228 EXPEniMENTAL FARMS 



4-5 EDWARD VII., A. 1905 



* Victoria, B.C., November 1. — Aphides of various kinds were in evidence. Swed- 

 ish turnips and cabbages suffered severely from their ravages.' — J. R. Anderson. 



' Cowley, Alta., October 19. — My v^etable garden is covered this year with a gray- 

 ish-green insect, something like the green fly that attacks house plants. They began 

 on the turnip tops, but now the Brussels sprouts are so covered that I cannot use them, 

 and I can only use the large heads of cabbage which are too firm for them to get in- 

 side the leaves. Most of the cauliflowers were unfit for use from the same cause.' — Y. 



W. GODSAL. 



' Depot Harbor, Out., September 12. — I send you samples of insects which are 

 destroying my turnips and cabbages. What are they and what is the cure ? ' — J. F. 

 Pratt. 



Other Ontario occurrences which came to my notice were of fields moderately in- 

 fested at Whitby and at Ottawa. There were a few reports from Quebec and from 

 Prince Edward Island, and one from Mahone Bay, N-S. 



The remedies are to watch for the beginning of the infestation when hoeing tur- 

 nips and cabbages, and destroy the colonies either by spraying with kerosene emulsion 

 or whale-oil soap, and the destruction or deep ploughing down of all turnip tops or 

 refuse of cabbage beds in autumn, so as to destroy the eggs. 



Although parasites are generally present in considerable numbers, they have not, 

 as a rule, controlled this species so completely as is the case with many others. On 

 the Ottawa fields, specimens of a parasite were present, which has been kindly iden- 

 tified by Dr. Ashmead, through Dr. Howard, as Lipolexis (Aphidius) ra-pco, Curtis. 

 Dr. Howard says : — ' This is a European species evidently introduced. We have it 

 also from Michigan.' 



Plant-lice of various kinas were complained of on many kinds of vegetables and 

 root crops during the past season. Dr. C. A- Hamilton, of Mahone Bay, N.S., has 

 favoured me with some interesting notes which he hus made from time to time in hi3 

 locality during the past siunmer. 



Potato Aphis (Nectarophora solanifoUi, Ashm.). — Potatoes are not of ten troubled 

 with plant -lice in Canada; but at long intervals outbreaks have been observed on this 

 crop, and such a one occurred last summer at Mahone Bay, which was closely watched 

 by Dr. Hamilton. 



' Mahone Bay, June 28. — I send you some aphides from potatoes. These are ap- 

 parently the same species as is now on my salsify and are abundant enough to have 

 appreciably blighted my potato plants.' 



' July 10. — There seem to be aphides on almost everything this summer, probably 

 because of the abnormally dry season. Besides those sent, I noticed them to-day on 

 squashes, cucumbers, broad beans, turnips, cabbages, beets and carrots, in fact, on 

 almost everything I looked at.' 



* July 14. — The aphis on my potatoes has ovennin the whole patch, with tiie result 

 that the potatoes have stopped growing and look very unhealthy. The blossoms have 

 witlaered up and fallen, the lower leaves have turned yellow, and many others have 

 turned black, just as if smitten with the blight, and are falling. They occur in im- 

 mense numbers. Their favourite position is upon the peduncles of the flowers, which 

 they cover completely. They are also found in large clusters on tlie stems and upon 

 the under surface of the leaves. In many colonies there are a few flesh-coloured in- 

 dividuals. 



* July 15. — In re potato aphis, I to-day examined several plots near the village 

 and found one field with about half the plants which had blossoms fairly well covered 

 with aphis; other plants also had a few. 



' July 16. — The plant-lice on the potatoes are fast diminishing in numbers ; but 

 they have left the crop in a sorry condition.' 



' August 1. — I send you to-day a last specimen from my potato plot. They have 

 evidently been killed by a fungus. I first noticed its effects about a week ago on one 



