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the destruction of their leaves by insects. The American larches over thousands of 

 acres in Canada have been destroyed during the last four or five years simply by 

 having most of their leaves eaten by the Imported Larch Saw-fly {Nematus Erich- 

 sonii). Gooseberj-y and currant bushes stripped of their leaves during one season by 

 the Ciii-rant Worm (NemaUis ribesii) seldom mature a good crop of fruit the next. 



The following are amongst the more important pests of the farmer which have 

 been enquired about during the past season : — 



Pepper Grass (Lepidiiim intermedium, Gray.) 



Specimens of this plant were sent down by Mr. Bedford from Brandon, where 

 it was not known by farmers, and was causing much alarm from its unusual deve- 

 lopment and luxuriance. This latter chai-ucter must, however, have been due to 

 the season, as it is indigenous ard very common from the Red Eiver west to the 

 Pacific. It is a slender annual herb, about 12 to 18 inches in height, belonging to the 

 Cress family. It produces an enormous quantity of very small reddish seeds, by far 

 the greater part of the plant consisting of the flowering branches thickly beset with 

 the small, round, flat pods. It grows in the shape of a miniature tree with a central 

 stem and a large spreading head. There are two species of these pepper grasses 

 ly. Virginicum and the present species L. intermedium. They are much alike, but 

 can be at once separated by an examination of the seed. In L. Virginicum the 

 seed-leaves of the undeveloped plant, inside the seed, are accumbent — that is, have 

 theii- edges lying against the radicle,^ while in L. intermedium the seed-leaves are 

 incumbent, or have the radicle lying against the back of one of them. 



In July the same weed was sent in by the editor of the North-West Farmer, 

 who had received it from M.r. H. Byers, of Portage la Prairie, who,had come across 

 it in several places, and in one place " had found about half an acre of a wheat field, 

 where the weed had completely crowded out the wheat." About the same time 

 there appeared in the newspapei-s several refei-ences to the great abuif^dance of the 

 same plant in Minnesota and North and South Dakota, where, owing to unusually 

 wet weather, it had developed moi-e quickly than the wheat crop and crowded it 

 out. In the Lake County Leader, published at Madison, South Dakota, 25ih June, 

 1891, the following appears: "Valley city, North Dakota. — Extended observations 

 and well-authenticated reports from all parts of the country show the alarming con- 

 dition of the wheat on account of the growth of Pepper Grass, the new weed of the 

 Mustard family, which has appeared this year for the first time. Many fields are 

 already entirely ruined, and thousands of acres of wheat that whs most promising, 

 being chiefly on summer fallow, will not be worth harvesting. The damage to date 

 is estimated at from 15 to 25 per cent." It is probable that this state of things 

 improved as the season progressed; but the above shows the advisability of fai-mers 

 making every eff'ort to clean this weed out of their land. It is an annual, and pro- 

 duces no running roots; it is easily seen, and can be easily pulled by hand, which will 

 probably be found the best means of eradicating it. 



Penny Cress, "Stink-weed," " French-we.ed " {Thlaspi arvense). 



This is considered one of the worst weeds in Manitoba. It belongs to the Cress 

 family, and has great vitality. There are two large successive crops of seed ripened 

 in the summer, and frequently many plants will be found late in the autumn, which 

 pass through the frosts of winter unharmed and ripen their seeds early the next 

 spring. It is an exhaustive weed of a rank, unpleasant odour. It is an annual, and 

 wherever seen should be destroyed. It is very abundant in Manitoba, and is now 

 also found in many other parts of Canada. It can at once be recognized by its small 

 white flowers its large flat pods, frequently over half an inch acro^, and its 

 pungent odour. Thorough cultivation and hand-pulling will destroy it. 



