126 ASSOCIATION OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGISTS. 



fall, but did not ojierate as any check to the pest. Several farmers 

 lost their entire crops of potatoes, the caterpillars killing off each 

 shoot from the tuber. Of grain farmers, many lost from 40 to 80 

 per cent of oats and spring wheat; one crop visited by the writer 

 was sown Avith wheat a second time and again entirely destroyed. 

 (It was sown a third time, but too late to harvest, though it escaped 

 the cutworms.) And so with horticulturists: Peonies, columbines, 

 pansies, foxgloves (Digitalis), wall flowers, candytuft, campanula' — 

 all were attacked indiscriminately by Chorizagrotis auxiliaris and 

 Xoctiia claudfisfirui, even two young Charles XII lilac bushes being 

 killed by having their young buds devoured (this Ijy Peridroind 

 occulta L.) Carrots, parsnips, onions, cabbages, and other Crucifera; 

 grown in gardens were in mauA^ cases " cleaned out " by Xoctua 

 clandestina. 



The magnitude of the attack seemed to discourage the farmers. 

 Remedies Avere tried without much success, except in gardens where 

 close attention could be given. Where tried in gardens poisoned bran 

 succeeded very well, but farmers seem not to have the time or the 

 pains for applying the poison-bran remedy to their large grain fields. 



As a wholesale and very fairly efficient remedy for grain fields the 

 writer recommended heavy rolling late in the evening. This Avas 

 tried by one farmer Avhose field was infested, the rolling being done 

 from 10.30 p. m. till about midnight, being repeated a time or two 

 during the young growth of grain, and resulted not only in the vir- 

 tual salvation of his crop, but in a strong stand of straAV (with the 

 summer the driest on record). 



In short, the farmer should, in the opinion of the Avriter, consist- 

 ently practice the following method with his grain : 



(1) Late fall plowing (plowing can often be done in Alberta till 

 the early days of November). 



(2) Drilling the grain (in spring), not sov.'ing broadcast. Drilling 

 facilitates the operation of the harrow and seeds deeper than broad- 

 cast sowing. 



(8) Roll in evening (10.30 p. m.) when gi-ain is appearing and 

 soil dry. 



(4) Harrow when grain is a little more advanced. 



(5) Roll once more in evening (on dry soil). 



(6) Harrow finally (Avith grain about 4 inches high). 



The Avriter has knoAvn crops to be harroAved three times after the 

 first appearance of grain. Avith most beneficial results, and, except in 

 years of unusual prevalence of cutAvorms, the second rolling might 

 be dispensed Avith. 



