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THK KEPOJrr OF THE 



No. 36 



loss of time caused in lighting the pest, with consequent neglect of other important 

 work at such time, cost of extra labor, Paris green, etc., and threatened shortage 

 of food, in some instances necessitating the sale of live stock, the total loss in the 

 Province of Ontario alone will exceed at least a quarter of a million dollars. 

 In Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick proba;bly fifty thousand dollars 

 would be a conservative estimate of the loss to crops. 



At the request of the Entomological Branch, the Census and Statistics OiSce 

 issued a special inquiry to its crop correspondents in Ontario regarding the 

 occurrence of the Army-worm, and this has been of great assistance in the deter- 

 mination of the extent of the infestation and the approximate amount of damage 

 eifected. Farmers will be interested to know that no caterpillars of the over- 

 wintering brood of the Army-worm have been detected, even in the districts 



Fig. 12. — Corn field devastated by army-worm, Kinburn, Ont., July 21, 1914 (Original). 



worst infested. Special searches have been made for these without success. The 

 injurious brood of larvie were heavily parasitized, particularly by the Tachinid 

 fly, ]yint]ie7nia, and in addition a bacterial disease destroyed great numbers. 

 Predaceous beetles were also found feeding on them. 



The above brief statement will indicate the serious nature of the Army- 

 worm outbreak of 1914. The outbreak was, I think, the most serious of any 

 of which we have definite knowledge. The chief infestation, as above stated, 

 occurred in Ontario, but I shall not say anything further of that outbreak here, 

 as Mr. Baker is discussing it in his paper which treats of his investigation in 

 that Province. A full discussion of the subject will, however, be included in a 

 bulletin which I am preparing, and which we hope to publish shortly. 



The Army-worm when full grown is about an inch and a half long. It is 

 a brown or blackish, smooth caterpillar, with three conspicuous yellowish or pale 

 coloured stripes above, one down the middle and the others on either side of the 

 back. These latter are bordered above with a narrow band of black. On each 

 side are three conspicuous wide bands, the central one beirLg blackish and the 



