REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 197 



The remedies consist of (I.) Spraying the nymphs or partially developed bugs which 

 cannot fly, with a strong kerosene emulsion (1 to 6) ; (II.) The jarring or beating of the 

 nymphs and perfect insects from the attacked plants into open tins containing coal oil 

 and water; and (III.) The destruction of the eggs, which are always laid in the twigs 

 of bushes, particularly the currant, near the tips ; these are white, and, as they protrude 

 slightly through the bark, when once seen they are easily recognized again, and thus 

 this attack may be controlled to a large measure by winter pruning. 



FKUITS. 



The fruit crop of Canada has again been a good one. In Ontario, apples, as stated 

 in the November Crop Report, were considered more than sufficient for home consump- 

 tion ; very large shipments were made to England and the United States from the 

 western fruit-growing sections ; pears, peaches, plums and smaller fruits were also 

 shipped from many localities. From Nova Scotia, the other large fruit exporting pro- 

 vince, Mr. R. W. Starr, of "VVolfville, N. S., a successful fruit grower and shipper of 

 many years' experience in the Annapolis Valley, writes : " The spring opened early ; 

 fruit trees showed a mass of bloom everywhere, but cold rainy weather set in , bees 

 and other insects could not work and pollination was imperfect, especially among apples. 

 Many orchards that showed much young fruit apparently well set, some ten days later, 

 had the ground covered with young apples, leaving apparently very few on the trees. 

 As the season passed on we had frequent showers, but the total rainfall was not more 

 than usual. All the fruit that set healthily developed rapidly, and the extra size made 

 up largely for lack of numbers ; the export will, after all, be a good average quantity, 

 say, 250,000 barrels, and the quality better than usual." 



Mr. S. C. Parker, Secretary of the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers' Association, says : 

 *' The damage to crops this season by insects has, perhaps, been the least of any season 

 in my experience. All insects noted in the orchard and garden were fewer in numbers 

 than for some years past. The means of combating these diSerent pests and the best 

 remedies have been made so widely known that farmers are on the alert to clear them 

 out when they show themselves. Cutworms were conspicuous by their absence. 

 Curculio did not appear to be as destructive as usual, at any rate, did not materially 

 lessen the enormous plum crop. There were no complaints of Codling Moth or Shot- 

 hole Borer, and the Bud-Moth was not as common as usual. Apples were good, more 

 than usually free from Black Spot ; the prices were away up and there was a fair crop. 

 There were two bad enemies, however, of plum trees : the Shot-hole Fungus {Septoria 

 cerasina, Peck) has devastated many plum orchards, and I expect to see a lot of dead 

 trees next spring; the Black Knot (Plowrightia morbosa, Sacc.) has been very bad. 

 Many have about given over fighting it. With plums a drug on the market, the game 

 is not worth the candle." 



With reference to the prevalence of fungous diseases, Mr. R. W. Starr also writes : 

 *' In most plum orchards rot set in badly, and as a rule, there was more fruit left in 

 the orchards than was picked for the market. Some kinds were worse than others, 

 especially Lombards ; whole orchards also were ruined by Leaf Blight and were bare of 

 foliage when the fruit was two-thirds grown. The Japanese varieties seemed to stand a 

 wet season better than the descendants of Prunus domestica, L. Burbank did especially 

 well. Abundance seemed to be rather susceptible to Shot-hole Fungus. Most of our 

 early peaches rotted on the trees. Red Rust Fungus on the quince formed lumps 

 somewhat resembling Black Knot in shape. Currants and gooseberries were stripped of 

 their leaves by a blight, and pears showed more Fire Blight than for many years. You 

 will gather from the above that fungous diseases have been very prevalent. I think we 

 must ascribe this to the dull showery weather. I have wondered how the apples 

 escaped as well as they did. Former experience would have led me to forecast a very 

 different result." 



