— 39 — 



Some idea of the extent of injury to corn plants may be gained from the 

 following statement by Professor Caffrey: "Seventy-five plants, comprising 17 

 hills, were selected at random from a badly infested corn field at West Med ford, 

 Mass., and all the borers fomid therein were carefully removed and counted. 

 Forty-six borers ,on an overage, were found in each plant, and one of the plants 

 contained 177 borers". 



In addition to corn, the stalks of celery, beets, turnips, potatoes, Swiss Chard, 

 beans, spinach, chrysanthemums, gladiolus, geraniums and oats are entered and 

 damaged by the borers. 



The Control of the European Com Borer. — From the foregoing evidence 

 two facts stand out prominently ,_ viz. — the destnictiveness of the European Corn 

 Borer, and the difficulty of finding adequate means of control. The States of 

 Massachusetts and New York, with the assistance of the federal government, 

 have carried on a vigorous warfare, and in addition to the destruction of infested 

 plants they have quarantined the infested areas. 



As the borer passes the winter in corn-stalks and weeds, very effective des- 

 tructive measures have been carried out by pulling up and burning all corn stalks 

 together with all old znnes and all large weeds throughout and around the gardens 

 during fall, winter and early spring. 



In the district about Boston, however, where the population is dense and the 

 gardens numerous, such measures of destruction present enormous difficulties. 

 New devices for fighting the borer have been tried by the experts in charge of the 

 control work. Two new machines in action were exhibited to the members of the 

 Conference. 



One of them was a liquid fire machine, which aroused great interest. There 

 is a powerful pump on wheels to supply the power and a low spraying machine, 

 also on wheels, to distribute the crude oil, which is ejected through 16 nozzles. 



The oil is set on fire at the start and as it is dragged over the ground a great 

 sheet of flame covers the surface, emtitting a loud roar and shooting a tremend- 

 ously hot blaze into the air. This machine is dragged through tall weeds, and while 

 it does not actually consume all of the green vegetation, it destroys every trace of 

 insect life. 



It is believed that this machine will be very successful in cleaning up infested 

 tracts of land, especially in the Fall and Spring. The other machine demonstrated 

 works like a mangle. Suspected plants are cut or pulled up, then thrown into the 

 machine where they are crushed between the rollers. 



Is the Com Borer a Menace to Canada ? — The question naturally rises : 

 Will the European Corn Borer reach Canada and become a destructive enemy of 

 corn, seeing that it will be single-brooded? With the history of the pest in Europe, 

 New England and New York to guide us we believe we are warranted in stating 

 that if precautions be not taken in time it will reach Canada in a few years and 

 cause considerable loss. We should, therefore, do everything that lies in our 

 power to exclude it. In spite of the quarantine restrictions in Massachusetts and 



