8-9 EDWARD VII. SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 A. 1909 



REPOET 



OF THE 



ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



(James Fletciiee, LL.D., F.L.S., F.E.S.C., F.E.S.A.) 



1907-1908 



Ottawa, April 1, 1908. 

 Dr. Wm. Saunders, C.M.G., - 



Director of Dominion Experimental Farms, 

 Ottawa. 



Sir, — I have the honour to hand you herewith a report on some of the more 

 important work done in the Division of Entomology and Botany during the year 

 ending March 31, 190S. 



The applications for help in fighting insects and weeds from all parts of tlie 

 country increase in number every year, and many farmers and others visit the Divi- 

 sion for advice, or to examine the cabinets to identify plants or insects which are 

 giving them trouble. The demand for help from school teachers and students has 

 increased enormously during the past year or two, since nature study has been nscog- 

 nized as a useful part in a common sense education. Many addresses have been given 

 by the officials of the department on various occasions to help along this movement. 



Collections. — The collections in the Division have been much increased during 

 the past year. A large number of specimens have been added to the Herbarium, and 

 the whole has been arranged according to Prof. John Macoun's Catalogue of Cana- 

 dian Plants, and a card index of the specimens has been completed. In tho collections 

 of insects satisfactory progress has been mr.de. The large and valuable collection of 

 noctuid motlis has been rearranged, and a large number of specimens which, were lack- 

 ing, have been procured either by collecting or reai-ing them, or from correspondent-s. 

 This class of insects contains the various species of cutworms, some of which every 

 year are the cause of such serious dep-redations on farm crops. It is always a great 

 surprise to those who find the unsightly cutworms attacking their young plants, when 

 they are shown the moths which come from these caterpillars, many of which are of 

 considerable beauty, notwithstanding the general character of inconspicuous colour- 

 ing which prevails among the JSFoctuidse. Several gaps in our cabinets have been filled 

 in with specimens reared from eggs sent to the Division by correspondents in all parts 

 of the Dominion. Many of these insects are of extreme rarity, and, by getting egg^ 

 and then rearing the insect through all its stages, not only are more perfect specimens 

 secured, but, v/hat is far inore valuable, a loiowledge is acquired of the complete life 

 history of each srecics, rn.j as it is usually an easy m.att^r to renr insects from the 

 Qgg, large series showing the range of variation in colour, markings and size are thus 

 secured. The value of the life history of an insect, how it passes the winter, when the 

 eggs hatch and how long a time elapses before the larva becomes full grown and 

 produces the mature form, are facts of enormous im.portance in devising a remedy 



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