62 THE REPORT OF THE No. 19 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO ONTARIO CROPS IN 19U3. 

 Bv Dr. Jame8 Fletcher, Dominion Entomologist. 



The season of 1903, like the preceding one, was of an unusual character throughout the 

 Province. Up to the middle of June, an exceptional drought prevailed in most districts ; this 

 was followed by copious rains and a luxuriant growth of all vegetation till the end of the season. 

 These conditions had a marked influence on the prevalence of insects injurious to crops. 

 During the spring months Cutworms were troublesome in a few localities, but there was no 

 complaint of widespread injury. Wireworms and White (Trul)s were mentioned in several 

 places. 



There was much enquiry for instructions on the best way to treat seed peas to destroy 

 the Pea Weevil. This was a natural outcome of the vigorous campaign instituted by the mem- 

 bers of our Society subsequent to the conference held at the last annual meeting. Seed 

 merchants and farmers, I am convinced, did more in 1903 to control this pest than has been 

 done previously for many years, and reports at the end of the season indicate a more satisfactory 

 state of affairs as to the abundance of tie Pea Weevil. In the Ontario crop report for October, 

 Prof. James gives the 'crop of peas for 1903 as 8,924,650 bushels, as against 7,664,679 for 1902, 

 an increase of one million and a quarter bushels. As a result of the spring drought, all hay 

 and fffidder plants were slow in developing, and there was much injury on old meadows from 

 " Silver-top," which was especially noticeable in fields of Timothy. This injury seems to be 

 due to two causes,— the attacks of a minute insect, a member of the Thripid;e, Limoihrips 

 poaphagus, of Comstock, and various small leaf-hoppers and true bugs which puncture the 

 stem and suck the sap from the lower part of the top joint, thus causing the head to wither and 

 turn white before maturity. In addition to these and in a lesser degree, the stems of some of 

 the larger grasses are occasionally attacked by the Wheat-stem Maggot {MeromriZ'i Americana, 

 Fitch). 



Some of the striking features of the year were the marked decrease in the injuries of the 

 Hessian Fly, and in most places of the Tent Caterpillar and of the Squash Bug. The Codling 

 Moth in the eastern part of the province gave very little trouble ; and, west of Toronto, where 

 there are two broods, the first brood was not nearly so injurious as usual ; although later in the 

 season the caterpillars appeared in some numbers, the apple and pear crops were freer than 

 usual of this pest. This being the case, it is most important that fruit growers should now 

 more than ever practise the joint remedy of spraying in the early spring and banding the treeg 

 in the autumn, not forgetting that examining these bands and destroying the contained larv;e 

 is of even more importance than putting the bands on the trees. The enormous crop of plums 

 this year made the attacks of the Plum Curculio for the most part insignificant. In some places, 

 however, the injury was extreme,' and this was particularly the case where spraying had not 

 been well attended to. The Fall Web worm {Hyphantria textor, Harris) was noticeably on the 

 increase, and the same may be said of the White-marked Tussock Moth [Hemerocampa (Orgyia 

 hucosHgma, S. & A.]. It is most important that fruit growers and municipal -bodies should 

 attend to both of these insects without further deUy. The Birch Skeletonizer {Bucculatrix 

 {Ca7ui.de nsi sella, Cham.) appeared again in some numbers in Central Ontario, but was not nearly 

 such a serious pest as it has been for the past two years, nor were its injuries this year aug- 

 mented to any serious extent by the work of a large a^phis {Calllpteri(s vwcidus. Fitch) and a leaf- 

 hopper] (Empoasca smaragula, Fall.) which last year were very abundant. Attacked trees, this 

 year, held many of their leaves till the end of the autumn. Experiments in spraying trees with a 

 whale-oil soap wash containing Paris green were successful, and this is probably the best remedy 

 to apply on ornamental trees, should the insect aga n increase abnormally. The Horn Fly 

 which some years ago did such serious injury among dairy herds has this year been decidedly 



