1916 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 147 



SOME OF THE METHODS FOLLOWED IN NOVA SCOTIA IN CON- 

 TKOLLING THJ^ BROWN-TAIL MOTH. 



G. E. Sanders, Field Officer for Nova Scotia, Dominion Entomological 

 Laboratory, Annapolis Royal, N.S. 



The control of the Brown-tail Moth in Nova Scotia presents many difficulties 

 peculiar to that Province which go to show in rather a striking manner tlie value 

 of investigating each insect locally, in the light of a knowledge of local conditions 

 and methods, extending even to such details as the method of fixing charges for 

 packing out the staple crop in the warehouses. 



The Brown-tail Moth has not yet become established in the forest areas of 

 Nova Scotia, J>2.6 per cent, of the total number found in the Province being on 

 fruit trees; the few found on ornamenial and forest trees being on trees near to or 

 in orchards. 



Area Infested. 



The area infested with Brown-tails is about two hundred miles long and some 

 thirty miles wide, including the Counties of Shelburne, Yarmouth, Digb}', Anna- 

 polis, Kings, Hants and Cum'berland ; or, in other words, all but one of the Counties 

 of Nova Scotia .touching on the Bay of Fundy. 



This area may be divided roughly into four districts, in each of which we have 

 a different proposition. In the first district, which includes Cumberland, Shel- 

 burne, Yarmouth, and all but a small section of the east end of Digby, we have small 

 orchards averaging less than twenty apple trees each ; usually the orchards are separ- 

 ated from each other by strips of woodland or open fields. As apples in this sec- 

 tion are grown on a very small scale, as a rule for home use only, practically no 

 spraying is done. 



In the second district, which includes Eastern Digby and Annapolis County as 

 far east as Annapolis town, we find apple trees in profusion. This district was 

 settled about the time of the American Revolution, and many old, gnarly trees re- 

 main of the orchards planted by the original settlers. The land throughout this 

 section is full of granite boulders, and in common with all such land in Nova 

 Scotia and roadsides, fence-rows, pastures, and even scrub'by woods are filled with 

 seedling apple trees of every age and description. As this district is for the most 

 part the west end of the Annapolis Valley, it falls into the regular fruit district 

 and the oreliards are of moderate size, covering probably one-tenth of the cultivated 

 land, and adjoin each other quite closely. In spite of the natural advantages tliat 

 this section possesses in the production of fruit, very little care is taken of the 

 orchards, not more than 5 per cent, of the trees being sprayed. 



The third district extends from Annapolis to Middleton. The western end of 

 this section is granite land similar to the second district, and seedling apple trees' 

 are to be found everywhere. Over 50 per cent, of the cultivated land is in apple 

 trees, so the whole district is practically one continuous orchard. About seventy 

 per cent, of the orchard in this district is sjtrayed. 



The fourth district extends from Middleton to Windsor, and includes the 

 largest orchards in Nova Scotia, probably gixty per cent, of the cultivated land 

 being in orchard, with the exception of a small section south of Wolfville, seedling 

 apple trees are almost unknown. The orchard is for the most part less than fifty* 

 years old, orchard that a man can spray or inspect for BroAvn-tail easily : and, 

 according to Prof. Brittain's census, some 87 per cent, of the trees in tlie <1i-tri.'t 

 are sprayed. 



