REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST, 161 



of this case and will indicate the present state of the entomological information in 

 our hands : — 



" August 19. — I was told a few days ago, that a report had been sent out by you 

 which contained a simple remedy for destroying cut-worms. If such is the case, 1 

 would like to have it sent to me. I had a 20-acre field of wheatentirely destroyed last 

 year when the second leaf was about one inch long. Where the drill teeth ran, the 

 ground was as fine after they had done as if it had been sifted ; there was not a leaf 

 to be found. As far as I can learn, this grub is known as the little black grub, and 

 what would kill the cut-worm, would kill it." — John Stewart, Begina, Assa. 



Reply: — "April 26. — I fear the report that I have a simple remedy for destroy- 

 ing Cut-worms is rather more than I can myself admit. Cut-worms are amongst 

 the most troublesome of our farm enemies, more particularly when, as in your case, 

 they attack grain crops. There are upwards of 400 kinds of Cut-worms, some of 

 which ditfer from the others in their habits. I shall be obliged if you will send me 

 this spring some living specimens for examination. This can be done easily by mail 

 and free of postage. As the Cut-worms you refer to attacked your grain crop, it is just 

 possible that they might not injure some other plants, such as potatoes, which do 

 not belong to the Grass family, like the small grains. Could you not put your in- 

 fested field under some other crop next season, so as to try this?" 



"June 12. — The Cut-worms are not so numerous this summer, as they were last. 

 This evening I could only obtain a few. Last 12th of June, they could have been 

 got by the handful. I send you a box of the grubs." — John Stewart. 



Reply : — " June 21. — Yours of the 12th inst. and the insects referred to therein 

 arrived safely. The Cut-worms in your grain crop are the Clay-backed Cut-worm 

 (Carneades mswZsa, Walk.^j^ro^js campestris, Gvt.), which in many distric-ts of Mani- 

 toba and the Territories has done much haim during the last ten years. I find by 

 my notes that this species is always most numerous where weeds have been allowed pos- 

 session of the ground during the previous autumn. Were you able this season, as sug- 

 gested by me, to put that part of your farm which was badly infested last year under 

 any other crops than grain?" 



" June 19. — I am sending you by this mail in a small box some Cut-worms that 

 are doing considerable damage to wheat and oats. A neighbour of mine has had a 

 field of 30 acres of wheat completely cleared by them, and now they have started 

 on my oats in an adjoining field. The land where they began was badly summei-- 

 fallowed last year and the weeds came very thickly, chiefly pig weed or lamb's quar- 

 ters. They seem to have bred in this field. Can you give us any information how 

 to get rid of them? I thought of summer-fallowing all my land on this place next 

 year and sowing timothy. It is no use trying to grow grain where these insects 

 are. I had a small piece of last year's fallow that the weeds had started on this 

 spring, adjoining my neighbour, and when the grubs had cleaned his field they started 

 on the pig weed on mine. I iiauled dry straw and manure and covered them up 

 with it and then set fire to it the next day. They got up into the straw over night 

 and I must have burnt millions of them, for I could take them up by the shovelful. 

 I never saw anything like it. I have put feed oats on the land, but expect thoy will 

 clear the whole. I see they are on many farms here, but the owners do not seem 

 to think much of them, I fear they will be getting worse. There is one thing cer- 

 tain. We shall have to adopt a different method of working our summer-fallows." 

 — Wm. Eichardson, Douglas, Man. 



In reply Mr. Eichardson was informed that the caterpillars sent were the Clay- 

 backed Cut-worm, and that his theory was correct that the prevalence of these insects 

 was largely consequent upon imperfect summer-fallowing of the previous year. 



"June 27. — I inclose a few specimens of grubs which are doing considerable 

 damage to gardens and early summer-fallowed lands. Whole fields are being des- 

 troyed by them. Can you give us any information concerning their habits of life, 

 such as how deep the eggs are deposited and if late fall-ploughing would kill them." 

 — John Lawrence, Sewell, Man. 

 8c— 11 



