REPORT OF TEE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST 181 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



tains bluestone, 6 lbs.; unslaked lime, 4 lbs.; Paris green (to destroy leaf eating in- 

 sects) 4 ozs., and soft water 40 gallons. 



In the Ontario crop report for November last. Prof. James refers to the preval- 

 ence of the potato rot and estimates the loss at from 10 to 60 per cent in various lo- 

 calities. Mangels were in some places replaced by turnips, where the seeds had not 

 germinated well, and turnips, although yielding a good crop, were in many quarters 

 considerably injured by the Turnip Aphis. * 



The Coloriido Potato Beetle was reported from all sections as being less abundant 

 than for many years. The following reports are representative of many others re- 

 ceived : — 



' Charlottetown, P.E.I. — Root crops vrere badly injured by cutworms, and many 

 fields were resown for the third time; some land was ploughed up and sown to other 

 crops. The yield of roots was fair on the decreased acreage; the cutworms seem to 

 have been general over the whole province.' — E. J. McMillan. 



* Halifax, N.S. — Roots and vegetables good ; potatoes above the average. No com- 

 plaint of injurious insects on potatoes except the potato bug, and that was not as bad 

 as usual. In some places, mangels, beans and vegetables were injured by cutworms. 

 Turnips were somewhat attacked by aphis.' — B. W. ChipmAjST. 



There were not many large fields of roots this year in the province of Quebec. 

 Many thought that it was too late after the rain came to bother with roots, so on the 

 whole there will not be a very large crop. Some few have fair pieces.' — Peter Mac- 



FARLANE. 



Root Maggots. — Among vegetables, considerable injury has been done in nearly 

 all parts of the Dominion by root maggots. The Cabbage or Radish Maggot, and the 

 Onion Maggot, which for all practical purposes may be treated of as the same species, 

 caused great loss in crops of cauliflowers, early cabbages, tur- 

 nips, radishes and onions. The occurrence, however, was ir- 

 regular, much harm being done in spots, while in another not 

 very far distant there was no appearance of the attack. There 

 is nothing new so far in the shape of a remedy for these in- 

 sects when large areas have to be treated; but some experi- 

 ments which have been carried on by the Horticulturist at 

 the Central Experimental Farm during the past summer v/ith 

 the object of producing early tobacco and vegetables of high 

 quality, have an important entomological bearing which is 

 well worthy of mention. An enclosure was made of a light 

 framework of wood, six feet in height, and covered entirely 

 Fig. 6.— Cabbage Maggot: on the top and along the sides with cheese cloth. In 

 "^a^'case^^f °fly-^l^3 and *^^^ ^^^^* tobacco and various kinds of vegetables were 

 4 enlarged.' ' sown, or planted, and a similar duplicate plot was also planted 



just outside with the same conditions of soil and soil moisture. The rows of this plot 

 were practically in continuation of those inside the enclosure. This experiment was 

 satisfactory, both as to forcing the plants forward to earlier maturity, and on account 

 cf the important discovery made by Mr. Macoun that this cheap protection prevented 

 entirely the attacks of many kinds of injurious insects. Radishes, onions, cabbages 

 and cauliflowers developed well and were absolutely free from root maggots. Nothing 

 was attacked by the troublesome Tarnished Plant Bug (Lygns pratensis,Ij.) or the Eour- 

 lined Leaf Bug (Pcecilocapsus Uneatus, Pab.). Cucurbits of all kinds were entirely 

 free from injury by the Striped Cucumber Beetle. In fact, this experiment has fur- 

 nished us with a sure means of growing many vegetables of v/nich, from the difficulty 

 of getting them into perfect condition, gardeners had in some places given up the cul- 

 tivation. This is particularly the case with cauliflowers, early cabbage, radislies, onions 



