242 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 



64 VICTORIA, A. 1901 



The Squash Bug (Anasa tristis, DeG.)- — This troublesome enemy of the gourd 

 family is a regular pest in western Ontario, but is seldom heard of 

 in the eastern counties. In the last week of June specimens were 

 sent from Inverary (Frontenac Co.), Ont., by Mr. Alex. Ritchie, with 

 the complaint that they were destroying his squash, pumpkin and 

 cucumber vines. The remedies recommended for this insect are : — 



1. Hand-picking, which is claimed to be the most practical remedy. 

 This is done early in the morning, during the cooler hours of the 

 day, while the bugs are sluggish. 



2. Traps. If shingles or short pieces of board are placed among 

 — Squash Bus. the plants, the bugs will hide beneath them at night, and can be 



destroyed before they become active and leave these retreats the next 

 anorning. 



3. The young bugs can be destroyed by spraying with kerosene emulsion or whale- 

 oil soap. 



Army Worms in Winter. — A rather curious occurrence of the Army Worm in 

 "winter took place at Alberton, in Prince Edward Island, last February. This was 

 reported to me by my esteemed correspondent, the Rev. Father Burke, of Alberton, 

 •who also sent specimens for iJentirication from the farm of Mr. -Tohn T. Weeks, of 

 *he same place. The occurrence is described by Mr. Weeks, as follows : — 



' Alberton, P.E.I. , February 17. — I am in receipt of your letter of 8th instant, 

 and am surprised to know that we have such a pest in our midst. The specimens I 

 sent were supplied by my brother. He is going to try and get you some more specimens, 

 and if he is successful he will forward them in the way you suggest. He says he saw 

 them as he drove across several farms, and they were quite a long distance from bare 

 ground.' — J. T. W. 



' February 19. — This morning my brother came in with some more of the army 

 ^worms. I am sending them in a tin box with some moist earth and some grass. These 

 -are much larger than the first I sent, but among the lot are several very small ones, 

 ^which are apparently dead ; but I send them so that you may see the different stages 

 «®f development. My brother tells me he saw them on at least half a dozen farms, 

 and would have had no difficulty in picking up a hundred. We had an easterly snow- 

 storm all day yesterday, which will probably cover them up again. I fear they seem 

 to be pretty well distributed. To what extent are they known in Canada ? What is 

 the remedy ? ' — John T. Weeks. 



In reply to these letters it was explained that the Army Worm passed the winter 

 partially grown, in a torpid condition, near the surface of the ground, and that there 

 "were previous instances where they had appeared suddenly on the surface of snow 

 ■during winter. It was suggested that this appearance in winter might prove beneficial, 

 because many thus disturbed in winter perished. The distribution of the species in 

 Oanada was given and reports of this Division were sent, in which the usual remedies 

 iare stated. 



In a report on the insect injuries of the year, Father Burke informs me that no 

 injury whatever by the Army Worm was noticed during the past season. 



The Black Blister Beetle (Epicauta Pennsylvanica, DeG.). — Injuries to 

 potatoes by the Black Blister Beetle are reported from Dugald, Man., by Mr. Kenneth 

 McLeod, from different parts of Ontario by Mr. C. W. Nash, of Toronto, and from 

 Inverary, Ont., by Mr. W. T. McClement, who had also found them on the farm of 

 Mr. John Guthrie, of Perth Road (Frontenac Co.) Ont., where, he says, they ate 

 the tops of potatoes very cleanly, and were very active. If plentiful in a district, 

 they would be worse than the Colorado beetle, for they are much more active. They 

 'flew ahead of the poison-can and ate the tops which were not poisoned, avoiding those 

 /dusted or sprinkled, and clustered thickly on the clean tops. They were plentiful 

 a.bout July 25. They were not widespread, but troubled only a few fields, and these 

 mear together. 



