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1

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I I

1891

HOUSE OF COMMONS OF CANADA.

EXAMINATION
or

MR. JAMES FLETCHER,

ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST

TC» THK

DOMmiON EXPERIMENTAL FARMS,

BKPUBR TltiS

SELECT STANDING COMMITTEE

OK

AGRICULTURE AND COLONIZATION,

4th July, 1891.

PRINTED BV ORDER OF PARLIAMENT.

CONTENTS.

AvoragoloMS of farm crops by inseois 3

Local outbreaks of pests pnxlueod by local ciiii>eH :{

Classiflcation of insects — Life — History of. 4

A knowledge of lives of insecls necessary to succossful treatment 5

Enormous losses by insect ravai^es to farm crops in various

parts of the U.S ,. 5

Materials and apparatus prescribed for treatment of various
kinds of insects— Lifie course of each kind doscriijed H, 13

Fungous diseases of fruits— Black spot— Mildew, and remedies

for 10

Potato rot — A successful remedy for H

Fodder grasses, properties and cultivation of... H

ib^i

IIofSK or Commons,

COMMITTKE HooM No. 40,

Saturday, 4ili Julv, 1891.

wn.T^lt ^^l**"^ Standing Committee on Ai^ricultnro and Colonization
met this day at 11 a.m.. Mr. Sproule, Chairman. proHidinir
31k.Ja.me8 Fletcher, Kntomologist and HotaniHt uf th«

Ml. OiiAiRMAN,— I do not intend to begin with an aooloirv but I

^rSpl^'Ll:^^^^ why? perhaps, I 1 n??;., wd

prepai ed to^lav, as I migiit have been, to give vou a cmprehensive
Htatement of the work tRat I have been doing during tl^' ast ?ear
result a??h^.: future work, and what may l,ec.,n.idefed thlultiS
TZnoH,.«nV.T^'" ^""."^''iio" with the K.xperimental Farms
The notice of o-day s meeting I only receivod this morning, in town
ten minuto. after the time I ought to have been here in a1 'mlanc^'
n nnnr ?'""""r ' P""««q"«"<'y, I havo not with mo (he notes I had
nroparod 8o as to givo y^.u .-. concise an.l svstemalio statement nor
Lave I some specimens of gr.-.sses and a .praying pump vhicir f
wishetl to have exhibited. Nevertheless, l' shall LLviur o g ve

cirriml on ''' '" """"^ '"""'"''*'' '''« '^""'^ '^^^ ''»« bien

nhli'f •'?PY'"»enl'>f the Experimental Farm work, of which T am in
L3; •" "'^*'' '^' ^'•yi«io"«"t'K"tomology and Botany, and thle
to my mind are second to none in importance ot any work that has
been carnet on by the (rovernment on the Experimental Farm

In cillnnl"' "'"^'.r "^ '"^^"' '•""^'^'"^ t« «*'«««' one-tenth of Av.-raKe 1...
all crops grown, and the measures to be adonted to reduce the injury "fonl^n! l^
and lo*. to the country are bo simple, anJ yet so important ffi "--»'•

when"";!^''"'?"""" ?• "* knc>wledge\mong8f farmers' of how and
when to apply remedies. Therefore, it becomes necessary to make
known as widely as possible, throughout the country tj farmers
and others interested the nature of this important w^rkwhchL
being carried on for their benefit. I know of no way of accoranlish-
jng tTiis with better effect than through the instrum^entalUy T his
Commit ee and of its individual members. I was, therefore creatlv
pleased to receive the summons to come before itagi'n ^^useJ

ilimant^n'fi;'^' ""i' '^ ^^^ ««'^- ^'««' ^ «PP'emtedthe com
phraent to the work I have been carrying on, an5 am glad of the
opportunity of bringing the importance Sf it'before you^ tc^day I
shall, during the short time I address the Committee, endeavour to
give as concise an account as possible of this work

Our annual reports issued by the Department are necessarily
condensed, and tfie amount of space that it is possible to devote to IJ^Zr'
any one department is much smiller than serves to report even the '
ou lines of all the different investigations that are beinrprosruted
All that ,s possible 18 to give the most important record! and those

Thtr^rr'^'- i'^1 ^'i^* f'^^'y '^ ^«^'"«" of the Dominion
Inere are certain lor.nl r>iitb>'e'>L-<} o^" -i—tTft-i' «

insectsorfung., results of local conditions and Busceptfb o to 3
applications and it is generally inadvisable to devSte any large
portion of the annual report to local incidents of this nature But
we .8sue bulletins, when necessary, to meet such oases a?I have

Iinixirtano- <
til)' Coiiniiit
tn-'n Work.

CliiMHiticAtioii

llf illWCt IN-NtH,

Hiickhng iii-

M«H:tH.

A knowlwlj^fe
of life hintory,
necesHary fur

MIICCCHHful

treatiiH-nt.

mentioned, and the newspapern nil ovor the country have iKJen
ulwayf* most courteoiiM, and have publinhod promptly any lottont
or HUggeationH that I have tbund it adviHablo to put forth, and thus
I havu beon able to rulievu many tarnior-H whoso crops were being
injure<l. But I know of no better meanu of <liHHcminating inlbrraa-
,f tion than are afforded by thiH Committee, whoHo mumberM pay
ennetial attention to agricultural quoHtionn, and who, coming from
all ))arttt of the Dominion, are through their con»tituontH brought
into contact with a large numlwr of men whoaruHpocially eoncurncd
in the renulttt of our experience ami ob«ervati«m.

The firHt and motit important part of my work, and that to which
1 Hhall, probably, flevoto the whole of my attention, Iwfore long, ia
Entomology. The two diviHiouM, Kniomology and Botany, have
n(»w become MO largo that they each require, the attention of one
miin. In the beginning of this season I applied to tlie Honourable
MiniHter of Ajirriculture to bo allowed to isoue bullotinB regarding
the most injuriouH inHoctH and funguous diHeases of plants, which
fariuerH have to contend with * and Hhorlly aflterwardH iMHUo<i a
bulletin in which 1 treated of the insects which had been
most frequently complained of by my correspondents. In speak-
ing cf the various injurious insects, it is convenient to divide
them under three heads — first-clasB, second-class and third-
• class pests. The first-class pests are those thtit every ftirmer should
know something about. Thev are the most frequent and destruc-
tive, and should he lack the knowle<lgo or be unable to apply the
remedy he is apt to lose a largo proportion of his crop every year.
In the second class are those that, while they are injurious when they
occur, do not occur every year, and whose multiplication is due to
exceptional circumstances. The third-class embraces those which
seldom occur in large numbers and do notoccasion severe loss. Now,
itis not necessary for the agriculturistto direct attention to the whole
of these, and I should say that there are only about fifty insects
that the farmer need bother his head about. In this bulletin,
copies of which I have placed on the table, are given the general
rules upon which we apply remedies to check the ravages of in-
jurious insects. Everybody must recognize the enormous damage
that some of the most important crops of our country sustain
through the injuries of insects; but everybody does not know that
the remedies for these injuries are simple and can be easily applied.
Systematic observation and study have taught us that the injuries
are done in two ways— either by the insect consuming the sub-
stance of the plant, or by the juice bein^ sucked out of it and the
plant thus left to wither. These two kinds of injuries are due to
the fact that the mouth parts ot insects are either in the form of
biting jaws or of a hollow tube. Those possessing the first kind of
mouth parts masticate solid food, while the others subsist upon liquids
as sap. The reme<lies for these two classes of insects are quite
different, and this shows the great importance of knowing the life
history of insect enemies. As an illustration of this fact, hero is an
insect which has boon brought here this morning by a member, to
be identified. It is the American silk worm moth, (Telea Poly-
phetmts). Now, if this were submitted to an Economic Entomolo-
gist as an injurious insect, and he did not know its life history, it
would give him food for thought, and it is such as these we must
make use of for experimental purposes. Here is an insect which

•The bulletin referred t<> here and in ixiges following is Central Experimental
Farm Bulletin, No. 11, intituled : " Recommendations for the prevention of damage
by Bonie Common Insects of the Farm, the Orchard, and the Garden," by Jamea
Fletcher, Entomologist, published by the Department of Agriculture in May, 1891.

1691

111 iU uoifecl Htuto, m I hold it
It (irk no muaiiH of taUing
support thin
Tlio effHH are

iH actually witlxiut a mouth at all. .
in m^' handH, it haM no month at all

nouriHliniont. The nouriithinont it n«te<io(< to support thin larxo
body wu» taken in while it wan a ealorpillar. Tho eKK" «<« hiid
on various troe», umon^Ht othorH, oakH and niuplow. In tho cat-
oipiliar Mlate It livos lor a f'ow weeks, and ronsumen all
tho f«>od it re«|uiio8. It then Hpins a nilktMi cocodn and lomainiH in
atorpidNtale an a ohrynallK, until tho next Juno, when it omergesin
its perfeet Htate, uh a l*eautit'ul moth. Tho only ohjoct of itH
exiHionee now is to flnii a niato and lay its ej<j{(* ho as to prepare
for ft future noneration. Ah I have Haid, thin moth huH no mouth,
and therefore the methods used to catch Home innects, wuch aa
the mothn of cutwormu, which may be attracted in lar|,'e num-
born at night by mollaaea xpread on boanln, would be of no uho.
It in nooeHitary, in neeking for reni.dieH, to know Homothing of the
life hiHtory of tho innoctH causing the damage. This nometimoH
takoH a conwiderHblc amount of time and noedH steady application K'^'"""'"-
By following the advice of Kconomic Kntomologists, farmers and tiViv'ti.
othofH are saved a consideiable portion of their produce every year ; fami.TH.
lor the life histories of many of the insects which are most injurious
are already studied out, and to-day I kdievo it is not too much to
say that any farmer who will apply to tho Kxporimental Karm for
information concerning insect injuries, can get, simply for the ask-
ing for it, advice which will save him much loss; and this with
regard to almost any insects to which he may refer. In this bulletin
which I have issued there are 3() insects iroated, and these include
all the worst posts which have been referred to me since I
came to the farm at Ottawa. I restricted myself to these so that I
might keep the bulletin small. I think it covers most of the kinds
from which tho farmer need apprehend serious annoyance or injury.
In the tirst part are given general statements witli regard to tho
diiforent kinds of injuries and tho nature of the insects causing them,
the different kinds of remedies and the way to apply them ; also,
mention is made of some of the best kindsof sprayingapparatus. The
«nd in view in publishing the bulletin was to give farmers a simple
and easy source of reference, and I believe it is so written that any
farmer in the country will understand every word of it.

I n regard to the in jurie-* done by insects, I bavo already laid before
this Committee, Mr. Chairman, a general statement as to the amount
of the injuries, but it may not be amiss to read you a short paragraph
from Insect Life, a magazine issued by the United States Department
of Entomology. And, by the way, I may state that that I)©|)art?nent
has now come to be recognized as of such importance that it is neces-
sary to uublish this magazine every month. It is read by thousands
of people all over the world. It is distributed in very large num-
bers amongst the farmers who apply for information concerning
injurious insects, so that the officers in charge adopt this means of
answering their correspondents and making the results of their ex-
periments known to all interested. In this issue wo find an answer
to some one who writes to the U. S. Entomologist asking for facts
regarding the money value of tho crops annually destroyed Dy insects.

Wo find that in the year 1854 the wheat midgo destroyed, in the
State of New York, no less than «J5,000,000 worth of wheat. In
1867, in the State of Illinois, the chinch bug destroyed $73,000 000 •*'""""••""

For hundreds of miles the crops were swept «wuy'by"uils ir^t=!.'*

worth,
terrible pest.

By Mr. Trow :
Q. Do you mean that the whole crop of Illinois was Ewept off "or
hundreds of miles?— A. Yos, sir. Nearly the whole crop of the State

R<*«'i|N*H for
trfatiiicrit of
Koiiic wi'll
known ill-

Til

It- turnip

L nittMl StHten it, 1874 wl,..n tho ^Unun^m tmm tl.o Kooky >loiintnin
locuHt w«,o oHlin,HtiH ,,. 1100,000,000 in the four Htaten of Knn.H»

Q. \yhia are you quotinK from y-A. ' rn.ect Life,' the monthly
maK"/.!-; imMiHhe. by the Unite-I StHlen- I>o.,Hrlment of Airrl-
culture, I)iviHiono( Kntomolo^ry. „t \V„„hinKton. 'Them, fiumm have
been trequently .,,,..t..,l nn.l challenKtHl. »n<l an tmnientlv !-onHrme.l.
(i Itu.Hu.leHthocorM<ro|.. lHU|.|.,He?-A. Ve^ ; .M,reulH of all
kinds r 10 ireneral eHliniato of .lumaKO in the IJnilwl Slato. from
he .h.noh buK, u. 1887, wan |.iO,000.000, an.l it Ih oH.inmto.l that
tho total losH every year h between 8L'(»0,000,0(IO and «;J0O,00O,0O0.
Those HguroH have been carefully n.ade U|i on the loweHl iK.siible
c^nn.,ut«t.on. 'I ,ere ,h no doubt, as | have '.al.l. that at leant one-
^nlh nt the whole o the crops produced is lost every voar throuijh
the attacks and ii.juriOH of inhoets, and I have no heHiiati.,n in huv-
l!'*.u . " V"*>' '"'■«« P«*()|H)rtion of this coul.l be saved overv year
bv thea. loption ot simple remedies, if the farmers wouhi only luko
tho trouble to tind them out. At the present time, I an) M to
Hay our larmors are taking this trouble, as testiHed by the corres-
pondence in my department, which is now very larire in.ieod
armer« in every prmin.e utili/.in^^ the services of tho .lopartmont
n thiH manner rhorefore, it gives me very much pleasure
to come before this Comirittoe, whoso members freniiontly learn of
injuries to crops in their constituencies, extending over districts in

anJT ru!i t'^'t"'-. ' •"*'■" '"*:.' "" "PP"«-'"""y"*' giving at'.enti.m,
una I shall take it as a groat favour if members, whenever they hoar
of injuries of this kin.i. will write and let me know, so that 1 may
investigate the matter. Members of Parliament often do me and
the country great servico in tluH way. I am dwelling at some length
on this, bt^cause I wish to impress upon you what Imvself know to
DO the case, that these studies are ot enormous imporUince it we get
agriculturists, gardenois and others to apply them and put them
into practice. In tho bulletin which I have already rct'.rrod to 1
drawattentiontos..meofthemostcommonlyoccurringinsect«all«.ver
thecountry. Now. Mr. Chairman.with your permission, I.. m going to
^peak of one or two of these, to impress upon the member* that these
studies are ot the value I claim for them. A general truth requires an
Illustration to bring it home to ourselves. Thegenoral truth that the
injuiy IS groat will be acknowledge by all, and I purpose to refer
to tho treatment advised for three or four of our v-orst insect
enemies, to illustrate that economic Entomology has provided us
with means for averting much of this injuiy. There is probably no
armor who has grown turnips who has not sutferod from the
turnip flea beetle, or "turnip rty,- and who is not ."amiliar
with Its destructiveness. Yet this is an insect which is very easily
dealt with mdeetl. It is a very general practice for good fiirmors
all oyer the country, to apply gypsum, or land plaster to tho young
turnipB, as soon as they appear above the ground. This is done to
provide the plant with a quick-acting fertilizer, and this is fre-
quently done so as to enable the plant to outgi-ow the attacks of
the flea-beetle, and it very frequently tails in this object; but if we
mix with the gypsum some Paris green (1 pound to 50), there is no
more labour required to apply the mixture, but at the same time
the turnips are helped, tho insects are destroyed and tho crop is no
I---3-. t f.-c,,^,, AiKTtucr ruHicuy, iho rofjuit oi experience and
observation, is choosing the proper time for sowing turnips, so as
to escape the difTerent broods of this insect. There are two or three
Droods in the year. It is not confined to turnips, but attacks 3e\ oral

iti^l

plantM bvloii^iriK t<» tlio Hiime natmul order, iih ori'w», wiiil-fluwerii,
«;nl)l>uKO«. itc. It uppfuiH with lli« Hint uiirmth of Mpriii^. Tlio
reiiHoii of tluH '\n tliat it piiMHeH the wintiM' in itH |H>rfL'<-t Htatc It
foe<lH cm <TU«ifer«»UH plantM then in leaf, copiilaf*"*, and lay» vhhh for
another brood. From alMnit th« ISth to ."Ktth of .Funo we nee wry
few ottheuo turnip fliuiM. Thin tlu'ii in the bent tinu'toMiw. Tliuri>a-on
thene Hinall bet'tloH art! ho inJiiriouH in that they attack the turnipn
when they can least Hiand it. when they are yoiin^, and they (aku
tlie UhhI which in provided in the hoik! leaveM for tlie vouiik phint.

(i. What inllnence han Pariw green when it Ih plit in with the
BKuni'f — A. It would not do to w)W it with the need. It would cheek
the HeedH in germinating, and would have no etlect on the inseeti*.
What innecehHary istoduHt the plants with a thin film of powder c(»n-
taining I'ariw green— n very light Hjirinkling imHuftleient. Thi« can
beapplie«l by putting tho|iowder in u hmall tin oaniHter with a per-
forated too. Have iIiIm fuHtcned to a .><hort handle, and then diH-
tribute it by -baking it (iver the plantn. Anolhi-r and more nimple
contrivance is to put the powder in a Hmall Img of muniin. hung by
a Hburt Htring to a liamile, and tap the bag with a light ntiek. Tbo
roanon for tying it on a string in that it makes a great ditference to
the person who hm to apply the poison. If you have to stoop
down for a long time in walking along the r<tWs, it very soon be-
comes exceedingl}' tedious and painful. My tying the bag to the
end of the httn<llo it can be held ousily at the proper height liy u
perHon walking U|)rigbt.

I will now pass on to another illustration. Anyone who has a
farm or a garden must t(»o often have suffered from the attacks '"'""""'
of Home of the numeroiiH (Jut-worinH, which are very injurious
from one end of the country to tbo other, I have bad nuinerouH
inquiries thia year concerning these inoecta from all parts of (Can-
ada, from farmers, gardenerH and others Fiatoly the Prosident
of the Hoard ofTra<lo at Letbbridge, N.W.T., telograph(Ml to know
what to do to stop tliuir ravages in garden crops.

H. These are not the wire-worms ? — A. No, sir ; these are
grey caterpillars, which cut off many kinds of plants, (dose to
or just beneath the surface of the ground, parficulary young toma-
toes and cabbages, when they are planted out in the spring.
Jiy Mr. McMillan:
Q. And Indian corn ? — A, Yes. Indian corn is destroyed some-
times, but not so often in this locality as oth( ,.nts, perhaps every
three or four years; but cabbages and tomat pr are destroyed every
year. Indian corn, however, is destroyed by cut-worms in certain
districts much more than in others. The most applicable remedy
for fields of Indian corn would probably bo poisoned traps— that is,
bundles of loose herbage tied foiretbcr, dipped in Paris green and then
distributed about the fields at, suy, fifteen or twenty foot apart. The
habits of most of those insects are as follows :— the young cater-
pillar hatches from oggs, laid about August or September of the
year before its ravages are noticed. It feeds upon various plants
in the autumn, and then its ravages pass unnoticed, becauHo there
18 a large amount of vegetation. It passes the winter in a torpid
state, and in the spring comes forth and destroys the farmer's crops.
After the winter all vegetation is cleared off the surface of the fields.
The farmer then puts in his crop, and the only vegetation above the

ground is lybnt t.hn fnrmor hua nlantiul • tUiiM tUo. niii ntrx-m c'i<^--

iNow, if you forestall the cut-worms and give them food in the shape
of these poisoned bundles before the new crop comes up, they will
poison themselves and the crops will be saved. I have freqiiently
observed the utility of these traps on different fields. Mr. Craig our

I>fV<-l(l|l|||l'l|l
(if illMI'tn

the wcatlicr.

Uort rnliuilHf, l,ud H H..I.I of tom«to«H himI c«bbH«f»-. t\il» «p,iMir

WhicI, WUH plum. 1 ..I, tt ,,i,HJO (iriHIKl which W»|. foUIld tc» b« I.H.|lv

inli.«tcNl hy (nilw„rmH. II« hn.l wveiHl oIlheHo trni.H put out
Hii.l the ln«HU fe<l on thoin nmi w«r« *lmti(.ye«l by the Pa.in (Jroeii
but hHr.l y liny of the plantH he net out w«i-e cuKlown. In v.^rv
hot w..Hth..i- it Ik iulvlMblo to put Hhin«I..H over tho tinpH, to prevent
Uifm from luilinK t.K) h.mhi. They will thuii liwt fur four or five

(^.Jlow do yo!. apply ihol'nrinKroeni'-A. The eaulMt wiiy U
to mix it with water ami add a litll.. iioap, then Hprinklc It over the
bun.lh.H or dip them into it. If vou mix Koap with the water yon
will tin. that It will adht^re muoK iKitter to nomo votfotalion thaii If
wiiter alone ih u«e<l. Of rourHe, care muKt bo taken to put down a
HUfHciont number of bundles; I believe if they are put evrn twenty
or thirty yui-dM apart it will Ik, found «uf!ici».nt in mo«t .-aavH
"// Mr. liower^ :

Q. All thoHe<ut:wormH don't commence at tho full of tho vonr
do they?— A. No; but I think that inont of the m do. There are no
leBH than three hundred <lirt'eiont mothn, tho catorpillara of which
art* known m cut -woriiiH,

<^ We never «co thoni iHjfore the cropH are o.)rne up. They are
«rey worniK, about an inch and a-half lon«?— A. There are a^reat
many different kindn of cut.W(»rinH, and they vary Honiewhat in i heir
tiaJntH and «ome varietien are much more troublesome than oliiorH.
.1 .: ""i!,""*' '•'"^" ' "Pe"'* «'*■ commenced their ravatfOH about
the tir«t <>f.'uno, when I was homo, just after Sir John Mawlonald'H
ueatfi C— A. The habits and development of insectH arc mwlifiiMl by
the weatfior. Tho greater number of cutworms hatch in late sum-
mer and bo^in their ^'rowth in the autumn, pass through the winter
iishalf-growncaterpillars, and then complete their growth in tho
Hj.iing. There are some kinds, also, which pasu tho winteras eggs or
in the perfect state as moths which lay oggh in tho spring. A iome<ly
tor lliose which hibernate as calorpillai-s is late ploughing. They paas
the winter in little cells beneatli thosurface. Late ploughing broakn
thepo up and exposes the caterpillars to the elements. Clean farming
and seeing that the weeds are all kaj t down late in summer, also
prevent tho mother moths from laying eggs, because they will
n«»t lay them where there is n.»t suitable food for the offspring
Ihero 18, again, another vo.-y simple remedy which is very littfe
trouble. It IS simply to wrap around each plant a piece of paper
such as I have hero, two and u-half inches by throe inches ; the
pajwr can be tied up in little bundles and hung from the side of the
liBsket in which the young cabbagesaro carrie<l to the field.and as you
take each cabbage from the basket put the paper round tho stem
then lis you put tho plant inUj the ground you hold tho paper round
It and cover it up, leaving about one and a-haif inches of paper
above tho ground. ' *

Q. I got tins made. How do you regard thorn ?— A. If you
go to the expense of tins, it is of course so much tho better, because
tho cut-worm cannot climb up the smooth surface and tho tin bands
^'J .i-u.^ *T" '""">' >'*'*''^- '^*''" remedy is not, of ccurso, perfectly
infallible, but often a very little trouble will save a groat deal of
^'"nr ' that would be done if things were left alone.

Q. U e had a considerable doal of corn that the cut-worm eat oft'

last year. We had 14 acres, and there

were 3 acres in which

Did the insnct cut it off or

it cui off one-third of tho corn ? — A.
bt»re into the stem ?

Q. Oh, it cut it off'. I found little worms in each recess that was
cut. Ihey may be different from the others?— A. These would be

1891

I'liiiii ho

probnhly l*ll,«tru|m m..ntin„o,l_«, tl... i,m« the cui„ woul.l bi
-itwouL iH> well tocntortaquHnlity oftl,,. K.«en r uvor NprMV

inJl'dll'oJr " ""''* "'"' •''""■'*"••" '' ^'"•'"«'' "•« ^••"1' ''>• "•-"•«'•'
'Hi«ro luo one «.r lw<, other if.w,ctM I wi.j, fo njmik nf. \ woiiM like
t^>Mwuk H»''nutbetroiibloM)men|«nt.|i,.oor"Kr .«i, HioM " wbicb iiff..?t TV "^

Knloin..loK,Ht lo t,<„nb.a HHiiKfHo.oriiy. Ue moHtu.eful n„,u«ly i. ,ui
apl.licu ion ol thfc konmrno omul«ion-H mixture of two lirin <.f
c.m oil and ono of Houp and water. Cbiirn i|,«h„ forlorn., tini«
with n HvrlnKo, und thon you ,,ot an omiilHJon likt- croain If vou
mix ihiH with nine limeH tbo .|iian(ity of water yon will rind it an
i'IHci«nt remedy tor all kindn of plum lioo
Hi, J/r. Ihwera :
q. Woul.l not tblK (loHtroy the ro««.buK?— A. It woiij.l ,|o «. If it
were Hnrayo^l riKht .... t« itn bo,ly. Home in^ocfH are more difH.ult
ban othofH to .loHtroy. and ibo rono-booile i^ ..n« of tb« very wornt
1 Hball now Hiieak for u tew momonta «)f Hcalo inneclH
By Col. O'Brien :
Q. I bml I may Kuy, a crop of turnips killed by apbin ?— A On
uUry kiKdl on tbe experimental farm m,me years ago we aUo had
Homo planm attaoke<| by it. *

Q. I find the anhiH i^ a hard enemy to deal with ?— A. It Ih un-

milllAlllt** lkl«# till"' l-~»---- — ~-- ■• ■■■ '

Tbin muftt

dou»)ie.|lv; but tl.e koroiwne omulNion'wiircon.iu.'r it. rniH must
he 'liHtnbuted by nieann of a proper nox/,lo; the bent i« the " Hilev

and by ,tH n.eanH a very little lb,ui.| can be pumped upon the plan

application of r6medie8 to hucI. plantK as cabbageH or turnip which
grow low and are attacked Ijoneath the leaves. The turnip ai»hi«
doen n<.t oecur very often. In Bru.e peninsula lant year it wL very
troubleHome. Three yearn ago it wan ti«,uble.oine here, and in
llamiltoii two years ago. '

hal7liLn"T r'T'' *'Z*\^^'' momentH on scale insects. Thu8e ll..i.itH..f .
have been Htudie<l at Washington and hero for a numl>er of years «"!• i..".^t..
and It IS found that the bestHystem of treating them in to deal with '*'''"•"";•.'"''
them m the spring l^fore the leaves are out. Although they'" •"'"""•

rt?«?ni ''m 7 """''V ""*'" *^'''*' ««^'"''' ♦l'^ whole insect
1 18 vulnorablo to a wiwh or sprav of kerosene emulsion, or coal oil
diluto.1 aM before mentioned. The life history of the applo-scale
ILi .!*«."<'^""' ''*e iHJgins about the first of June, when active
little mite-like creatures hatch from the eggs which have
pasBod through the winter beneath the scales on the bark of

wi^h^SS^ I'T- '^'"" .* '"^"^ '^*^.'* '''«>^ "'■« *^'^'^«' «"J have six logs,
TninJ t 7v, "u""^' I*'' y ^^"^ "®^ "^'^''i they then pierce the
joung bark with their beaks and remain stationary for the rest of
their lives. After taking their position, within three or four days
whTH f ^''*.«*'"" h««in« to form, which gradually envelops the
whole bfKly, increasing with the insect. In about three montU the

nsect has assumed tb-j form of a scale, with a mass of eggs beneath
nnehi , fT "''" 7''^ ."""'erous, and after being laid, remain
unchanged for nearly nine months, till the next 8nrin«r Th..
lomaies ui many of the scale insects and plant-lice produce eggs
which hatch without any communication whatever with the mafes
1 uo not think It is necessary for males of scale insects to have con-
nection with the females for the latter to produce eggs and to carry

10

on generation, there are so feiv males in comparison with the
temales. Sometimes, after carefully examininif a tree you will not
hnd one .nale to a thousand females.

Q. They must naturally have some connection ?--A. Not neces-
sarily It appeai-M in some insects, as, for instance, some saw-flies
they have been known to produce young without the males beinff
known This is the case, Dr. Packard says, of the gooseberry saw-
fly, and although the larch saw-fly has devastated thousands of acres
ot tamarac swamps, and the females may be caught by the millions
I have never seen a male. There is a process which takes plac4
amongst plant-lice called gemmation or budding. Only in the
last brood in the autumn of the apple aphis are males produced.
Although there may be twenty generations during the summer it
IS only m the last that males are produced and copulation takes
place. Jiggs are then laid, and in this state the winter is passed
±-arly the next spring plant-lice hatch from these eggs, which are
mature in a few days, and give birth to four or five young every day
while they live. Those again are rea'iy to have yo.i:ig in four days.
and so on throughout the summer; but there are no males till the
autumn. Ihis process is analogous to budding in plants, and is called
gemmation or parthenogenesis, which means birth from a vir^^in
Another important branch of my work at the BxperimentafFarm
Fungous na« been the study of fungous diseases. The experiments are of
& mtdv r"""^ recent origin, and consequently the study of fungous disease;.
mutH, muHdy has not developed so far as economic entomology. The instruments
necessary are very expensive. It requires agood microscopetor ex-
aming the different diseases, and special apparatus and books which I
have not at the farm. The work has, therefore, been pushed more
in other branches for the present, but there are certain fungous
diseases which have demanded attention. Amorist these and
upon which Mr. Craig, the horticulturist, has Dublishod a bulletin
18 that termed the Black Spot of the Apple, a disease due to a
parasitic fungus which can bo reduced very materially if people
will but follow the directions given in that bulletin. The disease
can be very easily treated, sufficiently well, at any rate, to increase
materially the value of the crop by the expenditure of a few cents
to each tiee.

The value of the apples treated may, as a matter of fact, be always
increased to more than double what they would have been without
treatment. The mildew of the grape, which has been a great trouble
to grape growers, and has done great injury in the Southern States,
has, within the last three or four years, come into Canada, and as
It may unless checked give us a great deal of trouble for a good many
years, it has been thought well io try experiments for controlling
it. VV 0 have been able to take advantage of the studies of Professor
bcribner and Mr. Galloway, of Washington, and the results they
have arrived at. The treatment recommended for this is : Carbonate
ot copper, 2 oz.; ammonia, IJ pints to 25 gallons of water. Three
or tour applications, two weeks apart, sprayed over the vines from
the time the flowers show. With regard to some diseases, as rust
ot wheat, oats, &c., we are not much further advanced towards a
renaedy than we were a hundred years ago. We know the life
history of the plants ; we know the various stages of its growth, but
so tar nosatisfiactory remedial treatment has been hit upon
By Mr. Trow :
Q. Has not the state of the weather much to do with the rust?—
A. It has a good deal to do with the development, but not with the
actual origin of the rust, which is derived from minute spores, each
one ot which is capable of producing disease in the plant upoi>

U--

1891

11

rot. The oxMiimnM. i„ „„ ? of scientilic men, is tbo poUito A ,m„i„,

iiSESslilili

at nome and in Ii-e and In ihn fTnifoH «f..f«c •* i , •''"fo '^ """i
.acce,.f„,|y .. „„e of-,he';^p:rL"el,Ul'S '. '"r'Se'r^n":^

rot at the ame tim« ^ *''?•'?''?' *^^ *^« P^*«^" beetle and potato
♦rlh^,, j/ . . ®' ^"® a'ticle known as "London Purnle " i«

wKi/v . • • • ^^^y set their siippi es from Enirlish houses
which again, ,n many instances, obtain their seeds SThe mounl

wr ive fnTh"/' *^'\''^"''^^\'^«'"S «'^"" *«>-mers or chUdren

leu^e. iney might, therefore, mix a dozen different kinds of trra^a

v^ttuwa Climate. V>rith few exceptions they had been winter-killed

ridV^rLSTatTh'^ •'"'' '' '""'''''^ ^'^'"^ The" sTed'mel;
pel busher Sll ^Ji t^ ^"'.^'' "". '^'"^ '*''«« ^^^ «10 or more
For cultivation inTh ""^"^ -^ ^*'"\^*^ ^"^ ^^^ ^«'»« P">po8es and
the Eniiri n .1^ «ame soils as they are recommenied for in
IiLmiSI «'^tf'o?"e8. while, as a matter of fact, they may bS
^iThaf o?n "'^^'"f'-'' «"»«y«ti«" here in our climate ^C^ay
ask what can we get instead. Well, we have native grasses here

om.lre.Ss?nrT'l'' ""'.' ' ^^''^"«' ''' much^e'tferuUed't:
mema? Farm ' endeavouring to prove this at the Experi.

By Col O'Brien :

if ?n ^T ^'''" ^''®'' *"^^ !*»''«" '"ye g'-ass ?-A. Yes • 1 have tried
iutrth^''r"''/""rS' '° '^'ff^^^"* soils, but i always kSs
out ,n the winter. Another gra«s which will succeed in some par s

12

Remedy for
apple scab.

of Canada, but haa failed with Ub ut Ottawa — at least is not suffi-
ciently hardy to make it a paying crop — is Orchard Grass.

Q. 1 do not value the Orchard Grass; it is defective in nutritive
qualities? — A. If you go down to the Kasiern Townships you will
find it growing plentifully, and it is of great service as a variety in
pastuies ; this makes it acceptable to stock. I have here a sample
of the Meadow Fescue Grass ; this is perhaps the best of the English
grasses I have tried at Ottawa. The sample I have here is from a
bed sown over three years ago. On good soil this grass will give a verj-
heavy crop of hay and pasture. This has been grown on poor soil,
with baldly any manure. Here is a grass called the Canary Reed
Grass. The seed of this actual sample came from Germany, but it
is found wild on low ground and along streams in all parts of Can-
ada from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
By Mr. Trow :
Q. In experimenting upon these gi-assos, do you know their fat-
tening qualities ; that is of importance as compared with the clover
and timothy? — A. Yes; they are all being analyzed by the Chemist,
Mr. Shutt, and the lesults are generally gO(xl. Had I known eai-lier
this morning, when I left the farm, that I was to appeal- before this
Committee, I should have brought some more varieties with me.
The Canary Reed Grass is a grass that grows naturally on wet soil,
but will also thrive on dry ground. It is of great value as a green
crop. In the beginning of June it will give more green feed than
rye. Last j-ear the experimental patch of this grass was cut three
times, but it was a mistake cutting it three times, twice would have
been better. I consider it one of the most valuable native grasses
we have.

By Col. O'Brien :
Q. Is it nutritive ? — A. It is, and it is also very palatable, which
is a very important factor in feeding, because, however nutiitive a
grass may be, it is not of much value if it is not palatable, for the
cattle will not eat it. The object in a good mixture is to have
grasses of nutritive and palatable qualities, and at the same time
to get agood yield. One of the grasses that does not stand the winter
well with us is the Sweet Vernal Grass, highly valued in England
for its earliness and aromatic odour. We have, however, ;in our
native Holy Grass, a grass with both of these qualities, and one
which givesmuch more feed, isvery hardy, and growsanywherefrom
the mountain tops down to the marshes.
By Mr. McMillan :
Q. A great deal depends upon getting early grass ; I suppose the
native grasses spring up eaily ? — A. i'es, sir; as a rule much sooner
than the introduced grasses.

I am afraid, Mr. Chairman, 1 have taken up more of your time
than I ought to have done. I thank you for your attentive
hearing

By Mr. Trow :
Q. I would like to ask Mr. Fletcher what treatment he recom
mends for scab on the apple ? — A. The treatment Mr. Craig
recommends in our Bulletin No. 10 is the amraoniacal copper car-
bonate treatment, which is, I think, quite satisfactory.
By Mr. McMillan :
Q. This disease is a serious matter. Where is it most prevalent?
— A. It is in all parts of Canada, varying in prevalence with ditfercnt
seasons. In Prince Edward County last year, I do not think you
could find a dozen apple or pear tiees where it did not exist. You
could see the black spots on the leaves and fruit everywhere, and
the fruit was much destroyed. Where the disease is observed, the

^

1B91
18

leaves should be destroyed by burning in autumn, and the tree
sprayed when bare with a sulphate of copper solution, in addition
to the treatment of the fruit in summei-.

Q. I had a pear tree last year on which the fruit irot a little hard
and crumpled Fust of all it became rough, and then thefn.it
V'^fur Z:\\^'*- That is another disease, and is the same a« the
Lieat-blight of the quince. It is not a disease that is very preva-
lent m this part of Canada, but down in Nova Scotia and towards
the coast It IS not uncommon. This has been successfully treated
with the Bordeaux mixture I have already described
By Col. O'Brien :
Q. In speaking about grasses, have you tried any experiments
with the native clover ? This year has been a wonderfiil year foi-
clover with U8?-A. It was too dry early in the season in many
parts. We have no native clovers in this part of Canada ; thev are ^''">'"" "i'^«'
all introduced. On the Pacific Coast there are several some ofcSa"
which are of economic value. The small White Dutch, the Alsike
and the red clovers are all introduced. Different seedsmen have
sent out special varieties, but they are nearly all produced from
rf^'V 1-^^ are some fine varieties known as mammoth clovers
y. 1 think you find the Dutch Clover everywhere ?— A. Yes • but
it has always been accidentally introduced. You also find timothy
everywhere. I have found white clover in places where I hardly
ever supposed it could be carried by artificial means, high up on
the Rocky Mountains. ^ *^

By the Chairman :
Q. You have spoken of the caterpillar pest ; what do you think
the best means of treating it ?— A. Upon what plants ?
A-^' ^- ^,^ PJ""*^ ^^'^^ ** *^®«*8 most?— A. There are very many . i .
ditterent kinds of caterpillars with different habits. One of the (^ilS '^'""
most troublesome caterpillars this year is the Canker worm on '•™*'dv for.
apple trees. Of all the different remedies, I think Paris Green'the
most effective. The Canker worm on apple trees is a source of
great trouble. In Nova Scotia they have to fight it every
year. It attacks many other kinds of trees besides the apple In
Winnipeg this year it has done much injury to the ash-leaved
maples in the streets. Paris Green must, of course, be used with
great care If put on too strong it will injure the foliage, and if
applied when apple trees are in flower, the bees which fertilize the
flower, will be poisoned. There are many remedies for injurious
insects some practical, others not. A class of remedies which I .
have always tound quite impracticable are the hot water remedies. !"nEi*^*'^'*
They are too expensive, to begin with, and it is too difficult to get
the water on to the insects at a temperature which will kill them
and not injure the plant. It is expensive, because you must have the
supply close to where it is to be used, and this frequently means
the cartage of both fuel, water and cauldron
By Mr. Trow :
Q. Do you approve of scraping the trees with a hoe and putting
on white-wash ?--A. Yes ; I think it is a good plan.

Q. At what stage of plant life would you use gypsum for the
turnip flea?— A. Directly the two heart-shaped seed leaves appear.

Having examined the foregoing transcHvt of my evidence I find
It correct.

JAMES FLETCHER,

Entomologist and Botanist,

Dominion Experimental Farms.