70 



THE REPORT OF THE 



[ No. 19 



The first record for that province was by Mr. J. W. Cockle who found it at Kaalo in the 

 Kootenay district last year. 



The Diamond-back Moth (Plutella cruci/erarum, Zell.) seldom does very much 

 harm in Ontario but in the West it is terribly destructive to all crops belonging 

 to the Oabbage family, and, owing to the fact that the caterpillars feed almost 

 entirely beneath the leaves, it is extremely difficult to apply an effective remedy. The 

 best results have been obtained with dry powdery mixtures containing poison, blown 

 between the leaves by means of agricultural bellows and insect guns. For this purpose, 

 a strong mixture of one pound of Paris green in 25 pounds of air-slaked lime, or perfectly 

 dry flour, gave good results If liquid applications are used, a sufficient quantity of soap 

 must be added to make them adhere to the foliage of such plants as turnips and cabbages, 

 and a nozzle on an angled support must be used so as to throw the spray well up under 

 the leaves. A knapsack sprayer with a cyclone nozzle answers well for this purpose. 



The Root Maggots \Anthomyidce). — These troublesome insects have as usual done 

 a great deal of harm and many experiments have been tried to secure a practical remedy. 

 Unfortunately no very good results have been obtained. Onions, cabbages of all kinds, 

 beans, corn and radishes have suffered. Mixtures containing carbolic acid in some form 

 seem to be the most hopeful. Whale-oil soap gave tolerably good results. The most 

 satisfactory experiments were with early cauliflowers which were protected to a large ex- 

 tent by means of the Gough Tar-paper Discs. These consist of a disk of ordinary tarred 

 building felt with a split from the margin to the centre so as to allow of their being 

 placed around the stems of newly planted cauliflowers. The odour of the tarred paper 

 preventing the flies from laying their eggs, and the tarred paper disc also had the effect of 

 holding moistnre around the roots and inducing a copious growth of young rootlets, 

 which were of great service in helping lightly attacked plants to outgrow the injury. 



Asparagus Beetles. — The two species of Asparagus Beetles which were mentioned 

 in our last report are still present in the Niagara district and together with the Aspar- 

 agus Rust have done a certain amount of harm. Fig. 28 represents 

 Crioceris asparagi, L , eggs on plant, larva and beetle. They have 

 notjhowever, spread through the district to the same extent as it was 

 thought they would last season, judging from their sudden appear- 

 ance in the country in such large numbers. Asparagus growers 

 seem to have grasped the idea of fighting them as larvse, and a 

 great many beds were dusted regularly with fresh lime when the 

 larvae were upon them. This seems to have been the remedy 

 which was most used. 



Turnip Afnis {Aphis brassicce, L.). — There has been a decided 

 absence of the Turnip Aphis in most parts of the Province during 

 the season of 1900, except up in the north-western counties. In 

 some places in Huron County the loss has amounted to about half or 

 more of the crop. The 

 eggs for this species are 

 laid in large quantities 

 on the old leaves of the 

 turnips,and where these 

 Fig 28. are cut from the plants 



and left in the fields it would be well to 

 plough them down deeply, so that the 

 young plant-lice when they hatch in spring 

 would be unable to get out. It would of 

 course be well also to avoid planting a crop 

 of the Cabbage or Turnip family on the same 

 land the following year. 



Fruits. 



The large amount of attention which has been devoted to fruit trees and orchard 

 pests consequent upon the accidental introduction into Canada of the San Jos^ Scale, 

 which is discusssed fully in another part of this Report, has had a decidedly good effect in 

 stirring up fruit growers to attend more carefully to their orchards. Spraying has been 

 more regularly and generally done for leaf-eating insects and Codling Moth Late fall 



Fig. 29.— Turnip Aphis. 



