12 THE REPORT OF THE No. 30 



Attacking Fruit Crops. 



The fruit crop in the Ottawa district was on the whole a very fair one. 

 Weather conditions have been excellent for the maturing of fruit. Insects have 

 not been especially destructive, and growers who sprayed their trees regularly 

 were not much troubled. 



The Codling Moth (Carpoccupsa pomonella, L.) did a good deal of damage in 

 unsprayed orchards in Eastern Ontario. The intelligent fruit growers of the 

 district, however, were not troubled to any serious extent by this insect. A friend 

 who lives at Aylmer, Que., about 9 miles from Ottawa, told me that every apple 

 in his garden was wormy. He had, of course, neglected to spray his trees. 



Plant lice were the insects which were most abundant in orchards in the 

 district during the past year. The season has been a remarkable one for plant 

 lice of all kinds. Apple and plum trees were badly attacked, and where small trees 

 were infected, serious damage resulted. During the early part of June the plant 

 lice were enormously abundant in orchards near Ottawa, but towards the end of 

 the month it was noticed that important parasites were appearing and doing 

 splendid work in reducing their numbers. When orchard trees become badly 

 infested with plant lice, it is a difficult matter to destroy the insects, on account 

 of the curled up condition of the leaves, making it almost impossible to reach 

 the insects with any contact insecticide. In eastern Canada, fortunately, these 

 insects do not, as a rule, seriously injure apple trees, but in British Columbia, the 

 Apple Aphis is in some years decidedly destructive, and frequent treatment is neces- 

 sary. The Woolly Aphis of the Apple was fairly prevalent in the Ottawa district 

 during the past season. On September 14th, I saw a number of young apple trees 

 which were much infested. 



The Pear-tree Slug (Eriocampa cerasi. Peck.) was again noticeably present 

 on plum and cherry. The foliage of some trees examined in September was much 

 eaten by the slimy dark coloured slugs of this sawfly. The insect is one which is 

 easily controlled by spraying with any of the arsenical poisons. 



The Currant Worm {Pteronus rihesii, Scop.) was complained of by growers 

 of currants. The second brood of larvae were very numerous in a large patch of 

 red and white currants near Ottawa on July 12. They first appeared a few days 

 before this date, and were quickly stripping the bushes of their foliage. The first 

 brood of this insect, which appears when the leaves are attaining full size, are 

 easily controlled by Paris green or arsenate of lead, but for the second brood, which 

 appears just as the fruit is ripening, white hellebore is recommended, either dusted 

 upon the bushes, or applied as a spray, one ounce in two gallons of water. The 

 first brood should be treated thoroughly so as to reduce the numbers of the sec- 

 ond brood. 



The Currant Aphis (Myzus rihis, L.). Almost wherever currants were grown 

 the past season they were attacked by large numbers of this plant louse. In eastern 

 Ontario we received many complaints of the work of this insect. Unfortunately, 

 unless the bushes are sprayed with kerosene emulsion or whale-oil soap, as soon 

 as the aphides appear, and before they cause the* leaves to blister and curl, it is 

 difficult to get good results from the vv^ork. It is necessary to force the liquid well 

 up beneath the leaves. This can be done by attaching a piece of bent pipe, bearing 

 the nozzle at the end, to the rod of the sprayer. 



