350 



Foundation comh (pii. 150, 151). — Aiuilyscs arc ^iwu oC tlncc, s:mii)los 

 of foundation c(mib sent to the station to be tested as t;<> purity. In 

 addition to the analyses, directions are given for detecting- adulterat ions 

 of lioneyconih. 



Kqtort of Untomolof/i.st and Botanist, J. Fletcher (pp. 15-1:-2(K;, ])hites J), 

 ligs. 7). — The entoniologii-al portion of the rei)ort contains original and 

 compiled notes on the American frit &y {Oscinis variabilis), vii\}\y,\}i(i 

 nuiggot {Anthomyia brassiccc), diamond-back moth {riutclki cruvifc- 

 rarum), Mediterranean llournioth {Ephestia Mhniella), pea weevil {liru- 

 cJufs j>isi), strawberry weevil {Anthonomus w*/Mr?^/M.s), and Vancouver 

 Island oak looper {Ellopia somniaria). The ditferejices in the effects of 

 the attacks of the frit fly, Hessian fly {Gecidomyia destructor), and 

 wheat stem maggot (jl/r>-ow7/crt amrrieana) ure stated and the several 

 stages of these insects are ditterentiated. Successful experiments were 

 made with white hellebore as an insecticide for the cabbage maggot. 

 A solution of 2 ounces of hellebore and 3 gallons of water was ai)plied 

 with a syringe around the roots of cabbage plants from which the sur- 

 face soil had been removed by hand. Kerosene emulsion proved the 

 most satisfactory remedy for the cabbage plutella. The treatment of 

 the seed of peas with bisulphide of carbon is generally adopted by 

 Caimdian seedsmen. For the strawberry weevil it is suggested to try 

 covering the beds after the formation of the flower buds with news- 

 papers or strips of cloth held down at the edges with earth. These 

 should be put on at the first appearance of the beetles and kept on 

 nntil the flowers have expanded. The Vancouver Island oak loojiers, 

 which defoliate oaks in the vicinity of Victoria, appear in the larval 

 stage about the middle of August, pupate near the end of that month, 

 and begin to emerge as moths by September 20. In 1890 they appeared 

 in very large numbers. The insect passes the winter in the egg state. 

 The eggs may be destroyed by spraying the trunks of the trees in early 

 spring with kerosene emulsion. The larvse may be killed with the 

 arsenites. Ichneumon cestus, Pimpla sp., and a Tachina fly were 

 observed as parasites on the oak looper. 



Under the head of botany are given brief notes on 72 species of 

 grasses which are being tested at the Central Experimental Farm, and 

 lists of a number of species of native and foreign grasses with which 

 some experimental work is being done. The nine plates which illus- 

 trate this portion of the report are taken from the publications of this 

 Department. 



Report of Poultry Manager, A. G. Gilbert (pp. 207-229).— Accounts 

 are given of the methods followed in the management of various breeds 

 of hens at the Central Experimental Farm. An experiment in setting 

 hens on nests placed on dry boards and on the damp earthen floor 

 of a cellar showed no great diflereuee in the results as regards the 

 number of chickens hatched. Experiments in keeping fertilized and 

 unfertilized eggs at temijeratures varying from 46 to 84° F. indicated 



