218 



EX PE RIM EXT A L FA RMS. 



" I find that rain fell 24 hours after the last spraying and I presume partially de- 

 stroyed its efficacy. I cannot find that I sprayed again, but my impression is that even 

 this dose did not completely fix things ; but by this time I think the leaves had pushed 

 on so far that the beetles could not do much damage. As to the effect pn my crop, I 

 am perfectly safe in saying that at least one-third of the crop was destroyed, in many 

 cases every bud on the cane being eaten out. I found that the beetles were generally 

 very shy and wary, on being approached, running to the edge of the leaf and rolling off, 

 or else turning over "on their backs and simulating death." 



" May 20, 1892. — My old enemy, Paria sex-notata, has revisited me this spring in 

 greater numbers than ever. I sprayed with Paris green 4 ounces to 40 gallons, but tha 

 foe still bobbed up serenely. To give you some idea of the damage it has done me this 

 year, I may state that out of a quarter of an acre of raspberries not a score of canes 

 have leafed out. I am not the only victim t his year, as several of my neighbours have 

 been seriously injured by the beetles ; I strongly suspect that their canes were more or 

 less injured last year, but they do not seem to have been aware of the existence of the 

 beetle, and some even this year failed to attribute the damage to the right cause. 

 Where the patches are badly affected, I have advised taking out root and branch and 

 burning, and presume this to be the best course. Do you know how many eggs the 

 beetle lays 1 Or have you in any way traced out its life history 1 



" I might mention that I found one specimen eating a grape vine bud. Is this 

 new to you V 



Mr. John Craig, the Horticulturist of the Central Experimental Farm, found this 

 insect early in May last injuriously abundant in raspberry plantations on the road 

 between Hamilton and Grimsby. 



Mr. Adolphus Pettit, of Grimsby, stated that it was in great numbers on a neigh- 

 bour's raspberries, working on the unopened buds and young leaves, and it occurred on 

 many other fruit farms. 



Remedies. — The Grimsby fruit growers were recommended to dust the bushes at 

 once with Paris green and slaked lime, or some other quite dry powder, 1 pound of the 

 former to 25 pounds of the latter. This mixture is easiest applied by putting it into a 



bag of cheese cloth and shaking or tapping it 

 over the bushes. Of course, if this can be done 

 when there is a dew, it is so much the better. 

 Owing to the difficulty of destroying these beetles 

 with poisons and the small quantity of foliage 

 on raspberry bushes at the time of attack, per- 

 haps the most practical remedy will be found to 

 be beating the insects off into a beating net, 

 a light wooden frame with cotton stretched 

 lightly between the side pieces (Fig. 18), and 

 then destroying them by throwing them into 

 some vessel holding water with a little coal oil 

 on the top. An easy plan for collecting them 

 is to hold an open and inverted umbrella beneath 

 the canes when beating them, and then brush 

 the insects out into the coal oil pan. 



In a import which Mr. Woolverton has been 



kind enough to send me on the injuries to fruit 



crops by insects during 1894, he says : — 



" Tho Spotted Paria was very troublesome about Grimsby this spring, eating out 



the buds of the raspberry, and thus materially reducing the .gt op. I have made public 



the remedy you prescribe, and it will be tried faithfully next season by our growers. 



I shall be obliged to any fruit grower who, next season, will notify me promptly of 

 the occurrence of this insect on its first appearance, and send me living specimens for 

 study. 



Fig. 18.— Beating net. 



