10 THE EEPORT OF THE No. 36 



Attacking Field Ckops, 



The Hessian Fly {Mayeiiola destructor, Say.) which was troublesome near 

 Ottawa in 1908, was not reported as present in 1909. On the Central Experi- 

 mental Farm, where it occurred last year, no trace of its work could be detected 

 this year. 



Grasshoppers were decidedly destructive in many localities near Ottawa, par- 

 ticularly in places where the soil is light. On June 31st I received a report that 

 these insects were causing much anxiety to farmers near Buckingham, Que., about 

 83 miles from Ottawa. It was stated that they were present in that district in 

 "countless millions." Up the Gatineau River grasshoppers were enormously abund- 

 ant, and many complaints were made concerning their ravages. On July 29th 

 I drove from Maniwaki to Baskatong, Que., a distance of about 40 miles, and saw 

 the insects in great swarms. Oats, which are largely grown in the Gatineau country, 

 were much damaged, also timothy; the crops in some fields being entirely eaten. 

 At Baskatong I visited a large field of turnips, the tops of many of which had 

 been completely eaten, and what remained was rapidly being devoured by the grass- 

 hoppers. At Castor, Que., which is about half way between Baskatong and Mani- 

 waki, one farmer had sown turnips twice and had lost both crops. On July 30, the 

 grasshoppers were working in his oat and wheat fields. I was much amused at a 

 method which was being adopted to save the crop of turnips at Baskatong. A 

 s mall boy was kept walking up and down the rows of turnips with a branch in 

 his hand, with which he endeavoured to drive off the grasshoppers. Of course, 

 almost as soon as he had passed, the insects immediately swarmed back to the 

 plants and continued their work of destruction. The species which was responsible 

 for the damage was the Lesser Migratory Locust, Melanoplus atlanis, Eiley. I 

 advised them to try the Griddle mixture, which had given such remarkable results 

 in Manitoba. The following quotation is from a letter I recently received from 

 Mr. Griddle, of Treesbank, Man., who devised this mixture: "There has been 

 another rather bad outbreak of locusts here, which has necessitated several appli- 

 cations of the Griddle mixture. The result has been entirely satisfactory, the mix- 

 ture having undoubtedly prevented much damage. I was beginning to be afraid 

 that I had over-estimated the value of horse droppings as an attraction, but I am 

 glad to find that such is not the case. ' 



The Grain Aphis (Macrosiphum granaria, Kirby) was present in large num- 

 bers in the Ottawa District. In the Gatineau country I saw many fields, at the end 

 of July, which were infested. Fortunately, the outbreak, as usual, was attended 

 by parasites which greatly reduced the numbers of the plant lice. Some fields of 

 oats, however, at the above date, looked as if they had been much weakened by 

 the attacks of this insect. 



The Greater Wheat-stem Maggot (Meromyza Americana, Fitch.) was con- 

 spicuously present in wheat near Ottawa. Larvae collected on July 9th were 

 apparently full-grown, being about a quarter of an inch in length. In some experi- 

 mental wheat plots on the Central Experimental Farm the "silver tops" or "dead- 

 heads," as they have been called, were rather abundant, but were not present, how- 

 ever, in sufficient numbers to affect materially the resultant crop. They were 

 especially noticed among wheat of the variety called "Bishop." 



The Apple-leaf Hopper (Empoasca mali, LeB.) which did so much harm in 

 eastern Ontario in 1908, was again present on potatoes in injurious numbers in 

 the Ottawa district. Its work was supplemented very much this year, however, by 

 the Potato Aphis and the Potato Flea Beetle, particularly the former. On October 



