10 THE REPORT OF THE No. 19. 



of lime; lie intended, however, to use a mixture of equal weights of each. 

 He did not consider it necessary that the wash should remain for any length 

 of time on the trees as he found that the insects were killed by u immediately. 



Prof. Lochhead thought that the continuance of the wash on the trees 

 was important as a protection against fungous diseases, even if not neces- 

 sary for the destruction of the sc^le. He was of opinion that making the 

 mixture by slaking instead of boiling might do for the Aphis, but was not 

 effective for the scale. 



Dr. Fletcher was anxious that the question should be thoroughly test- 

 ed, as, if slaking will do, a hundred people will make the wash by this easier 

 process to one who will take the trouble to boil it for two hours. 



Mr. Fisher then referred to the Pear-tree Psylla. In February his 

 man used lime slaked and applied without any sulphur; he put it on thick, 

 as much as he could get to stick. The result was that the trees were per- 

 fectly cleared of the insect and of fungus, though the orchard had been con- 

 demned. 



Mr. Macoun and he had experimented on a small orchard near Niagara 

 which they treated with plain white-wash. Some trees they covered once, 

 some twice and some three times. In the spring more scale was louna un- 

 der the white-wash than on the untreated trees ! It seemed that the insect 

 was actually protected against the severity of the winter by the white-wash. 



This year at Burlington the Psylla was absent, though they had always 

 had it for many years previously. No less than 400 dwarf Duchess pear 

 trees were killed by it only a few years ago. At that time, unfortunately, he 

 did not know that it could be controlled by kerosene emulsion, or the lime 

 and sulphur wash. The latter should be applied between the middle of 

 March and the middle of April. If applied in December the lime and sul- 

 phur wash injures the tree because the wood is not sufficiently matured and 

 late in the spring it injures the buds. 



Mr. Balkwill stated, in reference to the Pea-weevil, that it was very 

 bad this year in some places about London, while some farms were quite free 

 from it. 



Mr. Evans said that it had entirely disappeared about Trenton; he 

 thought that the exceptionally cold winter had killed the beetle. 



Dr. Fletcher urged that now is the time to fight this insect while its 

 numbers were reduced and it was comparatively weak; everyone should 

 fumigate his peas and make a complete destruction of the weevil. 



Mr. Fisher, in reply to an enquiry, said that the New York Plum Scale 

 had increased from neglect in many places; the severe winter had not affect- 

 ed it. The Oyster-shell Bark-louse was entirely killed by the lime and sul- 

 phur wash. Lime used alone has only a mechanical effect by causing the 

 insect to fall off with it, but does not itself kill the louse. 



He wanted to know whether there was any practicable remedy for Wire- 

 worms. Acres of melons had been destroyed by them in his district. 



Dr. Fletcher advised double plowing — in early August and in Septem- 

 ber; Mr. Fisher replied that this would not be practicable in the case of 

 tomatoes, but both Dr. Fletcher and Prof. Lochhead said that Wire-worms 

 did not attack tomatoes, but were often very destructive in wheat fields and 

 to other crops. In the case of melons Dr. Fletcher advised trapping the 

 parent-beetles by means of poisoned potatoes ; these should be raw, sliced and 

 dipped in Paris green and water, and then scattered about the infested places. 

 This would be of use as a protection for the future, but there was no known 

 remedy that was practicable for the Wire-worms themselves nor for white 

 grubs, the larvse of June beetles, which are also root-feeders. 



