REPORT OF THE DIVISION OF ENTOMOLOGY AND BOTANY 41 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



I would strongly urge upon you the great importance of prompt attention to 

 this impending danger, and trust that you will heartily co-operate with the govern- 

 ment in the carrying out of such precautionary measures as it may be necessary 

 to establish to overcome the threatened invasion of this formidable foe. 



Yours very truly, 



WILLIAM SAUNDERS, 

 Director, Dominion Experimental Farms. 



After undoubted nests of the Brown-tail Moth had been found in shipments of 

 French nursery stock imported into Ontario, the following additional circulnr \vas 

 sent to nurserymen and others:— 



Division of Entomology, 



Central Experimental Farm, 



Ottawa, February 5, 1909. 



NURSERYMEN — ATTENTION ! 



TJie Brown-tail Moth. 



In view of the fact that a number of the winter nests of the Brown-tail Mo!h, 

 all of which contained living caterpillars, have recently been discovered i-.i 

 Ontario, in nursery seedling stock imported from France, it is extremely imp ir- 

 tant that all seedlings and stocks being brought in this season be carefully 

 examined in a good light to see if this very injurious insect is present in ship- 

 ments received. In New York State, 1,800 nests of the Brown-tail Moth have been 

 found within the past few weeks in cases of stock imported from France. Nests 

 have been found on apple, pear, plum, cherry, rose, quince, elm and Amelanchier. 



As each winter nest of the Brown-tail Moth contains between two and three 

 hundred small caterpillars, about one-quarter of an inch in length, it can bo 

 easily realized that the danger of this pest becoming introduced is very great. 

 The nests are easily seen, being whitish in colour and situated between two or 

 three twigs or along the main stem of the seedling. 



We should feel obliged if every nurseryman who has this winter imported 

 seedlings, or stocks, from abroad, would at once communicate with this Division, 

 so that, if necessary, an inspector may be sent to examine the stock, and this is 

 better done at the time the cases are opened. 



The surest way to destroy the nests is to at once burn them as they are 

 found. All packing material in infested boxes should also be most carefully 

 burned, as well as the boxes, as there is danger of the small caterpillars having 

 left the nests and secreted themselves in the crevices of the cases. All trimmings 

 from stocks should also be promptly burned. 



In the New England States, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been 

 spent in fighting the Brown-tail Moth. This insect was first introduced into 

 Massachusetts about the year 1890, and it is said to have been brought in on rose 

 bushes from Holland or France. It has now become very abundant and injurious. 



It would be a great calamity if this dreaded pest established itself, in any 

 locality, from stock imported this season from France. It is hoped, therefore, 

 that all nurserymen will co-operate with the government in every way in their 

 power to prevent the Brown-tail Moth from being thus introduced. 



The Entomological Division will be glad to receive from nurserymen, or 

 others, any communications on this subject, and to give any further information 

 desired as to the life-history of this insect and the precautionary measures which 

 should be adopted. 



WILLIAM SAUNDERS, 

 Director, Dominion Experimenlal Farms. 



ARTHUR GIBSON, 

 Chief Assistant, Division of Entomology. 



