THE REPORT OF THE No. 19 



very bad in gardens at Meach. Lake, Que., being particularly destructive to 

 onions, peas, cucumbers, vegetable marrow, and broad beans. Tliese cater- 

 pillars were extremely abundant in one garden which. I was observing, and 

 some evenings I killed as many as 150 and 200 specimens. Poisoned bran- 

 mash was applied, and wliile this must have done some good, still the cutworms 

 were so numerous that almost every green garden crop was eaten. 



The Onion Maggot, as far as I observed, was not nearly so prevalent this 

 year as it was in 1904. Dr. Fletcher tells me that this season he has had 

 success with the Cook carbolic wash. In years of bad infestation nothing, 

 however, acts as a perfect remedy. 



Tent caterpillars were slightly more numerous in 1905 than they were in 

 1904, and it would seem as if these troublesome insects are again on the in- 

 crease. Everyone (an do something to lessen the numbers of these cat-i- 

 pillars by cutting off, whenever seen, the unsightly tents and trampling upon 

 the contained larvse. 



An insect which has been rather abundant in some orchards in my dis- 

 tiict, is the Woolly Aphis {ScJiizoneura lanigera) of the apple. (Fig. 1.) 

 The large snowy deposits on the limbs and trunks of trees are quite conspicu- 

 ous and when seen should be destroyed. This can be done in most instances if 

 the trees are not too large, by brushing the clusters off with a whisk, or some 

 other such instrument, dipped in kerosene emulsion, or even pure coal oil. 

 The Woolly Aphis on the alder has also been more than usually abundant this 

 year around Ottawa, some trees being almost wholly covered with these in- 

 sects. The Woolly Aphids on the alder are interesting on account of the 

 larvfe of Feniseca tarquinuis feeding upon them. This year these larvse 

 were quite abundant Eimong these Woolly deposits, and I have brought some 

 of the curious chrysalids to show here at this meeting. The larvse of Syrphus 

 flies were also busily engaged feeding upon the Woolly Aphids. 



Young strawberry plants were destroyed in spring by White Grubs, the 

 larvae of the well-known June Bugs. They seemed to be very abundant the 

 past season. 



In apple orchards, in which spraying had not been practised. Codling 

 Moth caterpillars did serious harm. In some orchards fully half the crop of 

 apples was destroyed. In the Ottawa District, I feel sure, however, that 

 owners of orchards are realizing more and more every year the value of spray- 

 ing their trees to protect them from insect and fungous enemies. 



Red currant bushes were defoliated in some gardens by the well-known 

 Currant Saw-fly larvae. As it does not take these larvse very long to strip a 

 hush of its foliage, as soon as they are noticed a remedy should at once be ap- 

 plied. There are two broods of this insect in the season. The remedy for 

 the first one is to spray the bushes with a Paris green or some other arsenical 

 solution. For the second brood, which appears later in the season when the 

 fruit is formed, white hellebore should be dusted on to the bushes. 



On some radish plants in my garden at Hurdman's Bridge this autumn, 

 which had gone to seed, I noticed a great number of specimens of the Zebra 

 caterpillar (Mamestra picta) (Fig. 2). As I was away at Meach Lake during 

 the summer, I have not been able to find out yet whether they did any serious 

 damage in turnip fields, etc., near by. The Birch Bucculatrix (B. Canadenns- 

 rlJa) was very bad on white birch trees at Meach Lake, the leaves having a 

 6( arred appearance, and falling prematurely from the trees. The insect did 

 not occur on birches nearer to Ottawa. 



Fall Webworm was also noticeably abundant in September on forest 

 trees and in orchards. This insect is Such an easy one to destroy in orchards 

 that it is a wonder to me owners do not cut off the colonies of caterpillars 

 when first noticed. 



