1903 



ENTOMOLOGICAL S0CIET7. 



63 



more troublesome than has been the case for several years, and it is worth recording that I 

 found it in several places in British Columbia, even on Vancouver Island. It has therefore 

 now spread right across the continent. The remedy which has given the best results in my 

 experience, is smearing the animals lightly on such parts as are most attacked, with a dressing 

 of one pound of pine tar in five pounds of lard. Up to the present year the application we 

 have used has only been of half this strength, viz. : 1 lb. of tar in 10 lbs. of lard, but decidedly 

 better results have been secured by using the sti'onger mixture. 



Cereal Crops. 

 Cereal crops throughout the I'rovince were little injured by insects during 1903. The 

 only insect which drew particular attention from farmer.s was the Grain Aphis (Nectaropliora 

 yranaria, Kirby), and, notwithstanding that this plant-louse was reported from a great many 

 localities during the month of August, little real harm was done to the crop. The usual 

 parasites, Aphi'Jiufi and various Syrpluis flies, quickly appeared and destroyed the infesting 

 Ijlant-lice. The Pea Weevil, as already stated, was not so abundant as usual in most places ; 

 but, owing to the large number of farmers who have given up the cultivation of this important 

 cereal, it is rather difficult to decide as to the actual amount of harm done. The acreage this 

 year put in to peas was much less than for many years, but the average yield per acre was 

 higher. Prof. Lochhead tells me that in certain districts the weevils were very numerous and 

 that, in localities in the southwest of Ontario where many peas are still grown, one of his 

 correspondents in the County of Kent reported that about one half of the peas contained 

 weevils in the larval and pupal state at the end of August, and that the insect was still 

 abundant and destructive in the Counties of Duffex'in and Halton. 



The Hessian FIj' was decidedly less destructive in all parts of the Province, and there 

 were only one or two instances reported where it had done noticeable harm. This is. of course, 

 to a certain extent due to the increase of its natural parasites ; but, undoubtedly, farmers 

 throughout the districts where fall wheat is grown, are now systematically sowing latei- than 

 formerly, that is, they are waiting until after the middle of September instead of trying to 

 get in their seed in by the first of the month. 



An injury to oats which caused some loss and was the subject of considerable enquiry 

 was the blighting of the lower flowers in the panicles of late oats. The florets turned white 

 and no grain was produced. This was due, it believed, to the attacks of a Thripn (Fig. 22) 

 and agrees very closely with the injury done by two species of Thrips which attack small 



grains in Europe. Prof. Lindeman, who has 

 studied these small insects and has published an 

 important article on those living on cereals in 

 Russia, thinks that " only two species are of aigri- 

 cultural importance. Thrips secalina (possibly 

 Lhnothrips cerealitmi, Halid.) occurs on the ears of 

 i-ye in June and then, later, in the second brood, 

 on summer wheat and barley. The injury of this 

 species, however, is less than that of FhlvcotJtrips 

 frumentaria, Bd. This caused great damage by 

 puncturing the ovaries of rye, wheat, barley and timothy." The insects hibernate in the 

 adult form, and this suggests the possibility of controlling them by deep fall-ploughing and 

 the burning over of stubbles. This injury occurred not only in Ontario but eastward into the 

 Province of Quebec and was reported as far west as Manitoba. 



Fodder Crops. 

 ' >wing to the exceptional drought of early spring all grass crops were very much delayed 

 in development, and there was until the middle of June every appearance of a .serious shortage 



A Thiiiis and its wings, greatly luagnifiert. 



