best results. In the Maritime Provinces potatoes were not so favourably reported upon as usual, owing to the wet autumn. Mr. B. W. Chipman, the Secretary for Agriculture of Nova Scotia, in his November Crop. Report, says: ‘The potato crop this season, owing to the rains, which caused a great deal of rot, is only 68 per cent of an average, just the same as last year, but the prices. have been fair.” In Prince Edward Island where potatoes are a crop of very great. importance, Father Burke estimates that there was only half a crop. He says: “ The crop came up well and showed every sign of being large. The potato beetle came so late that many thought we were going to escape it. The wet early season was against its spread ; later the beetles multiplied fast enough, but were controlled by Paris green, which everybody but those a thousand years behind the age now uses. The potato beetle did no injury to our crop this year.” Several correspondents in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario refer to the small losses from the Colorado Potato Beetle, but in Manitoba where this insect is very seldom a serious pest, it occured in injurious numbers. in several places and required constant attention. White Grubs and Wireworms have been reported as doing more harm to potatoes than for many years, and unfortunately nothing can be suggested asa remedy. In Nova Scotia where wireworms are sometimes very destructive in potato fields, it is a practice,. when digging or ploughing up a crop in infested land, to pick up the potatoes. immediately they are dug, when most of the wireworms will be taken with them from. the field. After a short time, the wireworms will leave the potatoes and, if the crop is. gathered in sacks or in carts, when the tubers are emptied out the wireworms will be found at the bottom and can be killed. The Four-Linep Lear-sua (Pecilocapsus lineatus, Fab.).—A somewhat unusual attack on potatoes, which early in the season appeared as if it might prove serious, was- by the Four-lined Leaf-bug at Carrville, York County, Ont. Mr. J. Lahmer sent specimens and told of their ravages on some rows of potatoes which he had seen in a neighbour’s garden. In acknowledging receipt the: usual remedies for sucking insects were given and the life-history of this particular one was described. Later in the season, Mr. Lahmer wrote that the bugs did not spread further over the potato patch, but merely remained on the plants first attacked or on the bushes. near by. The owner of the garden when he learnt that they were not a new pest lost interest in the matter and neglected to apply any remedy. The Four-lined Leaf-bug attacks many kinds of plants in gardens, having a special liking for sage and mint, currants, gooseberries and several other plants. The presence of the bugs is easily detected by the numerous. brown spots about as big as a pin’s head upon the leaves near the tips of the branches. Fig. 16.—The Four- lined Leaf-bug. REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST, 197 The remedies consist of (I.) Spraying the nymphs or partially developed bugs which cannot fly, with a strong kerosene emulsion (1 to 6); (II.) The jarring or beating of the nymphs and perfect insects from the attacked plants into open tins containing coal oil and water; and (III.) The destruction of the eggs, which are always laid in the twigs of bushes, particularly the currant, near the tips ; these are white, and, as they protrude slightly through the bark, when once seen they are easily recognized again, and thus this attack may be controlled to a large measure by winter pruning. . PRUOYLDS: The fruit crop of Canada has again been a good one. In Ontario, apples, as stated in the November Crop Report, were considered more than sufficient for home consump- tion ; very large shipments were made to England and the United States from the western fruit-growing sections ; pears, peaches, plums and smaller fruits were also shipped from many localities. From Nova Scotia, the other large fruit exporting pro- vince, Mr. R. W. Starr, of Wolfville, N.S., a successful fruit grower and shipper of tany years’ experience in the Annapolis Valley, writes: ‘The spring opened early ; fruit trees showed a mass of bloom everywhere, but cold rainy weather set in, bees and other insects could not work and pollination was imperfect, especially among apples. Many orchards that showed much young fruit apparently well set, some ten days later, had the ground covered with young apples, leaving apparently very few on the trees. As the season passed on we had frequent showers, but the total rainfall was not more than usual. All the fruit that set healthily developed rapidly, and the extra size made up largely for lack of numbers ; the export will, after all, be a good average quantity, say, 250,000 barrels, and the quality better than usual.” Mr. 8. C. Parker, Secretary of the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers’ Association, says : “The damage to crops this season by insects has, perhaps, been the least of any season in my experience. All insects noted in the orchard and garden were fewer in numbers than for some years past. The means of combating these different pests and the best remedies have been made so widely known that farmers are on the alert to clear them out when they show themselves. Cutworms were conspicuous by their absence. Curculio did not appear to be as destructive as usual, at any rate, did not materially lessen the enormous plum crop. There were no complaints of Codling Moth or Shot- hole Borer, and the Bud-Moth was not as common as usual. Apples were good, more than usually free from Black Spot; the prices were away up and there was a fair crop. There were two bad enemies, however, of plum trees: the Shot-hole Fungus (Septoria cerasina, Peck) has devastated many plum orchards, and I expect to see a lot of dead trees next spring; the Black Knot (Plowrightia morbosa, Sacc.) has been very bad. Many have about given over fighting it. With plums a drug on the market, the game is not worth the candle.” With reference to the prevalence of fungous diseases, Mr. R. W. Starr also writes : “In most plum orchards rot set in badly, and as a rule, there was more fruit Jeft in the orchards than was picked for the market. Some kinds were worse than others, especially Lombards ; whole orchards also were ruined by Leaf Blight and were bare of foliage when the fruit was two-thirds grown. The Japanese varieties seemed to stand a wet season better than the descendants of Prunus domestica, L. Burbank did especially well. Abundance seemed to be rather susceptible to Shot-hole Fungus. Most of our early peaches rotted on the trees. Red Rust Fungus on the quince formed lumps somewhat resembling Black Knot in shape. Currants and gooseberries were stripped of their leaves by a blight, and pears showed more Fire Blight than for many years. You will gather from the above that fungous diseases have been very prevalent. I think we must ascribe this to the dull showery weather. I have wondered how the apples escaped as well as they did. Former experience would have led me to forecast a very different result.” 198 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS, It is satisfactory to hear from Prof. F. C. Sears, the Director of the Nova Scotia ‘school of Horticulture, at Wolfville, N.8., that “Spraying was much more generally practised this year than ever before, and the results were very satisfactory, especially so in the use uf Bordeaux mixture to control the Black Spot of the apple and the Shot- hole Fungus of the plum. I held about fifteen spraying meetings in different parts of the province and induced fruit growers to experiment also for themselves. I sprayed some rows and left others. The results have been very conclusive in most cases.” In Prince Edward Island, Father Burke says: “ Despite our spraying, we had our share of apple-worm, some sorts of apples being badly injured ; the season being so wet, the Bordeaux mixture did not stay on long enough to do its work. Owing to the wet season, there was also a lot of Black Spot, but, on the whole, we have a fair apple crop.” In British Columbia, fruits of all kinds were abundant, but there was much loss from insect pests. The two worst enemies of the apple growers were the Apple-fruit Miner (Argyresthia conjugella, Z.), and the small moth described by Walsh in /irst Iilinois Report under the, as it has since been ascertained, rather inapt name of the Plum Moth (Grapholitha prunivora, Walsh). The fruit interests of the Pacific province are well looked after by the energetic officers of the provincial Department of Agriculture. The Deputy Minister, Mr. J. R. Anderson, and his Assistant, Mr. E. A. Carew-Gibson, have done excellent scientific work in investigating the botany and entomology of the province, particularly in solving some doubtful points in the life histories of important enemies of crops. Mr. R M. Palmer, the Inspector of Fruit Pests, has devoted special attention to the practical questions of orchard treatment, of making known the best remedies for pests and the way to apply them, of keeping the provincial markets clear of infested fruit, and thus incidentally creating a better market for home products. British Columbia is blessed to a remarkable degree with a climate and soil suitable for the production of fruits of many kinds, and the wise and energetic measures which have heen adopted and fear- lessly carried out by the officials of the provincial government have certainly been attended with much success. Up to the present time, notwithstanding statements to the contrary, the Codling Moth has not been detected in any British Columbian orchard. THe APPLE FRUIT-MINER (Argyresthia conjugella, Z.), which has called for so much attention of late years by its injuries to apples in British Columbia, was again this year the cause of considerable loss. In mixed orchards containing several varieties of apple trees, I noticed last summer that crab-apples were more particularly attacked than the larger kinds. Mr. Palmer makes the following report on the occurrence of this insect in British Columbia during 1898 :— ‘Victoria, B.C., Dec. 15.—On the Islands, especially in the neighbourhood of Victoria, the Apple Fruit-miner (Argyresthia conjugella) has been very prevalent this year. The native crab-apple crop was a failure, and this pest attacked cultivated fruits (apples) to an alarming extent. It preferred cultivated varieties of crab-apples to ordinary varieties of apples, and a much larger percentage of larvee completed their growth in infested crab-apples than in the finer fruit. The entire crop of many crab- apple trees (cultivated varieties) was completely ruined, being tunnelled in every direction, all through the pulp of the fruit. Every effort has been made to get infested fruit destroyed, as, although in 1896 some loss was sustained from the pest, it was not nearly so large as in this season, and I now apprehend there is some danger of the insect becoming a constant feeder on cultivated varieties at least of crab-apples, and possibly of some others.—[R. M. Palmer. ] An interesting account of a Japanese insect, Laverna herelella, Dup., which, if dif- ferent, resembles in most respects the Apple Fruit-miner in a very remarkable manner, is given with an excellent figure in Bulletin 10, New Series, Div. of Ent., U.S. Dept. Agr., by Prof. Matsumura, of Sapporo, Japan. In a foot-note to this article, Dr. Howard has suggested, from the resemblance of Prof. Matsumura’s figure to bred specimens of the Apple Fruit-miner from British Columbia, which he was good enough to examine, the identity of the two insects. Although it is true the figure cited and the perfect moths “evi REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 159 of the Apple Fruit-niner do agree closely, the habits of the larvee as given by Prof. Matsumura (doc. cit) and as described in my annual report for 1896, differ upon what seem to be such important characters that for the present I can hardly think that the two attacks are by the same species, The writer of the article referred to says that the larvee live only in apple cores, injuring the seeds, that there is usually only one egg deposited on each apple, and that the cocoons are made in the earth whenever possible. The British Columbian insect very rarely attacks the cores and seeds of the fruit. There are usually several, two, three or more, larve in each apple, and the cocoons are made beneath flakes of the bark on the trees or beneath leaves or rubbish on the sur- face of the ground. I have lately received the following interesting note from Prof. Enzio Reuter, of Helsingfors, Finland, on the occurrence of A. conjugella in Europe :—“I have read your report with great interest. ~,) oS WNDU 3 9088 01491 7397