PUOCEBDIN'GS, 1914. 



iiieiitioued in this iiaper in safeguarding the agricultural interests of the Province by 

 their sound judgments and sane measures, embodied in the regulations of the Board 

 of Horticulture, against th<' introduction of dangerous insect pests — jiests which are 

 causing consideralile .■innciyaiice and expense to fruit-growers and farmers in otlier 

 portions of the Dominion of Canada, and which might with ease be introdure<l 

 through the medium of trade into this Province, which in the early 90"s was only 

 just beginning to develop its wonderful agricultural aud horticultural resources. 

 To-day this Province stands, in com])arison to its fruit-growing areas, the cleanest of 

 any fruit-growing country in the world. There is little codling-moth, no San Jose 

 scale, no very serious insect pest iu the orchard or on the farm, aud we look back 

 to the few men. whose names have been incorixirated in this paper, through whose 

 wise judgment and wlio through the exercise of ]iroper jirecaution made tliis condition 

 liossible. 



If it had nnt Iicimi for tlie Horticultural Kcguhitions. for if lias been on tlie liasis 

 of these regulations tliat our economic entomolog.v has been built so far. and aliout 

 which mention has been made, our history of British Columbian entomology up to 

 the present would have been very different. Instead of applying quarantine and 

 lireventive measures as have been done aud as we are in the main doing now, we 

 should have been studying and controlling insect pests of the farmer, of more serious 

 intent than any we have with us under present conditions. As such the published 

 record of entomology in British Columbia would have been much different. 



Xo praise, theref(n-e. is too great for those whose energies have placed this 

 I'rovince on an independent pedestal in tlie tield of economic or applied entomology, 

 causing her to stand an example to all of the practical and elementary principles 

 of entomolog.v, which other Provinces and States failed to follow until too late. 



Our work for the future will be to retain this standard of immunity at all costs 

 of labour and expense, aud we will endeavour at the same time to supplement onr 

 knowledge on those insects of economic importance in our midst aud indigenous to 

 the Province. There are few countries with such au interesting entomological fauna. 

 There are few studies that offer such scope for individual research as a study of 

 tliis same entomological fauna; consequently the field lies open, in systematic or 

 economic investigation, in popular or scientific research, for those that may wish to 

 place their energies and the products of their brains towards a furtherance of our 

 knowledge on British Cnlnmbia insects, their lives and their characteristics. 



MITES: THEIR CLASSIFICATION AND HABITS, WITH SOME OBSERVA- 

 TIONS ON THEIR OCCURRENCE IN THE OKANAGAN. 



Bv ,T. Sydnkv Dash. B,S.A. 



The work of mites has been brought so mnch l.efore us in this Province through- 

 out the past season (we need only mention here the discovery by Giissow of a 

 species of Eriophiiix associated with a kind of "silver-leaf," and also liy Brittaiu 

 of a species of the same genus causing apple-blotch on the fruit) that the writer, 

 when asked to make a few remarks at this meeting, thought it would not be out 

 of place to treat briefly on this class of niinntc animals, so that a more exact idea 

 of the nature, classification, and importance nf flie class may Ic obiained. 



The animal kingdom, as you are probably aware, is divided into a nunilicr of 

 branches or phyla, eacli phylum h.-iving Its own peculiar characteristics. The phylum 

 with which we have to deal is the Artliroin/ild. a group of animals having jointed 

 bodies and jointed legs. In this pliylum are the following classes: — 



1. Crustacea. — These are water-breathing animals. They possess many legs and 

 hard outer or exoskel(>toiis ; head and thorax are united. Kx.ample: Crabs, hilisters. 

 crayfish. 



2. Aruchiiiilii. — These are land fdinis, ]nisscssiiig eight legs, head and tlmrax 

 united. Example: Sci.r|iiciiis, spiders, miles, and ticks. 



