203 



"The Eed and Black Beetle in all its habits, except as to food, seemed to me so 

 like the Colorado beetle that I had mentally been calling it Doryphora rubra-trili- 

 neata. The prevailing colout- is red; there are three heavy black lines along the 

 wing covers, the middle lines being made up one-half from each wing cover. Itfeeda 

 on leaves of turnips and radishes, and whore it can get a choice it prefers the latter, 

 sometimes covering a radish plot in swarms. 1 have picked over 500 from a space 

 five yards long, otF a single row of radishes, and in two days they were almost as 

 plentiful as ever. They also prefer the rough-leaved to the smooth-leaved turnips. 

 Euta-bagas or Swedes are very little meddled with if white turnips or others with 

 rough leaves are growing alongside. I discovered no natural enemies. I watched 

 carefully, as far as time would allow, for the eggs or larvae of the beetle on the leaves 

 of the_ radishes and turnips which were its favourite food, but in no instance found 

 either." Some of the radishes if neglected for a day or two would be completely 

 stripped. Some of the female beetles were vcy big, so big that I expected eggs, 

 and not finding any I thought they must have been deposited in the ground. I 

 know the beetles burrow ; but (^nnot say where the eggs are deposited." — Thos. 

 Copland, Saskatoon, N.-W.T. 



This insect should be watched carefully by north-western farmers, and on their 

 appearance in July the infested crops should be at once sprinkled with Paris G-reen, 

 in the pi-oportion of 1 pound to 100 gallons of water. I shall be obliged if some of 

 my correspondents will next July send me specimens alive, so that the life-history 

 may be worked out They may be easily sent by putting one or two pairs into a 

 small tin box with some turnip leaves. These latter should be allowed to fade a 

 little before putting in the box or they will rapidly decay. The boxes for sending 

 insects by mail must not have any holes punched in them, or the food plants and 

 insects will soon dry up and perish, 



THE PEA WEEVIL. 



{Bruchus pisi, L.) 

 A small, brownish-grey, very active beetle, ^ inch long, with two conspicuous 

 black spots on the end of the body, which emerges from seed pease in autumn or in 



spring, leaving a small round hole. The 

 egg is laid on the young pod and the grub 

 eats its way into the pea, where it passes 

 all its stages, emerging the same autumn 

 or the following spring. 



Eeports from the pea-growing districts 

 early in the season were to the effect that 

 there was far less of the Pea Weevil than 

 last year. Lately, however, I find this to 

 have been a mistake, and a report from 

 Prince Edward county, one of the best 

 Fig. 8. pea-seed growing districts in Canada, 



says: "lam very sorry to report that they are greatly on the increase. Lots 

 coming from the central parts of the county "are usually worse than those from 

 the outskirts or from near the water. In some lots grown near the lake there is 

 scarcely a weevil to be found. Certain varieties of peas are more infested than 

 others, as the White-eyed Manowfuts, Forty-folds, and Golden-vines. The Early Kents 

 had some, but the Eunner peas have scarcely any. In the line of Eunners, Black-eyes, 

 and Golden-vines, farmers raise and keep most of their own seed." — T. G. Eaynor. 

 Hose Sail, Ont. 



There was considerable excitement caused in Eenfrew county, Ont., last spring, 

 by the introduction of a laige quantity of seed-pease, amongst which there were 

 found to be some living weevils. A correspondent, who does not wish his name 

 mentioned, wrote as follows: — " I herewith enclose you samples of pease containing 

 some kind of a bug or gi'ub, and would like to have you identify it. About 3,000 

 bushels of these pease have been imported from the United States, to be grown here, 



