96 THE REPOET OF THE Xo. 36 



to be that the unusually wet weather had resulted in excessive tree growth for the 

 season with much unripened wood at the time winter set in. This could be expected 

 to obtain to a fairly definite altitude well up the mountain sides. The excessive 

 cold acting upon this unripened wood could be expected to cause considerable 

 injury as far down the mountain sides as a sufficiently low temperature obtained. 

 Much of this timber that appeared seriously injured or killed has in large part 

 recovered. It is possible that a combination of weather conditions that has so 

 seriously affected the timber, may have been affective in checking the development 

 of the Dendroctonus beetles. Next summer's work in this region should afford 

 much interesting information. 



The Willow Leaf Beetle (Galerucclla decora) ox the Prairies. 



The Canadian Prairie Provinces M^ere visited this summer by most extra- 

 ordinary flights of the Willow Leaf Beetle, Galerucella decora. The beetles were 

 very numerous and injurious from Alberta to Southern Manitoba, and in many 

 localities they appeared in immense flights, defoliating the shade trees with extra- 

 ordinary rapidity, and attacking a variety of foliage. Under normal conditions this 

 species breeds chiefly upon the willows, but feeds also upon poplars, and can be 

 effectively controlled by poison sprays. When the great flights occur, however, 

 unusual control measures must be employed, and without loss of a moment's time. 

 If the facilities for the spraying are ready for immediate use, applications of strong 

 kerosene emulsion to the beetles swarming upon the trees will prevent serious 

 defoliation, and some of our correspondents were able to save their most valuable 

 trees by smudges made of horse manure and litter, and kept burning until the flight 

 of the beetles was over. 



Pine and Spruce Borers. 



Throughout the history of lumbering in Eastern Canada, there has been, each 

 season, more or less serious loss from boring grubs in pine and spruce logs left 

 in the woods unprotected over one or two summers. Special studies of these injuries 

 and of 'the most practical methods of averting them under varying conditions, 

 recently undertaken, have supported the recommendations that we have been 

 making to our correspondents. Without going into the details of the experiments 

 the results may be briefly given. The injury to white and red pine logs in our 

 forests is caused by grubs of Monohammus notaUis and M. scuteUatus, the injury 

 to spruce logs largely by ill. scuteUatus. M. marmorator has been bred by me only 

 from balsam fir, and this species is in any case too rare in most localities to be of 

 economic importance. 



Floating the Logs. Logs of pine and spruce which must be left in the limits 

 over a season should, if possible, be placed in water as soon as the ioe is gone. If 

 the logs are placed in a loose boom so that there is considerable drift, and therefore 

 the top side of the logs is frequently Avet there is rarely any serious injury, but 

 an additional safeguard is employed in turning the logs about one month after 

 they have been floated. I have not known logs handled in this way to be seriously 

 injured by borers. If, as rarely occurs, the logs must be made into a close boom, 

 so that there is little or no wave play over the top side of the logs, the turning 

 should not be omitted, and particular attention should be paid to any so-called 

 "voi]ow pine" sticks, since these float particularly hisrh out of the water. 



