THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



should be tied tightly in the middle. 

 Each caterpillar is furnished with four 

 pairs of fleshy prolegs, which are fringed 

 with small horny hooks, and on its try- 

 ing to pass over the cotton these hooks 

 get so entangled in the fibres, that its 

 further progress becomes very difficult 

 and is seldom persisted in." 



Fortunately, Dame Nature has the 

 best remedy, and when an insect be- 

 comes very abundant, she usually pro- 

 vides a parasite to keep it in check ; she 

 has several ready for this tent caterpil- 

 lar, so that in a year or two we may ex- 

 pect to see them cleared out without 

 our assistance. 



THE SCALE ACT. 



tf^y> VERY important meeting of 

 // \ \ fruit growers was held at 

 /( ) \ Grimsby on June 16th, under 

 the auspices of the Ontario 

 Fruit Growers' Association, to consider 

 the present delay on the part of the 

 Department of Agriculture carrying out 

 the provisions of the San Jose Scale Act, 

 which was passed at the request of our 

 Ontario Fruit Groweis two years ago. 



It seems that there are only three or 

 four sections in the province, and those 

 near the border, in which the scale has 

 been found. The whole of the infested 

 sections put together would not exceed 

 twenty miles square, and the Act if vigor- 

 ously enforced will soon clear out the 

 whole thing. Two delegations from the* 

 sections have called on the Minister of 

 Agriculture and asked that the Act be 

 suspended so as to save their orchards, 

 and in response the Department has 

 temporarily suspended the Act and 

 appointed a Commission to look into 

 the whole question, consisting of Dr. 

 Mills, of the O. A. C., Guelph ; John 

 Dearness, of London, and W. H. Bunt- 

 ing, of St. Catharines. 



Mr. Geo. E. Fisher, of Burlington, the 

 Inspector, was present at the meeting on 

 invitation and gave much valuable infor- 

 mation, in answer to questions. He had 

 become convinced that the pest was a 

 much more serious enemy than he had 

 first supposed, but since it was so far 



confined in Ontario to two or three 

 small sections of two or three square 

 miles each, it could still be easily routed. 

 The young lice began to leave the 

 mother scale about the end of June, and 

 hence the importance of prompt action. 

 He had found no scale at Leamington, 

 and at Kingsville one square mile would 

 cover the infested territory. He had 

 found no forest trees affected. As to 

 fumigation as a means of destroying the 

 pest, he believed it was impracticable, 

 because the canvas tents were not gas 

 proof, and it was not possible to apply 

 them to trees over ten or twelve feet 

 high. 



Mr. D. J. McKinnon, Grimsby, said 

 he was greatly surprised that the Govern- 

 ment should delay action in a matter so 

 important to the farmers of Ontario, at 

 such a critical moment ; when delay 

 might mean their ruin. The Commis- 

 sion might decidewhether the Act should 

 continue in force for another year, but in 

 the meantime it should be pushed for- 

 ward with all vigor, in accordance with 

 the wish of the people expressed two 

 years ago. 



Mr. A. H. Pettit said he was much 

 pleased when the, Hon. John Dryden 

 had the Scale Act passed, and he much 

 regretted the present hesitation in carry- 

 ing out its provisions. After consider- 

 able discussion a committee consisting 

 of M. Pettit, Winona, D. J. McKinnon 



266 



