186 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



3-4 EDWARD Vil., A. 1904 



tliey had lined somewhat loosely with web. In reply to your letter, the food preferred 

 to all others is lamb's-quarters, and wheat was only attacked when all other plants had 

 been eaten. So far, instead of this insect being an enemy, the caterpillars have proved 

 undoubted friends.' ~^ 



' Oct. 18. — I went out this morning to try and find out for you whether the larvae 

 of Loxostege sticticalis, L., had turned to pupce or not. I found they were all hiber- 

 nating as larvse, as you suspected. They are from one to two inches beneath the ground 

 in a closely woven chamber of web, and they are now very sluggish.' 



The Sugar-beet Webworm is stated by Mr. Chittenden in his bulletin, to be an 

 introduced insect from western and central Europe and northern Asia, which is evi- 

 dently slov/ly but steadily pushing its way eastward. From the letters given above, 

 it is quite apparent that the outbreak of last summer was exceptional, and also that 

 the favourite food plant is the well known and troublesome weed of western wheat 

 fields, the lamb's-quarters, and allied plants. As, however, the sugar-beet is one of these 

 and great efforts are being made in the West to foster the cultivation of this crop, it 

 seems important to make the appearance and habits of this insect well known. The most 

 important points with regard to these are as follows : The pale yellow eggs are laid 

 singly or in rows of two to five, overlapping like fish scales. The young larvae 

 are at first whitish, with polished black heads and bristle-bearing spots. They soon 

 become blackish caterpillars with thin skins, through which the green contents of the 

 body show. These are very voracious and very soon strip plants of tlieir leaves. The 

 caterpillars appear in July and early September. Pupation takes place in the ground, 

 not deeper than two inches beneath the surface, consequently they can be reached and 

 disturbed by the teeth of an ordinary cultivator at the time they are in the delicate 

 chrysalis condition. Actual experiments are reported by Dr. Howard (Insect Life, YI., 

 p. 37) to have been successful with the winter brood. It would doubtless be so with 

 the summer brood. Prompt attention in spraying an infested crop with arsenical 

 poisons will certainly control this insect should it ever become troublesome in crops ctf 

 sugar beets. Such plants as spinach in gardens could not, of course, be treated with 

 poison. In those cases, mechanical means of prevention as ditching, might be tried. 



FRUIT CHOPS. 



A satisfactory feature of the year 1903, like that of the previous year, has been 

 a marked decrease in the injuries caused by some of the well known pests of the fruit- 

 grower. The Tent Caterpillars, Cankerworms, Squash Bugs, and even the Codling 

 Moth, in most places may bo said to have done hardly a.ny harm. Fruit crops have 

 been exceptionally remunerative. The apple crop in Nova Scotia was a remarkably 

 good one, large in quantity and excellent in quality, being veiy free from insect attacks 

 as well as from Black Spot and other fungous diseases. (B. W. Chipman.) In Prince 

 Edward Island the crop was ' rather poor, having been injured by the late frosts 

 and dry weather in spring.' (E. J. McMillan.) Through Quebec and Ontario the 

 crop on the trees was not so large as in some previous years, but the quality was so 

 exceptionally good that there was a larger quantity of A 1 fruit for export than has 

 been the case for several years. Only in the west of Ontario was any trouble experi- 

 enced with Black Spot fungus, or insect enemies. In British Columbia apple crops 

 were somewhat reduced by the attacks of the Apple Aphis, but the output was large 

 and of excellent quality. The poor crop of apples in England last season gave Cana- 

 dian growers a good opportimity of showing to what exceptional excellence this valu- 

 able fruit can be grown in this country, and the large quantity shipped up to the 

 end of November, over 1,000,000 barrels, with a probable total export of 2,000,000 by the 



