REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST 215 



SESSIONAL PAPER No, 16 



(Diplosis tritici, Kirby) made its appearance at Chilliwack, but does not seem to Have 

 shown itself elsewhere. Where noticed, the infested wheat was destroyed by fire.' 



Specimens of wheat heads more heavily infested than any I have ever seen, were 

 received from Mr. Henry Kipp, of Chilliwack. 



' Chilliwack, July 27. — I enclose heads of wheat infested by a small red maggot. 

 There were a few last year, but this year my field is ruined. Please let me know what 

 it is, and send a remedy if there is any. I believe there are hundreds of acres more 

 or less injured by this insect. You will be doing the farmers of this district a great 

 favour if you pubKsh a remedy for it so that we may be ready to protect ourselves an- 

 other year.' — R, Egberts. 



' ChilHwaek, July 28. — I enclose heads of wheat infested with a little red insect, 

 which is attacking all the wheat crops here. Is there any remedy ? I suppose not, 

 as the wheat is so far advanced and is just beginning to ripen. I hear rumours of 

 barley being attacked. So far, oats and peas are not.. I see under the microscope 

 this little insect resembles a minute worm. Most people., including myself, are going 

 to cut the wheat green.' — G. Maxwell Stuart. 



' Chilliwack, Nov. 24. — As far as I can hear, wheat wf^ damaged by the Wl:ieat 

 Midge more or less all over the lower Fraser valley; the extent of the injury varied 

 according to locality and to the state the wheat was in when the Midge attacked it. 

 On the whole, the average would be, I think, less than one-third of tlie crop for the 

 turn out. I heard of one farmer who only got 10 sacks of wheat off 10 acres ; another 

 got 25 bushels ofi five acres; he estimated the crop, before the Midge attacked it, at 

 at least 20 bushels to the acre. On the other hand, Mr. Evans, of Sumas, had his 

 wheat in very early; and it was not injured at all. I suppose the wheat had got too 

 hard for the Midge; and for the same reason the fall wheat here was not hurt at all. 

 I do not put in much wheat, my land being better suited for clover and peas ; but off 

 two acres which looked very well before the Midge came, I got only about two sacks. 

 A good many cut their wheat for hay as soon as they knew it was attacked. Do you 

 think this insect is likely to occur again next year ? It would be a useful hint to 

 farmers if you could include in your report a suggestion as to whether it would be 

 wise to sow much wheat or not.' — Gr. Maxwell Stuart. 



As to sowing spring wheat next year in the Chilliwack valley, it would certainly 

 be wiser not to do so, but to use the land for some other crop such as oats or barley, 

 which are not attacked by the Wheat Midge. It is, of course, possible that the Midge 

 may not be abundant next year ; but it is much more likely to be present in some num- 

 bers, which would make it unwise to grow wheat when the land can be used for so many 

 other valuable crops. 



' Chilliwack, November 28. — Re losses from Wheat Midge in this valley, I may 

 say they were even more serious than I first thoiight. After attending a number of 

 threshings, I am sure fully half of the wheat crop was destroyed by it; there would 

 be found several bushels of the grub underneath the machine after it had worked one 

 or two hours. But a few like myself cut their wheat and made hay when the 

 insect was found to be bad ; but I may say the loss was not felt as bad here 

 as it would have been in a wheat-growing district ; for the farmers here only 

 grow wheat for feed, and only a comparatively small acreage is annually sown 

 to wheat ; so the loss, although considerable, will not be felt very much, and 

 the chickens will have to eat something else. I notice an increase in the acreage 

 of fall wheat sown this fall ; for, strange to say, the insect does no harm to 

 fall wheat, and a few fields of very early spring wheat escaped the Midge. I have just 

 rubbed out a few heads of tlie wheat which I cut for hay, and find the grub still there, 

 with no change, as far as I can see, since I first noticed it.' — ^R. Roberts. 



All the samples of infested wheat received were remarkable for the enormous 

 numbers of the larvae clustered round the grains in each floret; and, although few 

 farmers reported injury by the Midge, this was without doubt great where the insect 



