34 



THE REPORT OF THE 



No. 19 



July 15 to 25, the Psylla were most abundant — 

 the nnmber of winged forms increasing until the 

 25th. A heavy rain on the 23rd cleared the trees 

 of the sap and seemingly quite a number of the 

 Psylla. After another heavy rain on the night of 

 July 27th, I noticed that there were very few of the 

 wingless forms but a gi'eat number of the winged 

 ones. Up to this time very few leaves had fallen ofl', 

 although the growth of the trees was completely 

 stopped, in fact, our trees have apparently made no 

 growth at all this year excepting a few that Avere 

 free from the Psylla. Where there was growth, it 

 was from two to four feet. At the time of writing, '^' 

 August 27th, the wingless forms have again become 

 numerous and the winged ones few." (W. R. Dewar.) 



Pear-tree Psvlla 



Ij larva ; greatljr 



magnified (from U.S. Dept. of Agriculture). 



The Clover Crop. 



The clover seed industry of Ontario is of no small importance. A buyer for one of the 

 large seed houses told me recently that the averaee total value of the clover seed produced in 

 Ontario for one year was -two million dollars. The loss done by insects was fully one-half of a 

 million, or, on the average, one-fourth of the crop. In the large sections where the growing 

 of clover seed has up to the present been quite lucrative, it is almost a complete failure this 

 year. In the south west counties especially, the work of the Clover Seed Midge has been very 

 destructive. Many good reliable farmers who have been in the habit of feeding off their 

 clover until about the 10th of June have found their second crop of clover badly infested, and 

 they have come to the conclusion that very frequently the eggs are not deposited before the 

 10th of June. They have frequently observed also that when the first crop of clover was left 

 uncut until about the 20:h of June that they secured a good crop of seed from the second crop. 

 It is advisable, therefore, to postpone cutting the first crop of clover until after the 20th of 

 June. The history of the Clover Seed Midge ha-i been frequently described. It is a minute 

 two-winged fly or gnat which lays its eggs in the flower heads of the clover in May or in early 

 June and again in July. There are two broods in a season. The larvte of the first brood 

 reach full growth about the end of June, when they descend to the ground and change into 

 pupse, the adults emerging a couple of weeks later. Eggs are again laid in July and from 

 these emerge the second brood of larvae which injure the fall crop of clover seed. 



It is (]uite probable that the Clover Seed Midge is not the author of all the mischief. I 

 found frequently in clover heads in June a species of Thrips which eats the newly formed seed. 



Insect Pests of Shade Trees. 



T^(,ssock Moth. The pests of shade trees have been more abundant than usual. In 

 Toronto and the surrounding towns the Tussock Moth has been very destructive. Woodstock 

 and the western towns have suffered severely from the Cottony Maple Scale. While the 

 Spruce Gall-Louse ia gradually making its way into nearly all the spruce hedges in the Province- 



The life history of the Tussock Moth is well known, and the remedies which have been 

 suggested are quite effective. It lies altogether with the city authorities to stamp out the pest. 

 The most effective methods are the following : First, collect and destroy the masses of egg« 

 which are to be found during the winter on dead leaves, rubbish, and on fences. A very 

 effective way of gathering these would be to offer the children a bonus for every egg cluster 

 eollected. Second, to bandage the trees with some sticky substance so that the female, which 



