26 THE EEPOET OF THE No. 36 



Mr. Nash: You can understand that it will not act as a preventive, because 

 the Wireworms will eat ofE the rootlets as quickly as formed. 



Mr. Caesar: The Wireworms attacking the kernels have been in this way a 

 great pest, and never give the corn a chance at all. 



Mr. Nash : It does not seem at all practicable. 



Dr. Hewitt : It protects the kernel, but will not protect the roots of the plant. 



Mr. Caesar: Possibly the odor of the tar has something to do as a repellant. 



Mr. Nash : We know quite well that the tarred seed does not protect the plant 

 at all. 



'Mr. Caesar: Prof. Fernald has been worldng on this for two years, and he 

 claims that he has got excellent results. I was reading the other day results from 

 further trials, and the writers claim that they did not care how badly the field was 

 infested the corn would not be attacked if treated with the tar and Paris green. 

 As for Prof. Fernald, it is well known that he is a thorough man in his work. 



Mr. Nash: They got hold of a susceptible breed of Wireworms. 



Mr. Ho WITT : Have you found the Wireworm attacking potatoes to any ex- 

 tent? I came across a district around London where about 30 per cent, of the 

 potatoes were bored through with the Wireworms. 



Mr. Caesar: Yes, quite often. Have you known of the above method of 

 controlling them, Mr. Swaine? 



Mr. Swaine: I have known it to be reported upon favorably a number of 

 times. 



Pea Aphis (Nectarophora destructor) . This very serious pest was only found 

 locally, but in a few districts it destroyed whole fields of peas. One farmer thinks 

 its presence on the vines has led to the death of some of his cattle by poisoning. 

 This scarcely seems possible. 



EooT Maggots (Pegomya hrassicw and P. cepetorum). These troublesome 

 pests have been about as abundant as usual. Late cabbage has been almost free 

 from them. 



Cabbage Aphis (Aphis hrassicce). Fortunately this species of insect is at 

 last being brought under control by its natural foes, and this year in most parts of 

 the Province did comparatively little damage. 



Spruce Galls (Chermes sp.,) Plate B, Figs. 6 and 7. Some attention has 

 been given to spruce galls this year, chiefly by my summer assistant, Mr. W. A. 

 Eoss. It has been found so far that we have on spruce in the Province, Chermes 

 abietis, C. similis, C. pinifolice, and a species that seems to be C. pinicorticis, but 

 was not studied early enough in the season to get the adults, and so make sure of 

 its identity. Of these, Chermes ahietis is the most abundant, and is found on Nor- 

 way, Black and White Spruce. Chermes similis is very abundant on White Spruce, 

 and is doing much damage. Chermes pinifolice has been found by us only at Port 

 Hope, where I saw it on one tree, which I think was White Spruce, although it 

 might possibly have been Black. Experiments on the control of C. abietis showed 

 that because of its exposed condition it could be destroyed by an application of 

 whale-oil soap or lime-sulphur in April. Excellent results have been obtained from 

 the latter, both this year and last. 



So far we do not know when C. similis can be best attacked. It looks as 

 though it would be a much harder species to combat than C. abietis. In spring it 

 is so enveloped in a flocculent mass that lime-sulphur has no effect on it, and prob- 

 ably an oil spray would likewise be ineffective. 



Dr. Walker: Did you say you found Chermes pinifolice on the White Spruce? 



