194 The Ottawa Naturalist. [Jan. 



such information has been included as I deemed would be 

 useful." 



His first report after his appointment on the Farm Staff, 

 that for 1887, ma}^ be considered in its general usefulness and the 

 variety of important topics discussed as typical of the series. 

 This begins with an important article on the insects injurious to 

 cereal crops, in w^hich those affecting wheat claim first attention, 

 followed by other injurious species affecting other valuable 

 cereals. Insects affecting hay and clover are next considered, 

 where the so-called Army Worm Leucania unipuncta, a species 

 early regarded as a formidable antagonist, is dealt with, also the 

 Clover Seed Midge which some seasons destroys a large part of 

 the crop of clover seed. The worst pests which affect roots, 

 potatoes and other vegetables are also described and remedies 

 for their destruction referred to. The Codling Moth and the Tent 

 Caterpillar, so injurious to the apple crop, also insects which are 

 destructive to the grape, raspberry, currant and strawberry are 

 all dealt with and, in the closing chapter, some of the worst 

 insects affecting forest trees. 



This brief enumeration of the subjects discussed gives one 

 some idea of the scope of the work undertaken, and the presen- 

 tation of each subject was so clear and practical as to arrest the 

 attention of those looking for information, and if only a small 

 percentage of the usual annual loss was saved by adopting the 

 remedies recommended, the addition thus made to the farmers' 

 profits must have been quite considerable. 



Up to the spring of 1895, Dr. Fletcher had charge of the 

 Arboretum and Botanic Garden at the Central Experimental 

 Farm, and under his management good progress w^as made, but 

 finding that his many other duties prevented him from giving 

 the necessary time to this work, at his request Mr. W. T. Macoun 

 was made Curator of this important branch of the service. 



The twenty-one annual reports which were written by Dr. 

 Fletcher, together with the excellent cuts by which the text was 

 illustrated, have been of great value to the farmers of Canada by 

 instructing them how to recognize their insect enemies, also their 

 insect friends. Full instructions were given from year to year as 

 to the most reliable^and practical measures to adopt for the des- 

 truction of the more injurious species treated of. 



He also waged a constant warfare against weeds, and his 

 reports and bulletins on this subject are very valuable and are 

 highly appreciated and followed by many of the most intelli- 

 gent farmers throughout the Dominion. Bulletin No. 28 of the 

 Farm series on" Weeds" was written by Dr. Fletcher, in which 

 164 troublesome plants are mentioned and the best way of fight- 

 ing them. Dr. Fletcher also prepared that beautifully illustrated 



