238 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



1-2 EDWARD VII, A. 1902 



apples are grown, excellent crops were reaped. Plums and pears have been full crops, 

 although the former were considerably injured in some places by aphis. In western 

 Ontario sweet cherries were very short and the trees suffered greatly from the Black 

 Aphis. Mr. W. S. Blair tells me that this was also the case in Nova Scotia. After the 

 San Jose Scale, probably the worst enemies of the fruit grower in Ontario this year 

 were the Cankerworms. Prof. Lochhead reports that the Cigar Case-bearer is becom- 

 ing more serious every year, which he believes is due to early spraying not being at- 

 tended to. 



In the province of Quebec the crop was rather light, but the quality of the fruit 

 was good and realized high prices ; this was markedly the case where attention had 

 been given to spraying, Mr. B. W. Shepherd, of Como, a large buyer of choice apples 

 for the British market stating unequivocally that he could only obtain first-class fruit 

 fit for the above purpose from orchards which had been regularly sprayed. 



In Nova Scotia the crop has, on the whole, been a very satisfactory one. Fruit 

 was of good quality and the prices remunerative. Prof. Sears of the Nova Scotia 

 School of Horticulture, says : — ' The apple crop was peculiar. Perhaps never before 

 has a finer, fairer crop of fruit been produced, but while one section is blessed with a 

 remarkably abundant crop, another, not more than four or five miles distant, is a very 

 light one ; doubtless, methods of culture, spraying and fertilizing are to a large extent 

 responsible for this.' 



In British Columbia the fruit crop has been a satisfactory one. Plums were 

 abundant and there was not much complaint of disease. Apples were a heavy crop in 

 some places but light in a few others. The quality was excellent and higher prices 

 than usual were secured. The markets in the Kootenays, North-west Territories and 

 Manitoba have been opened up and car-load shipments have bten going forward since 

 the beginning of the season. Mr. B. M. Palmer anticipates that there will be a very 

 largely increased acreage in fruit next year. There was no very serious injury re- 

 ported to fruits in British Columbia. Strawberry beds near New Westminster and 

 around Burnaby were to some extent injured by the larvae of the Black Vine Weevil 

 (Otiorhijnchus sulcatus, Fab.). The Imported Currant Borer (Sesia tipuliformis, 

 Linn.) is reported by Mr. W. A. Dashwood- Jones as very bad this year all over New 

 Westminster city. Another enemy which is injuriously prevalent in Vancouver Island 

 and at the mouth of the Fraser river is the Currant Maggot (Epochra canadensis, 

 Loew.). This insect attacks all kinds of currants and sometimes gooseberries. Dur- 

 ing the past summer it also occurred in noticeable numbers at Edmonton, Alta., Win- 

 nipeg, Man., and one or two places in Nova Scotia. Plant-lice were troublesome on 

 apple and plum trees in British Columbia. 



As is the case every year, many of the well known pests of the orchard have levied 

 a heavy tribute in some localities, particularly where spraying and cultivation have 

 been neglected. 



The Codling Moth (Carpocapsa pomonella, L. — Mr. Linus Woolverton, Secre- 

 tary of the Fruit-Growers' Association of Ontario, writes that ' the Codling Moth is 

 still the terror of the apple-growers. It is a most serious enemy, and, if you can give us 

 any later information with regard to the best method of destroying it we should be 

 very glad.' Mr. Parker, Secretary of the Fruit-Growers' Association of Nova Scotia, 

 and Bev. Father Burke, of Alberton, P.E.I., both write in very much the same strain ; 

 but the two last correspondents also drew attention to good results where spraying 

 has been carefully attended to. Where there is only one brood of this insect, as in 

 eastern Ontario and from there to the seaboard, spraying after the blossoms have all 

 fallen and the young apples have begun to form is undoubtedly the best remedy. Two 

 sprayings, at least a fortnight apart, should be given. In western Ontario this must 

 be supplemented with banding the trees from the middle of June. Burlap is the best 

 material to use for the bands, and careful search must be made beneath them at short 

 intervals to destroy the cocoons. These are sometimes rather difficult to detect as the 

 larva? burrow down somewhat into the surface of the bark and cover the cocoons with 



