11 



with this injury. It is mainly caused by small leaf-hoppers (Jassidfe). These are 

 collected and destroyed by the use of a " hopper-dozer." This is a thin sheet-iron pan, 

 about three feet in width, and of any length that may be found convenient ; the back 

 and sides of the pan are turned up about five or six inches, and the front is bent over 

 about half an inch in order to form a smooth edge ; the pan is mounted upon low wooden 

 runners, about two inches in height, and is drawn by means of a rope attached to either 

 end. When ready for use the pan is smeared over with coal-tar to the depth of quarter 

 of an inch or more, and is then dragged over the infested fields. The front of the pan, 

 as it strikes the grass, causes the hoppers to spring into the air when most of them alight 

 on the pan and are caught in the tar, A large area can be gone over very quickly and 

 myriads of the insects thus destroyed. A field treated in this way before the grass has 



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become too long, and again when it has begun to grow after cutting, will be easily kept 

 clear of this pe.st. Mr. Osborn found it advantageous to keep the infested meado v 

 closely cropi)ed by enclosing a larger number of cows upon it than usual. This simple 

 machine — " the hopper-dozer" — can also be used with great advantage for the destructio i 

 of grass-hoppers or locusts. 



The Clover-root borer, (Hylesinus trifolii, Miiller) is reported by Mr. Kilman to be 

 troublesome in the neighbourhood of Ridgeway, Ont. He says that " it literally honey- 

 combs the clover roots in all fields here during the second season of the plant's growth, 

 and the weakened plant rarely survives the winter following. The farmers then say that 

 theii- clover is 'winter-killed.'" Mr. Fletcher in his last year's report (1891) drew 

 attention to the occurrence of this insect in Canada, and recommended as a remedy the 

 plowing under of the clover when it is found to be infested. 



The Common red-legged Grass-hopper (Melanoplus femur-rubrum, Burm), is very, 

 abundant just now in many parts of the Province and is doing a considerable amount of 

 damage. It is especially injurious to oats, as it has a habit of climbing up the stalk and 

 biting off the ear. 1 have been informed that a field of ten acres in the neighbourhood 

 of Port Hope was severely damaged in this way. It would be quite worth the farmers' 

 while to use "hopper-dozers" for these insects, as already described. By making the 

 coating of tar about half an inch thick it would securely hold the grass-hoppers. 



The Wheat-stem maggot (Meromyza Americana, Fitch), which is also known as " the 

 Wheat bulb worm " when it infests the roots of the plant, has been reported as injurious 

 in some localities. Early in the spring the pup* of this insect are found in the roots of 

 wheat and grasses ; these are the pupa; of the last brood of the previous year and have 

 passed the winter in this .state. The flies emerge from these at the end of May and pro- 

 ceed to lay their eggs on the leaves of many kinds of grass, and also upon the leaves of 

 the forming stems of wheat, which has been sown in May and is well up by the first of 

 June. These eggs produce a small glassy green maggot which eats into the base of the 

 top joint of wheat, barley and grasses, and causes the ear to turn prematurely white 

 before the rest of the crop is ripe. This is the "silver-top" of wheat and barley which 



