REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 245 



evidently the same kind of caterpillars as are always found on pease ; only, this year 

 they were very much more numerous than usual aod crossed over from the pease to the 

 turnips. The green leaves near the ends of the pea vines and the ends of the vines 

 themselves were eaten, but the pease were too nearly ripe when they were attacked to be 

 injured much. I never before saw anything like it. The ground was literally alive 

 with the crawling insects. We put Paris green on the turnips, and this doubtless 

 helped, but the insects were so numerous that one set after another took the place of 

 those killed. The turnips near the pease were injured most and as you receeded from 

 the edge of the pease the injury lessened. The turnips put forth a new set of leaves, 

 but the growth of the roots were stunted and they were only about half a crop. There 

 seemed to be about half a dozen different kinds of caterpillars. I could see no difference 

 between some of them and the ordinary cabbage worms. Then there were all shades of 

 green and brown with various markings, some with two rows of yellow stripes, others 

 with two rows of yellow dots along the back, others with black dots, and some simply 

 a shade of green, brown or black. I did hear of caterpillars being plentiful in some 

 parts of adjacent townships, but in this immediate neighbourhood I do not think the 

 injury caused by them was very great. They were on no crops near here, only pease 

 and turnips, and the turnips alone were greatly injured." — Robert Tudhopk. 



" Villiers, Peterborough Co., Ont. — The green caterpillar which destroyed our turnips 

 did not touch our pease, but there were thousands of them on turnips and carrots, doing 

 much injury. One of my neighbours, Mr. James Fife, says there were millions on his 

 turnips and carrots, injuring the crop about half. Mr. George Webber used Paris green 

 on his turnips, but with little effect, as the numbers were so great." — Philip W. Elm- 

 hirst. 



Remedies. — When these caterpillars assume the habit of the Army-worm of marching 

 from held to field, ploughing a deep furrow across their path is a useful check. If 

 sufficiently abundant, as will rarely be the case, to fill up the furrow, they may be easily 

 destroyed by dragging a heavy log over them. When they occur on roots and other 

 crops, the only practical method of destroying them is dusting or sprinkling the plants 

 with a Paris green mixture. Ploughing late in the autumn is also recommended. As 

 the Clover Cut-worm passes the winter in the chrysalis stage inside a slight cell a short 

 distance beneath the surface of the soil, late ploughing will disturb many and expose 

 them to the frost and to predaceous enemies. 



The Zebra Caterpillar {Mamestra jncta, Harris). — A good many letters of com- 

 plaint have been received concerning the work of the well known Zebi-a Caterpillar, which 

 was abundant in the eastern parts of Ontario. There are two broods of this insect every 

 year. The moths of the first brood issue from the chrysalis during May and lay their 

 eggs in large clusters on the under sides of leaves of many different plants. These hatch 

 in a little more than a week, and the young caterpillars for a time feed gregariously, 

 devouring all the green cellular portion and making large conspicuously white patches on 

 the leaves. As they grow larger, they separate and feed singly. The caterpillars of the 

 first brood are full grown about mid-summer, when they are large caterpillars, two inches 

 in length, beautifully ornamented, velvety black on the back, with two golden yellow 

 stripes connected by narrow white lines along the sides. The head, thoracic feet and 

 pro-legs are bright reddish brown. When full-grown these caterpillars spin slight cocoons 

 just beneath the surface of the ground and the moths emerge about the first week in 

 August; they are rather dull-coloured, purplish-brown moths, with white under-wings, 

 expanding about one and a half inches across the opened wings. 



The eggs for the second brood are laid throughout August and into September, and 

 the caterpillars are to be found, as a rule, later than those of any other of our moths. 

 Being conspicuously coloured, they are often noticed crawling about looking for food late 

 in the autumn when most kinds of plants have been frozen and killed. The winter 

 season is passed in the chrysalis state beneath the ground. 



The crops most attacked by the Zebra Caterpillar last season were pease, and particu- 

 larly sweet pease in gardens, turnips, clover, potatoes and cabbages. In addition to 

 these, however, these insects levied heavy toll in the flower garden attacking indiscrimi- 

 nately almost all annuals. The eggs and clusters of young caterpillars of the second 



