QUESTION DRA WER. 



nests of eggs or destroying the young 

 and at the same time point out how 

 useful the birds are as an ally of the 

 farmer tliey would do the community an im- 

 portant service. Certain privileges for the 

 collection of birds' eggs for strictly scientific 

 objects may be secured through the Game 

 Wardens, but it is unlawful to have in one s 

 possession, without such a permit, either the 

 eggs or young of any bird save eagles, hawks, 

 owls, wild pigeons, blackbirds, kingfishers, 

 crows, ravens, jays and sparrows. 



But why should lazy people allow 



nests of these worms to increase in their 



orchards, and crawl over into their 



neighbors' orchards, when a day or two 



of hunting or spraying would destroy 



them, much more effectually than the 



birds. 



To Destroy Ants. 



1016. Sir, — Please give me some reme- 

 dy for destroj'ing the ants in my garden. 



L R. Ha(;erman, Port Hope. 



I have never seen any injury by ants, 

 except for the trouble they give in throw- 

 ing up hills of dry sand on lawns and in 

 flower borders. If your insects really 

 are ants, they can be destroyed easily 

 by procuring a small quantity of bisul- 

 phide of carbon and pouring about a 

 teaspoonful of this liquid into the centre 

 of the nest, and then covering up the 

 hole with a little earth and pressing it 

 down with the foot. 



J. Fletcher. 



Peach Aphis, Pear Slug, Etc. 



1017. Sir, — What would you recom- 

 mend for the fly on the black currant bush, 

 also for the slug on the pear tree. And the 

 worm that curls itself in the leaves of the 

 peach tree, and oblige, 



Jas. Muir, 

 Hamilton, Out. 



Reply by IV. T. Macoun, Horticulturist, 

 Central Experimental Farm. 



Regarding the hard maple trees which 

 your correspondent finds are dying : I 

 may say that it is very difficult to state 

 positively what kills the trees, unless one 



saw a sample. There are, however, sev- 

 eral causes why these trees die. One 

 of these is from the depredations of a 

 borer which works under the bark ; an- 

 other is that in cities where there is an 

 escape of gas from the mains the trees 

 are often very seriously affected. Of 

 late years, also, since the asphalting of 

 streets and the laying down of grano- 

 lithick sidewalks, trees have, apparently, 

 suffered to a large extent on account of 

 thus being deprived of a large amount 

 of their food, air and moisture, and any 

 trees which have a large top to support 

 are in consequence often rendered sick- 

 ly, and eventually die. The hard maple 

 is, as a rule, a very healthy tree and is 

 not often affected, under ordinary con- 

 ditions, in the manner described. It 

 frequently happens, also, that apparently 

 a blight strikes certain trees, and it is, I 

 think, in these cases impossible to save 

 them. 



W. T. Macoun, 

 Horticulturist. 



What Kills the Maples ( 



10 IS. SiR.^I have a very tine row of 

 maple tiees which have been planted about 

 eighteen years, and which have grown splen- 

 didly, being in the very best of condition till 

 about two years ago, when one died. Last 

 summer I lost four and this spring about a 

 dozen more are affected. The first indication 

 of disease is young twigs dying, especially at 

 the ends of the limbs and in one season the 

 tree dies. The bark seems to loosen from the 

 whole body of the tree. I have been unable 

 to find out the cause. If any of your many 

 readers have had a like experience 1 would 

 gladly accept any information from them. 

 I have ash and soft maples in the same row 

 and these are not affected. As I have a large 

 number of maples I am verj- anxious about 

 them, for I fear I shall lose them all. 



Thos. Macklem. 

 Hamilton, Ont. 



Reply by Prof. Fletcher, Ottawa. 



The fly on the black currant bush 

 which you complain of is probably the 

 Currant Plant louse. The best remedy 

 for this is to spray the bushes, particu- 



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