REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST, 191 
some of the pieces of straw, a little over an inch in length, there may be found from five 
to ten insects. A bushel of such straw lying loose about a barn would give enough 
insects to destroy many fields before the grain ripened. I think you will agree with me 
that every farmer should see that the cleanings from the fanning mill are either fed or 
burned to destroy the insect.” 
Remedies.—As stated by Mr. Welsh, the broken hardened pieces of straw noticed 
when threshing and cleaning grain should be collected and burned. The grain should 
also be examined for these pieces which should be picked out by hand. 
Most of the galls or hardened sections of stem in which the insect passes the 
winter are low down near the root. The burning of stubbles and deep ploughing are 
therefore useful in destroying large numbers of the pupe. The term “ joint-worm ” 
probably covers more than one species of minute hymenoptera which attack the stems 
of wheat and barley ; but, fortunately, the attack is of rare occurrence in Canada, and 
there have been few opportunities of examining the mature insects. 
Young plants of fall wheat sent by Mr. Welsh from Verdun in November were 
found to be attacked by both Hessian Fry and the WHEat-stem Maccor. These two 
pests were also somewhat abundant in Prince Edward Island. Mr. Edward Wyatt, 
writing from Pleasant Grove, P.E.I., September 18, says:—‘ The Frit Fry for many 
years now has been doing considerable harm to our wheat and hay crops. The Hessian 
Fly I have no doubt is the principal aggressor, but the Frit Fly and Wheat-stem Maggot 
have been associated with it. Some of the maggots which infest the straw are of a 
yellowish colour, others are green. These pests have been on the island continuously for 
the last 17 years. The damage was slight until the last three or four years. Many who 
sow early have poor crops and with no knowledge of the cause. We all sow now from 
May 20 to 24, thus escaping the first attack which, if bad, ruins the crop. We have 
never grown better wheat crops than in the past two years-—that is, generally ; fully 
one-third of my wheat this year fell down two weeks before it was ripe, still the crop 
was a fairly good one ; but should the season prove favourable to these pests, the damage 
might be serious.” 
THE GRAIN PLANT-LOUSE (Siphonophora avence, Fab.)—Specimens of wheat and 
oats attacked by the Grain Plant-louse have been sent in from several localities. The 
worst attacks were reported by Mr. John Tolmie, of Cloverdale, Victoria, B.C., on oats 
and by Mr. Lewis Rogers, of Cooksville, Peel Co., Ont., on fall wheat, where much dam- 
age was done to the young plants in October and early in November. In a case of this 
kind, if the vigorous wheat plants which have passed the winter are found to be too few 
in spring for a paying crop, clover may be broadcasted over the land before rolling, or 
the crop may be helped with a top dressing of some special fertilizer. 
GrassHoppErs.—A noticeable feature of the correspondence of the division during 
the past season, as compared with last year, was the 
almost total absence of complaints of injury to farm crops 
by grasshoppers. This state of affairs was anticipated on 
“¥e.,account of the abundance of parasites of several kinds 
iia, noticed last year and mentioned in my report for 1896. 
Fig. 1. The Red-legged Locust. Hair-worms (Gordius) have been sent in from Ontario 
and Quebec more frequently than any other parasites. The account of the strange life- 
history as far as known, never fails to excite the interest of inquirers. The only 
localities from which grasshoppers have been mentioned as injurious are : Sable Island, 
N.S., where they destroyed Brome grass which was being experimented with as a sand 
binder ; Manitoulin Island, Ont., where they did much harm to turnips ; and parts of 
Peterborough,County, Ont., where hay and oats suffered to a limited extent from their 
ravages. 
