216 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



2 GEORGE V., A. 1912 



O. Howard, Entomologist of the United States Department of Agriculture, who visited 

 Angers, that efforts are being made by the nurserymen and by the French Government 

 to institute a better system of nursery inspection than has existed hitherto. This in- 

 spection in Canada is now being carried on under the Destructive Insect and Pest 

 Act. The scarcity of nests in the French shipments during the present season 

 would indicate either that greater care is being taken by the nurserymen or that the 

 outbreak of the insect in the localities in which the nurseries are located was less 

 severe last season. It is probable that the scarcity of nests is clue to both causes. 



FIELD INSPECTION IN NOVA SCOTIA. 



As in the year following the first discovery of the Brown-tail ]\Ioth in Kings 

 County, Nova Scotia, in 1907, Frof. M. Cumming, Secretary for Agriculture for the 

 province arranged for the inspection of the infested regions, and the destruction of 

 the winter webs was carried on by Messrs. IT. G. Payne and II. R. Brown. Their 

 work was supplemented by Mr. G. II. Vroom, Dominion Fruit Inspector. Their work 

 was confined to a careful survey of the orchards and adjoining wild thickets, and the 

 collection of the winter webs. Altogether 1,484 winter webs were destroyed, which is 

 an increase over the number destroyed in 1909, when over 800 nests were destroyed. 



The following list of localities and numbers of winter webs which were destroyed 

 in the same, which has been supplied by Mr. Vroom, indicates the degree of infestation 

 in the different localities in "the years 1909-1910. 



Bridgetown 344 



Deep Brook 417 



Bear River 390 



Nictaux 235 



Middleton 40 



Smith's Cove . . . . * 24 



Laurencetown 16 



Paradise 8 



Clements Port 5 



Round Hill 3 



Lequille 2 



Total 1,484 



It will be seen from the above that the region which was inspected during the 

 winter of 1909-10, was about 50 miles in extent. Mr. Vroom reported that the we! s 

 were larger and contained more caterpillars than those collected during the previous 

 winter. The presence of a large number of webs at Nictaux indicates an increase in 

 that region where only two or three webs had been obtained previously. 



During the past year the Federal Department of Agriculture took over the res- 

 ponsibility for the conduct of the Brown-tail Moth extermination work in the province 

 with the co-operation of the Provincial Department of Agriculture who are continu- 

 ing, in co-operation with our officers, work of the same extent as in the previous year. 

 The federal and provincial officers are working together under our direction and are 

 divided into two parties : a western party commenced work in the vicinity of Yar- 

 mouth and is working eastwards and an eastern party commenced work at Windsor, 

 and is working westwards to meet the other party in the most thickly infested region. 



The reports up to date indicate that the situation is more serious this year. 

 Scattered winter webs have been found between Yarmouth and Weymouth and in the 

 vicinity of Weymouth more nests have been found than in any single vicinity pre- 



