216 EXl'ERIMEXTAL FARMS. 



64 VICTORIA, A. 1901 



Cowitchan, Chilliwack, and lastly from Saanich, the outbreak therefore is widespread,, 

 and is naturally causing great consternation. You will see that they are of various 

 sizes, but I take it they are all the same species, although quite different in appearance. 

 I have sent a letter to The Colonist, giving extracts from your reports as to the 

 remedies for cutworms. Let me have fun her advice as soon as possible.' — J. R. 

 Anderson. 



'July 21. — I wired you yesterday asking you to advise me by telegraph as to the 

 eubject of my letter of the 17th. Since the 17th I have been deluged with reports of 

 the ravages of these cutworms, and I have published further articles relating to their 

 life history, the remedies, &c., taken chiefly from your reports and from Prof. Slinger- 

 land's bulletin. I went out yesterday to Mr. Wrigley's place at South Saanich and 

 witnessed the depredations of these pests. It is truly astonishing to see the manner 

 in which whole fields of carrots and other things are cleared off. Mr. Wrigley was 

 spraying vigorously.' — J. R. A. 



' July 30. — Your letter of 23rd inst. received this morning. I am printing part 

 of it in an additional leaflet, giving also extracts from a letter from Mr. Brodie, of the 

 Washington Agricultural Experiment Station. These are going to all the newspapers 

 for publication. The infestation by this insect in Washington amounts to a plague, 

 and I fear most root crops will be lost, as well as other green crops. In consequence 

 of the exliaustion of Paris green in the province and adjoining states, the government 

 was appealed to. I therefore wired you this morning to send 500 pounds.' 



' July 31. — I inclose you a copy of an additional leaflet I have published. A 

 meetirrg of the Victoria Farmer's Institute was held last night at the Royal Oak, for 

 the purpose of considering the cutworm question. I atterrded it, and read your letter. 

 We all wished you could have been there. The experience of those present went to 

 show that those who used the poisoned bran as you directed were very successful in 

 killing off the cutworm, but the numbers of these are so great that it seems almost 

 hopeless. There was, however, after the meeting, a more hopeful spirit among those 

 present, and I think, if we only had Paris green, every one would use it. The lawns in 

 front of the government buildings here are swarming with cutworms. I have induced 

 the caretaker to have them rolled. This is killing them by thousands.' 



' August 2. — I \vas told by a gentleman from Salt Spring Island that he had 

 noticed five cases of the cutworms devouring those which had been poisoned I am 

 also told that some of the worms are being attacked by parasites, but I have not seen 

 anything of this myself as yet.' 



' August 6. — Paris green came safely to hand yesterday. I am now distributing 

 it to the different Secretaries of Farmers' Institutes.' 



'August 15. — I am much obliged for the specimen of Peridroma saucia which you 

 have sent. This moth will be very useful to identify our British Columbian speci- 

 mens by, when they emerge. ISTone of the chrysalids have given the moths yet here, 

 '<)ut Mr. Tom Wilson gave me one a daj^ or two ago when I was in Vancouver, which 

 he had hatched out. It is undoubtedly the same insect. Do you think it at all likely 

 that another brood of caterpillars may hatch out before winter ?' 



'August 16. — I inclose you a copy of a part of a letter from Mrs. J. S. Place, 

 of Dog Creek, B.C., This is a part of the province which I do not think you are 

 ; cquainted with. I think you will find the letter of great interest, as it gives the date 

 vv'hen the eggs were laid. Mrs. Scott, the wife of the mayor of New Westminster, 

 told me that a short time ago she noticed a number of small loopers where the light 

 liappened to fall on a light coloured patch on the carpet in her drawing room. She 

 found that they were dropping from a curtain cord where she found the remains 

 of a cluster of eggs. She had previously destroyed several of these egg-clusters which 

 fc^he had found deposited on the curtains and other places in the room.' 



The following is the letter Mr. Anderson refers to : — 



'Dog Creek, B.C., August 10. — We had an acre and a half of potatoes, and tho 

 cutworms ate all the leaves off in two weeks, leaving only the stalks. When they had 



