REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 187 



out to me by Mr. John R. McKenzie, a progressive farmer, of Roger's Hill, Pictou, 

 N.S., and since confirmed by my own inquiries, although the "red leaf" was prevalent 

 all over the Maritime provinces, the grain aphis was not exceptionally abundant, and 

 was much less so in some districts than is frequently the case. 



Wire worms (Materidce). Several letters inquiring for the best »emedy for wire 

 worms have been received. The experience of the past shows that the only one of the 

 many remedies recommended which has given any measure of success is late fall plough- 

 ing. Last spring Mr. Forrest E. Caldwell, of Manotick, Ont., called upon me, and 

 in discussing this matter, told me that he had one field in which for the last twenty 

 years every crop of wheat and oats had invariably been badly attacked by wire worms, 

 but that barley and rye in the same fields, as a rule, gave a good crop. To test the im- 

 munity of rye, which it was convenient for him to sow this year, I requested him to put 

 the land under that crop, which he did, and he now reports that it was one of the finest 

 crops he ever saw. Fall ploughing Mr. Caldwell has found of little use in controlling 

 wire worms. 



Grasshoppers (Acrydiidce). Early in the season several letters of complaint came 

 in of the unusual abundance of young grasshoppers. In most districts heard from, 

 these disappeared suddenly about midsummer. Mr. G. C. Caston, of Craighurst, Ont., 

 attributes this to three parasites which he found occurring abundantly, and describes as 

 the Red Mite, a hair worm and a maggot, the last two being internal parasites, and the 

 mites attacking the insect beneath and at the base of the wings. The severest attack 

 by grasshoppers was upon Sable Island, off Nova Scotia, and was brought to my notice 

 by the Department of Marine and Fisheries, with a request for suggestions as to their 

 extermination. It was stated that the locusts sent had been very abundant on Sable 

 Island the past summer, and had injured the grass and vegetables to such an extent 

 that the agent of the department feared there would be a scarcity of fodder for the 

 wild ponies during the coming winter. In forwarding the specimens, Mr. J. Parsons 

 wrote : " Some three or four years ago a few were noticed for the first time on the 

 island; the following year there were more, and in the summer of 1893 they were 

 numerous. This season they infest the island. All the cultivated vegetables have been 

 injured, and the grass crop greatly reduced. Whether brought to the island in hay or 

 by wind, or whether the eggs have hatched after being long buried, the superintendent 

 does not know." There is no doubt, I think, that the progenitors of the present invasion 



were blown from the mainland, as they have been found 



at sea at a much greater distance from land. From all 



I can learn of the nature of Sable Island, I judge that 



i 1 *^ this colony of grasshoppers could be easily controlled 



there by the use of hopper-dozers, as recommended on 

 Fig. L The Rocky Mountain Locust page 166 of my last year > s report> i n wn i c h t he young 



could be caught and destroyed before their wings appeared. The species of grasshopper 

 concerned was the Lesser Migratory Locust (Melanoplus atlanis, Riley). Fig. 1 repre- 

 sents the Rocky Mountain Locust ; the present species closely resembles it in shape, but 

 is one-third smaller in size. 



THE PEA MOTH. 



(Semasia sp.J 



Attack. — Small whitish and slightly hairy caterpillars, when full grown about 

 half an inch in length, frequently found inside the pods of pease about the time they are 

 ready for table use, or a little later. 



" Maggoty " or " wormy " pease are well known to the house-keeper, but it is sel- 

 dom that they are sufficiently abundant in gardens to cause much complaint, and I 

 do not think that anything has been yet written in this country upon the life history 

 of the insect of which these " worms " are one of the preparatory stages. Owing to the 



