208 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



2 GEORGE V... A, 1912 



Horticulture at which the Minister of Finance and Agriculture of British Columbia 

 was present, was held) in Victoria, B.C., on October 10, 1910, when I explained the 

 workings of the Destructive Insect and Pest Act. 



The work against the Brown-tail Moth is described in the succeeding pages. The 

 situation is more serious owing to the increase in the area infested in Nova Scotia, 

 and the invasion of that portion of New Brunswick adjoining the infested region of 

 the State of Maine. The Division has now undertaken, with the co-operation of the 

 Departments of Agriculture in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, a systematic campaign 

 against the moth and a thorough scout of the infested district is being made. A study 

 of the insect and its parasites is being carried on and 1 hope to arrange with Dr. L. U. 

 Howard, Entomologist of the United States Department of Agriculture, for the impor- 

 tation of useful parasites. 



In order to increase the opportunities for making the work of the Division more 

 useful to the farmers and fruit growers in Canada, arrangements have been made 

 through the willing co-operation of the heads of other Branches of the Department 

 for the receipt of information concerning injurious insects through their crop repents 

 and correspondence. The Dairy and Cold Storage Commissioner, Mr. J. A. Ruddick, 

 is asking for such information concerning the depredations of fruit insects from the 

 reporters of the fruit crop ; the Census and Statistics Branch, through the co-operation 

 of Mr. Blue, reports on insects affecting farm crops from the crop reporters of the 

 Branch. The Veterinary Director General, Dr. J. G. Rutherford, has kindly issued 

 to the Veterinary Inspectors of the Branch, a circular which I prepared in reference 

 to obtaining information concerning species of insects affecting live stock. . Mr. 

 R. H. Campbell, Superintendent of the Forestry Branch of the Department of the 

 Interior is also obtaining information from his field officers concerning outbreaks of 

 forest insects. This co-operation is certain to result not only in making the work of 

 the Divtsion of value to a larger number of those whose interests are affected by 

 injurious insects, but also in the accumulation of information and material which will 

 be of very great value to us in our investigations. I should like again to express my 

 indebtedness to these officers and also to those of the Provincial Governments for their 

 co-operation and assistance from time to time. 



Reference is made in the succeeding pages of this report to those insects whose in- 

 juries have been sufficiently serious to merit attention. Large numbers of the commoner 

 insects are received with requests for advice as to their treatment. Attention should be 

 called to the Narcissus Fly in British Columbia, an insect which has been imported 

 on bulbs. The Larch Sawfly and the Spruce Budworm are being studied both in the 

 field and in the laboratory and as these investigations are in progress, brief mention 

 only is made of them. The control of these and other insects by means of their parasites 

 ic receiving special attention and it is becoming increasingly evident that in future 

 we shall have to assist nature in re-adjusting the balance which man is constantly 

 upsetting by cultivation and other means. 



The following is a brief account of the visits which were made to the various pro- 

 vinces in connection with the work of this Division : — 



At the beginning of the year (1910) I was in Nova Scotia in connection with the 

 Brown-tail Moth extermination work, returning to Ottawa on April 6. From June G 

 to June 25, I was absent in the United States to inquire into the extent of the danger 

 existing with regard to the introduction of the Brown-tail and Gipsy Moths into 

 Canada, and also to study the methods employed by the Federal and State Govern- 

 ments in combating these insects. The official and other entomologists at the following 

 places were visited and consulted: New York Agricultural Experiment Station, 

 Geneva, N.Y. ; Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. ; Department of Agriculture, Albany, 

 N.Y. ; New York where the State Entomologists of New Jersey and Massachusetts 

 were met; Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station and Yale University, New 

 Haven, Conn.; Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station, Kingston, R.I.; 

 Bnssey Institution and Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.; State Forestry Depart- 



