21 THE EEPOET OF THE No. 36 



Division No. 6, Essex District — J. W. Noble, Department of Agriculture, 



Essex. 



Attacking Field Crops. 



Wire Worms and White Grubs. During the wet spring of 1916 these pests 

 did considerable harm to corn and other cereals; sugar beets were also destroyed 

 and some damage was done in the onion fields. June beetles and click beetles 

 seemed quite plentiful during the summer months and the writer obtained several 

 of the former by the use of a lantern and pan of water covered with kerosene. 



Attacking Fruit Trees 



Codling Moth {Carpocapsa potnonella). Owing to the continued rainfall 

 during the month of June the codling moth was very prevalent this spring. Very 

 few side entrances have been found which would suggest that most injury was 

 caused by first brood. In neglected orchards it seems that there is over ninety per 

 cent, of the fruit affected. 



Plum Curculio {Conotrachelus nenuphar). The injury of this beetle was 

 very prevalent on plums especially during the past season; although not so 

 plentiful upon the apples. 



San Jose Scale {Aspidiotus perniciosus) . Practically all uncared for 

 orchards have been ideal breeding grounds for this pest this season and a large 

 quantity of affected fruit is offered upon the markets. The pest is practically 

 absent in well kept orchards. 



Tent Caterpillars (Malacosoma americana and M. disstria). These pests 

 seemed more prevalent than usual this year; the unsightly webs of both species 

 were found in several orchards and woods. M. americana is the more common 

 although neither can as yet be considered of great economic importance. 



Aphids. These insects have done considerable harm in deforming the fruit 

 in neglected apple orchards. On some of the smaller crops they did great damage 

 and will be discussed later. 



Cherry Fruit Fly (Rhagoletis cingulata). This was the most important 

 pest of the sour cherry this year. Very few sweet cherries bore fruit this season 

 but in former years this fly injured both types. 



Lesser Peach Tree Borer {Aegeria pictipes). Some orchards have been 

 ruined by this pest. 



Insects Affecting Small Fruits and Vegetables. 



Strawberry Sawfly (Empria i{jno^a). On a number of patches during the 

 past season the writer has observed injury from this species, the chief injury being 

 that the fruit failed to ripen. Spraying with hellebore was successfully carried 

 out in two fields. 



Melon Aphids {Aphis gossypii). Fifteen thousand dollars is a conservative 

 estimate of the damage borne by the melon growers during the past summer and a 

 great loss to the pickle growers was also sustained. Twenty-five per cent, of th^ 

 crops of inside cucumbers was lost by the lice. Successful spraying outside with 

 tobacco decoction was demonstrated by this Department and good results were 

 shown by inside fumigation with nicofume and black leaf 10. 



Cabbage Root Maggot (Pegomyia hrassicce). Probably for the first time in 

 this district this insect has caused a great deal of damage this season. Some crops 

 of early cabbage were almost a failure. 



