112 THE EEPORT OF THE No. 36 



Prof. Caesar: Yes, but it was not satisfactory. A very hot day hastens their 

 death. We could not get ideal conditions. 



The President: My experience with Muscid flies in keeping them alive is 

 strange. You would expect that the larger the cage the longer you could keep them 

 alive. 



Prof. Caesar: That was the case with the Cherry Fruit-flies in our experience, 

 small cages were very unsatisfactory. Our cages enclosed the whole tree. 



The President : The converse was true in my experience. I found that in 

 tlic case of such flies as 8tomoxys the way to keep them alive longest is to keep 

 tliem in glass tubes, G to 8 inches long, with absorbent wool stoppers. 



Prof. Caesar : I might add that we watered these cages every day that there 

 was no rain. 



THE CONTROL OF FOREST AND SHADE TREE INSECTS OF THE 



FARM. 



J. M. SwAiNE, Assistant Entomologist for Forest Insects, Ot'I'awa. 



The beauty and comfort of any farm home depend to a not inconsiderable 

 degree upon the shade trees which surround it; and yet we see many farmhouses, 

 pven in Eastern Canada, quite without shade trees of any kind. Such places are 

 usually unbearably hot in summer, and unspeakably dreary in winter. A few fine 

 shade trees would make a wonderful change. It is, however, rather with the pre- 

 servation of the trees that occur that this society has to do. The most serious 

 enemies of shade trees in this country are certain insect and fungous pests and 

 lieavy wind or sleet storms. The injuries from these sources are closely related. 

 In many cases parasitic fungi, the cause of wood decay, gain entrance to the wood 

 (hrough tunnels of boring insects; fungus-injured branches and trunks provide 

 breeding grounds for many insects; and insects, and particularly parasitic fungi, 

 enter through storm-injured branches and wounds in the trunk. 



It is possible to control most insect and fungus outbreaks on trees wliioh are 

 valuable enough to warrant individual treatment; but very miiny of these injuries 

 could be prevented by proper handling of the trees, and considerable expense and 

 trouble could thus be avoided. 



Mistakes are made often in selecting the trees for planting. Good stock should 

 be chosen of varieties which are suited to the climate and soil conditions of tlie 

 location. Trees which are likely to succumb to local insect pests should be avoided. 

 M is almost useless, for instance, to plant the imported cut-leaf birches in districts 

 v.diere the Bron.?:e Birch Borer is abundant, or the black locust tree in regions 

 infested by the Locust Borer. 



The trees should be planted carefully and properly. Unless used for hedges, 

 wind-breaks or ':>lose clumps, the individual trees should have sufficient room to 

 develop the normal shape. 



A good fertilizer sbonbl he applied when it is needed, and an abundance of 

 water should be furnished to Hip roots in dry seasons. The weaker, unthrifty trees 

 should receive special attention. Numbers of our biark-boring and wood-boring 

 insects, which normally breed in dying trees. Avill attack trees in an unheal tin- 

 condition, particularly when the insects are present in great numbers. Other 



