34 



the past season it 

 reached as far as 

 Ottawa, and in 

 some of the New 

 England States 

 has approached 

 the sea shore. 

 It is quite possi- 

 ble that before 

 long it may cross 

 the Atlantic se- 

 creted among the 

 merchandise car- 

 ried thither bj' 

 vessels. During 

 the summer they 

 d \S^S^e will survive many 



weeks without a particle of food, and could easily endure the abstinence which a voyage 

 across the Atlantic would entail. Already many of the European Governments have taken 

 measures of precaution against their introduction, and we sincerely hope that these measures 

 may be succes.sful. Throughout Ontario this insect has not proved so great a scourge as 

 was anticipated, and notwithstanding the immense numbers in which they have appeared, 

 they have scarcely influenced the price of that valuable esculent, the potato, not even in 

 the worst affected districts. We can only attribute this result to the persistent application 

 by our farmers of that valuable remedy, Paris green. Notwithstanding the outcries which 

 some have made against its use, general experience has decided immensely in its favour, and 

 it is almost universally used. During the past summer a series of interesting experiments 

 have been carried on by the chemist of the Department of Agriculture in Washington, 

 with the view of ascertaining how far the soil could be impregnated with Paris green 

 without operating disastrou.sly on vegetable growth. The results of these experiments 

 have shown that any reasonable amount of Paris green required for the destruction of the 

 potato beetle may be used without influencing the soil to the detriment of plant life to 

 any perceptible extent. 



It is nevertheless true that in many cases larger quantities of this poisonous substance 

 have been used than there was need for, and some cases of irritation, arising from careless- 

 ly inhaling the dust of the powder while applying it, have been reported to us. The use 

 of the Paris green with water is becoming much more general, and is highly approved of 

 by those who have used it in that manner. If the Paris green be of good quality, from 

 one to two teaspoonfuls will be sufficient for a pailful of water. This mixture is occasion- 

 ally agitated so as to keep the powder suspended in the liquid, and applied with a whisk 

 or small broom, which is first dipped in the liquid and then shaken over the vines. At 

 first sight this seems a laborious process, but most of those who have»tried concur in the 

 opinion that it involves no more labour than is required for an application of the powder ; 

 that it takes much less Paris green to the acre, and has the additional advantage that it 

 can be applied at any time during the day and in all weathers. 



THE APPLE TKEE BLIGHT. 



gf This mysterious disease, which was first referred to in our last Report, if not on the 

 increase throughout our Province, is in some districts manifesting an intensity which at 

 first was not expected. This has been especially the case with the trees in the orchards 

 and nursery of Mr. James Dougall, of Windsor. These were visited by the writer on the 

 10th of August last, in company with some friends, including Thos. Meehan, Editor of the 

 Gardener s Monthly, Philadelphia, and Professors Beal and Cook, of the Agricultural Col- 

 lege of Lan.sing, Slichigan. 



We found that, in addition to the ordinary form of this tree-blight afifecting the twigs 



