REPORT OF TEE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST 167 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



at any time occur in noticeable numbers in a growing crop of wheat, it may be re- 

 membered that they pass the winter on the fields in the bases of straws, which they have 

 cut off before spinning the silken cocoons in which they winter over, close to the sur- 

 face of the ground. The stubbles in fields which have been infested, should, therefore, 

 be burnt over in autumn or spring, or should be ploughed down deeply before the 

 middle of June, so as to make it impossible for the flies to work their way up to the 

 surface. Stubble fields left for summer-fallowing should be turned down early in 

 June; and, should the insect at any time become more destructive than it has in the 

 past, early summer-fallowing should be practised every other year. 



The Joint Worm (Isosoma tritici, Fitch). — Injuries to grain crops in Canada by 

 Joint Worms are seldom complained of; but during the past summer there have been 

 a few outbreaks which have been serious, although restricted as to area. These were 

 in western Ontario and in Prince Edward Island. Mr. T. D. Jarvis, of the Agricul- 

 tural College, at Guelph, reports that the Joint Worm was abundant and destructive at 

 Guelph. Mr. D. C. Dewhurst also reported it from Cottam in Essex county, and Mr. 

 E. J. Doake from Millbrook, Durham county. Notwithstanding these local occurrences 

 there were few references to Joint Worms in correspondence. In Prince Edward Island 

 the loss from Joint Worms seems to have been more severe. Through the kindness of 

 the Rev. Father Burke I learnt of the occurrence and obtained particulars. The Joint 

 Worm was frequently found in the same fields with the Hessian Fly and the Wheat 

 Midge. The two last, however, were in much smaller numbers than the first. 



* Aug. 22, Bayview, P.E.I. — Find inclosed sections of wheat straw with diseased 

 joints. There is considerable damage to wheat in this locality. The disease is always 

 in the top joint. If this increases here, I fear very much for our wheat crop another 

 year.' — Walter Simpson. 



' Sep. 17, Darnley, P.E.I. — Herewith I send samples of injured wheat straw. What 

 is the cause of the swollen and bent stem ? Many fields are affected with these distorted 

 joints and short straw. Some fields are half gone.' — Willum Bassett. 



* Aug. 22, Park Corners, P.E.I. — I send sample of my wheat. The whole crop was 

 destroyed by some kind of vermin which has also destroyed all wheat about here.' — 

 Alex. Campbell. 



' Nov. 17, Kensington, P.E.I. — I learn by inquiry that the Joint Worm has been 

 troxiblesome in lots 18 and 19 in Prince county, and on lot 20 in Queen's. There are 

 also a few other places. Where the crop was light, the damage was almost complete. 

 In strong growing grain there w.as only slight loss.' — John Anderson. 



' Aug. 14, Malpeque, P.E.I. — I send you samples of wheat which have been affected 

 while growing, by two different enemies. Tou will notice that some stalks have a 

 swollen joint just below the head, which has turned it at about a right angle to the 

 stalk. I have opened some of these and find small maggots. Another trouble seems to 

 be that the stalk is eaten almost off very near to the base, so that it dies. These two 

 troTibfes are causing great damage in this vicinity. Some of our wheat fields in this 

 vicinity, especially in Long River and French River, are much injured, so that some 

 farmers are cutting down their grain for feed.' — Rev. E. J. Rattee. 



Upon examining these samples, it was found that they were badly attacked by tho 

 Joint Worm and also by the Hessian Fly. There were also a few specimens of the 

 red larvae of the Wheat Midge clustered round the kernels of the wheat in the ear. 



Mr. Rattee was informed what the insects were, and it was suggested that the 

 stubble should be ploughed down deeply directly the crop was cut. In his reply, he 

 points out that there would be difficulty in getting farmers to do this because of the 

 prevailing practice of seeding down with a wheat crop, for hay the following year. 

 This, of course, would be a difficulty everywhere; but, as the Joint Worm distorts the 

 stems so that a large number of the hardened joints occur so dose to the ground that 

 they are left on the fields with the stubble, it will be found a paying practice even to 

 plough down these new meadows after a single year's growth, rather than to leave them 



