(i() H.C. lv\T(LM(ll.lli:iCAL SoriETV. 



At the present iiiomeiit there are uo pea-weevils recortled for British Columhia. 

 a fact which is indeed fnrtiinate. lieeause this small beetle has frequently made the 

 growing of peas an impossibility in certain parts of Ontario. There is no doubt 

 that this beetle will thrive in BritLsh Cohuubia if it is introduced, and it can only 

 he introduced through such a medium as mentioned aliove : that is. the importation 

 of seed from an infested area. 



Inquiry in Ontario has elicited the infurmatiim that peas are not snl)ject by law 

 to fumigation before sale or distribution, but seedsmen, to iirotect their own business, 

 usually fumigate on their own responsibility. Further. I am infornied, the numbers 

 of the pea-weevil in Ontario are gradually increasing in those districts where peas 

 are being grown. Hence, those Provinces, and in particular British Columbia, where 

 the i)est does not occur at present, must guard agxiinst the introduction of this beetle, 

 which is unquestionabl.v one of the most serious to the pea-growing industry of 

 Ontario. 



The adult weevil is about % inch long. In general its colour is blaeli, with 

 irregular markings of black and white, over which may !)e seen a slight lirown 

 pubescence. Farmers in Britisli Colundiia will recognize it from these characters 

 and from the fact that it may be found as a beetle inside the peas. Its presence 

 is indicated by circiilar round holes in the pea : consequently when these signs are 

 seen there should lie an iiiuuciliaie re|inrt niadr tn llif Cuvcriiinent. 



ENTOMOLOGY IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL. 



By J. A. II-\i[iLToN, I'liiNcirAi., .Ioii.n Xoiu;! ay I'ria.ir School. .South VA.xcorvER. 



B.v way of introducing the lopir upon whiih I desire to devote a few minutes 

 of .vour precious time, and which I shall treat from a standpoint, theoretical as well 

 as practical, permit me to quote William W. Campbell on the subject of agriculture 

 in general. lie states: "The luition of the fntiire which will rule the world will 

 be that one which lays most stress on her rural ))opnlall(iii and her rural wealth. 

 She will be the one in which the great mass of her people till the land. M.v hope 

 for my Canada is that she will turn all her energies in the direction of the .soil, and 

 that she will become a country of orchards and vine.vards and wheat-tields and 

 meadows, and a great pasture for the herds of the earth." 



Also, the Eo.val Commission on Technical Fducation and Industrial Training has 

 this to say: "In all progressive counlrics educ-.-ilinn is liehig adjusted to meet the 

 needs of the children ... to inlercst them in rural Hie, and to qualify them 

 to follow it with advantage." 



And let me add a note from the Itcimrt of the Uoyal Cnnnnisslon on .Vgriculture : 

 "We would suggest the teaching of the fundamental principles of agriculture, with 

 the art of giving . . . some knowledge of botany, soils, and kindred subjects.'" 



The above excerpts will tend to make nmnifest the standing of authorities who 

 have the real welfare of their countr.v at heart upon the position and status of the 

 subject of agriculture in the school curriculum ; and perhaps no part of It has a more 

 inqiortant bearing upon its success or failure. Its improvement or its retardation, 

 than the study of entomology in its various phases of interest. 



A metropolis to be ideal niu.st, besides constant consideration of the a'sthetic 

 and the means and methods of attaining a maximum in that respect, note ver.v care- 

 fully that all its putrefaction and festering sewerage is deposited at no little distance 

 from its vicinity: all that would mar or destroy nnist be slowly, carefully, and per- 

 manently, if at all possible, removed; so, also, the most profound and intricate stud.v 

 must be made of all the causes responsible for the attainment of the highest and 

 noblest results in agriculture. Perhaps in no other branch is there such a field for 

 research along these lines than in the subje<-t of entomology; besides affording us 

 means to accouqjlish witli satisfaction some of the finest results iu nature's processes 

 in agriculture, it gives us a means of removing or at least checking to a degree much 

 which tends to make agriculture a liurdcii and a care, whicli man.v engaged in its 

 pursuit would v.-itlier shirk than carry. 



