REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AXD BOTANIST. 171 



exposed to the dew till the next morning; consequently, when applied, it did not 

 remain on the leaves because it was not, as it should have been, perfectly dry, so as 

 to fall upon the plants as a fine powder, when it would have remained on the 

 seed leaves and had the desired effect. 



The North-west Red Turnep-beetle (Entomoscelis adonidis, Fab.), treated of fully 

 last year, was much less abundant than previously, only one lot of specimens having 

 been received, and these came without the address of the sender. Mr. J, A. Smith 

 ■writes from Saskatoon : " I have seen none of the Red Turnip-beetles this season. 

 Crop prospects good." Mr. Thomas Copland, of the same place, however, observed 

 a few, and has been fortunate enough to discover the native food plant. He writes : 

 " July 6. — In re Entomoscelis, the beetles made their first appearance here on 17th 

 June. I send you specimens of their wild food plant, which is a common weed. I 

 have found them feeding a little on other weeds, but the kind sent is their chief wild 

 food. This year the beetles are attacking cabbages. I intended to sow no turnips 

 or radishes, so as to starve them, but I have sowed some a few days ago to poison 

 them on." The plant sent by Mr. Copland was the Small-flowered Prairie Wall- 

 flower (Erysimum parviflorum, Nutt.), which, like the turnip, radish and cabbage, 

 belongs to the Cress family. 



The Turnip Aphis is mentioned in the Ontario Crop Returns for November, as hav- 

 ing injured the turnip crop. Specimens were sent to me from Ottawa by Mr. Thomas 

 Nicholson, which had infested his Swede turnips. This is a troublesome insect to 

 treat, but successful experiments have been made with Kerosene emulsion in a crop 

 where the injury was restricted to small ai'cas. This is usually the case when the 

 attack first begins, and the presence of the insects as a rule can be detected if looked 

 for during the operations of thinning and cultivating the turnips. 



POTATOES. 



The Colorado Potato-beetle (Doryphora 10-lineata, Say) has been noticeably 

 less prevalent this year in Eastern Ontario than usual, probably owing to the wet 

 season. In Western Ontario, in the sections where drought was felt, it was abundant 

 and very injurious, particularly to egg plants. In the Maritime Provinces also it was 

 plentifuj. It is only of late years that this insect has extended its ravages into Nova 

 Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and the farmers there have not yet learnt fully the 

 value of Paris green in destroying it. In June last the Gold Hunter and Farmer's 

 JbwrnaZ of Caledonia, N.S., wrote : "Kindly send formula and directions for using 

 Paris green for exterminating potato bugs. Our people are sorely pestered with 

 them, but are afraid to use Paris green." 



Reply: "The proper and only practical remedy for the Colorado Potato-beetle 

 is Paris green used in the proportion of 1 lb. to 160 gallons of water, that is, 1 oz. to 10 

 gallons. There is no necessity to use it stronger, and with ordinary care, there is 

 not the slightest danger in employing this material as an insecticide. Of course, it 

 is a poison if eaten by animals or human beings, and, therefore, must be kept in a 

 safe place and not used carelessly." It can also be used as a dry application : 1 lb. 

 of Paris green may be mixed with 50 lbs. of perfectly dry land plaster, air slaked 

 lime, common flour or sifted wood ashes. 



The Colorado Potato-beetle has never done much injury in Manitoba. Mr. 

 Richard Waugh has referred to it occasionally during the last four or five years ; 

 but speaks of it as a minor pest only of uncertain occurrence. During the last 

 season, however, it seems to have rather increased. Mr. W. G. Fonseca writes, 

 "August 9. The Colorado bug has been invading this province by slow measures 

 for three years past. This season has seen the invaders in increased numbers, 

 nearly all my potatoes have disappeared. Tens of thousands have been destroyed. 

 They are now fully winged, and there is danger of their spreading." 



In addition to the ordinary Colorado Potato-beetle, the Cucumber Flea-beetle 

 (Epitrix cucumeris, Harris), was the cause of considerable injury to potatoes by 

 perforating the leaves. This occurred in many localities from Ontario to New 



