98 THE REPORT OF THE No. 19 



Insects of the Field and Garden. 



With the exception of the outbreak of the Variegated Cutworm, else- 

 where referred to, which bored holes in green tomatoes and destroyed many 

 kinds of vegetables and flowers, there is little to report this year concern- 

 ing garden insects. The tarnished and four-lined bugs, the asparagus bee- 

 tles, the cucumber beetles and the turnip and onion maggots, described in 

 last year's report, were to be found almost everywhere, but in greatly re- 

 duced numbers on the whole. Apart from Cutworms, there were few com- 

 plaints from correspondents respecting our usual enemies. 



Numerous requests were made for remedies against wire-worms and 

 white-grubs. Unfortunately there is no practicable method of dealing with 

 these underground root-feeders by poisons of any kind. The only remedy is 

 a system of rotation of crops, by which the pastures are broken up and 

 land is not left for a number of years in sod. Deep ploughing in the au- 

 tumn brings the grubs to the surface and breaks up the pupal cells in which 

 they are transforming to beetles ; by this means the exposure to the weather 

 and to the attacks of their natural enemies, such as birds, etc., will get rid 

 of large numbers of them. 



Owing to the unusually dry summer grasshoppers throve and multiplied 

 to such an extent that they became a veritable plague in some localities, 

 and inflicted a large amount of damage to oat crops, grass lands, etc. The 

 breaking up of their breeding places by ploughing up old dry pastures and 

 stubble fields where they have laid their eggs is a useful method for the 

 reduction of next year's brood. When the insects are abundant in August, 

 much may be done to get rid of them by using what is called the "Criddle 

 mixture." This is made by taking half a barrel of fresh horse manure and 

 mixing with it two pounds of salt dissolved in half a pail of water and one 

 pound of Paris green. The whole should be well stirred up and then scat- 

 tered by means of a trowel or piece of shingle wherever the grasshoppers 

 are to be seen, the insects will devour this in preference to any other kind 

 of food and be poisoned in large numbers. 



Plant-lice (Aphis) of various kinds were excessively abundant this year, 

 especially during the latter part of the summer and early autumn, the dry 

 season having been favorable for their multiplication. The most serious at- 

 tacks were made upon turnips and cabbages during the month of September, 

 when complaints and enquiries came in from many parts of the province. 

 The standard remedies for these minute insects are the contact poisons, viz., 

 kerosene emulsion, whale-oil soap and tobacco washes. After the crop has 

 been removed the loose leaves and stalks of the cabbages and the tops of the 

 turnips should be taken away and the ground ploughed up ; this is done to 

 destroy the eggs, which are laid on stalks and foliage before winter sets in. 



Some alarm was caused in various quarters by the newspaper reports 

 of "the Green Bug," which was said to be inflicting enormous damage upon 

 the wheat and oat crops in the southern and middle western States. By this 

 name was meant a green plant-louse (Aphis), which is sometimes trouble- 

 some to us in Ontario. As a general rule, however, it is kept in check by 

 its natural enemies, the lady-bird beetles and other predaceous and para- 

 sitic insects. Occasionally these are insufficient to control the pest and it be- 

 comes so abundant that it causes a vast amount of damage to the crops. This 

 seems to have been the case in the regions referred to. 



The oat crop this year was affected by a serious blight which was mani- 

 fested by the leaves turning yellow and withering away. Many farmers 

 thought that this was caused by "the Green Bug" and sent in specimens for 

 examination. A few were found to be infested with a plant-louse (Aphis), 



7a EN. 



