100 THE REPORT OF THE No. 19 



Manitoba, Ontario, and many of tlie States to the south-west of us. Dr. 

 Fletcher, in his annual report for 1900 (pages 215 to 227), gives a very full 

 account of the insect and its ravages in British Columbia during that year. 



Near Leamington the worms were first observed in clover fields, where 

 they soon devoured the crop and left the ground bare and black; they then 

 marched on to the nest field and consumed whatever vegetation they met 

 with ; corn and tobacco, tomatoes and other vegetables seemed especial favor- 

 ites for consumption. If a fruit tree happened to be in their way, they 

 climbed it and devoured both fruit and foliage; many peach trees were thus 

 attacked and the fruit ruined. 



Like other cutworms these caterpillars feed only at night and remain 

 in concealment during the day, hiding in the ground whfere the soil is loose, 

 and under any rubbish or other shelter that they can find. When full-grown 

 the worm is about two inches long, with a yellowish stripe on each side 

 above the legs, the rest of the body is darker and mottled with black, white 

 or grey ; the most characteristic feature is a row of yellow or white spots, 

 five to seven in number, along the middle line of the back. Fig. 32. Some 

 of the worms changed into the chrysalis stage early in August, others later ; 

 for this purpose they buried themselves in the ground and formed there an oval 

 earthen cell. The moth, into which they finally turned, has a wing expan- 

 sion of about an inch, and is dark blackish brown in color, often clouded 

 with red towards the front margin of the wings, but with no conspicuous 

 or distinguishing markings; the underwings are white with a pearly lustre. 

 Like so many other of our most destructive insects, this one has come to us 

 from Europe. 



Beport by Mr. L. Caesar tct C. J. S. Bethune, Professor of Entomology. 



Sir, — I have the honor to submit the following report of my trip to 

 Leamington, July 26th to 29th, to aid the farmers in their struggle against 

 an insect pest that seemed to be devouring everything before it. 



I arrived at Leamington about sunset, July 26th, and at once set out 

 for the farm of W. T. Moore, who was the first to propose sending to your 

 department for aid. By the assistance of a lantern we were able to see the 

 caterpillars at work on Mr. Moore's tobacco and tomatoes. They proved 

 to be the Variegated Cutworm (Peridroma saucia) and were very numerous, 

 Mr. Moore on one occasion counted as many as 250 on a single plant. They 

 had begun their ravages in a small plot of second growth clover which he 

 was keeping for seed. To check them Mr. Moore at once plowed this down 

 and rolled it, thereby no doubt destroying countless numbers; but many still 

 remained. Finally, in his efforts to keep them from destroying his tobacco 

 and tomatoes he had hit upon the device of plowing a furrow ahead of them. 

 This, in a very sandy soil like his, gave excellent results and impeded the 

 progress of the caterpillars better than one would have thought possible, 

 especially as they climb corn stalks and trees without difiiculty. The fine 

 grains of sand, however, yielding as they tried to climb, made an insuperable 

 barrier in most cases. I recommended Mr. Moore to make holes with steep 

 edges and about one foot deep at intervals of about every twenty feet in the 

 furrows. Next morning I had a chance to see the work of the furrow 

 and holes combined on an adjoining farm. The result was most gratifying 

 to all of us. In every hole there was a mass of caterpillars an inch or more 

 deep. The farmer went from hole to hole with a piece of fence rail about 

 five feet long and pounded his foes in each hole to death, evidently taking 

 much pleasure in the operation. 



