168 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 



has been very successful in seeding down some land of this nature which had been broken 

 up and from which the surface soil was carried away or much impoverished by the over- 

 flowing of the river in spring. 



Another series of experiments is being carried on at the suggestion of Dr. T. Christie 

 M.P., near Lachute, where there is now a large tract of shifting sand, some five miles in 

 length by about half a mile to one mile in width. The provincial GoTernment of Que- 

 bec has encouraged the farmers and assisted them in planting trees. Many of these 

 have done well, and the farmers being all interested are working hard to brino- back this 

 tract to what it was only fifty years ago, a beautiful undulating forest land. For the last 

 few years the desert tract has spread very much, the shifting sand drifting over o-ood farm 

 lands and rendering them useless. Several sample packages of seed of the" Awnless 

 Brome-grass have been distributed, which it was advised to mix with white clover and 

 sow among the trees. As this land was within quite recent times covered with trees 

 and as all the farmers around it are keenly interested, there is every reason to hope that 

 if all will keep on doing a little every year, planting trees and sowing grass and clover, 

 in time the encroachments of the sand will cease, and the land will be brought back 

 again to usefulness. 



Several thousand specimens of plants and insects have been sent in for identification 

 from naturalists in all parts of the Dominion. From these collections several additions 

 have been made to the museum. Many rare and valuable specimens have been added 

 through the kindness of Mr. J. R. Anderson, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture for 

 British Columbia, and from my own collections in British Columbia and the Rocky 

 Mountains during the past summer. 



Subjects requiring special attention since I last reported were the followinc : 



The Rocky Mountain Locust and wheat insects among the enemies of cereal 

 crops ; these are treated of fully in this report. Root maggots did much harm throu^rhout 

 the season to cabbages, turnips, radishes and onions. * 



Of fruit insects, particular mention may be made of the San Jose Scale and many 

 other scale-insects sent in by correspondents who had noticed them in looking for the 

 San Jose Scale. The efibrts which have been made to control and prevent the spread of 

 the San Jose Scale, have been so far successful that it may still be said, I believe, that 

 none of our Canadian nurseries are infested, and, as no nurserv stock is now allowed to 

 be imported from infested countries, there is every reason to hope that Canada will soon 

 be free from this terrible scourge of the fruit growers to the south of us. 



An unusual outbreak was of the Green Fruit-worms on fruit trees in Western 

 Ontario and on maple trees at Niagara, and near Ottawa at Aylmer and Hull, Que. 



Tent Caterpillars were enormously abundant in nearly every province of the 

 Doininion, and no important occurrence of parasites was noticed except in British Colum- 

 bia, where the caterpillars died in large numbers about the time they began to spin their 

 cocoons. 



Plant-lice were very destructive to cherries, currants and turnips. This last named 

 attack on turnips was very severe in Manitoba and also in Ontario, where it constituted 

 one of the cliief injuries of the year to field crops. 



The apples in British Columbia were much injured by the Apple Fruit-miner and 

 by a small moth which has not been much mentioned of late years but which many 

 years ago, under the name of Plum Moth, was described as destructive to plums in 

 Illinois. It also attacked plums as well as apples in British Columbia this year. I have 

 no doubt that the caterpillar of this moth is the one which has frequently been erron- 

 eously referred to by British Columbian correspondents as the Codlinc Moth. 



In the province of Quebec a serious and rather remarkable outbreak was by the 

 Plum Curcuho in apple orchards at Chateauguay Basin, the fruit being much distorted 

 and rendered unfit for the market. 



A few new insect pests must be mentioned : — 



In British Columbia the larvas of an extremely rare longicorn beetle, Xylocrius 

 Agassizti, Lee, were imported as borers in the stems of young gooseberry bushes from 

 Oregon. This insect I hope and believe is not likely to becoui'e a serious pest. 



