34 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 



San Jose Scale in Ontario, and the measures that had been taken to counteract it (See 

 his paper on this subject, page 78). He stated that the tent caterpillars were so abun- 

 dant at Ottawa, as mentioned by Mr. Harrington, that they actually starved themselves 

 out by stripping the foliage of the trees that they infested. He did not think that they 

 would be as numerous next year in consequence of the destruction of large numbers by 

 parasities and the fact that many of the females were infertile and laid no eggs. The 

 larch saw-fly had re-appeared in Eastern Ontario, but the currant saw-fly had been quite 

 infrequent. Out worms also were not so abundant as usual ; for them the best remedy 

 is a mixture of bran, sugar and arsenic, which should be placed, a teaspoonful in amount, 

 at the base of the corn-hills, or at intervals between the rows where seeds have been sown 

 in the spring. He found that the cut worms would eat this mixture just as readily when 

 dry, as when moistened with water, and with equally effective results. The fall web- 

 worm was not nearly so numerous as usual at Ottawa, but the aphides, as mentioned by 

 Dr. Bethune, was excessively abundant and injurious. The leaf-hopper of the grape had 

 been abundant in the east ; it could be controlled most readily with kerosene emulsion. 

 The horn-fly, whicb of late years had been such a plague to cattle, had now almost 

 disappeared as an injurious insect, and was not so numerous as the Stomoxys, the common 

 biting stable-fly. 



The invasion of Ontario by the San Jose Scale was the next subject brought up for 

 discussion. Dr. Fletcher spoke on the subject and read extracts from a letter he had 

 received from Mr. Martin Burrell, of St. Catharines, and exhibited a copy of the poster 

 which had been issued from the Central Experimental Farm at Ottawa, by direction of 

 the Minister of Agriculture. The poster had been widely distributed to post offices, 

 agricultural societies, etc., throughout the country and had attracted much attention. 

 Both the Dominion and Ontario Governments were doing all they could to prevent the 

 spread of the insect. He strongly advised that all purchases of fruit trees should be made 

 from Canadian nurseries where the Scale had not made its appearance. 



Dr. Fletcher then continued his remarks upon the insects of the year, upon which 

 he had been speaking before the adjournment the preceding evening. The pea moth, 

 which had been very injurious throughout the country during the last few years, he had 

 at length succeeded in breeding, and had brought specimens for exhibition at the meeting. 

 He had also bred the apple fruit-miner, which bores in all directions through the fruit : 

 specimens of this fruit were exhibited. Selandria media, which bores into the top of 

 rosebuds, had been successfully reared and its life history worked out. He then gave an 

 account of the rearing of Erebia discoidalis and Brefos infans. 



Mr. Harrington asked whether all trees infested with the San Jose Scale should be 

 destroyed. Dr. Fletcher replied that a badly infested tree is not worth preserving. 

 Experiments have been made of spraying with pure kerosene instead of the kerosene 

 emulsion, but there was very great danger of killing the trees as well* as the insects upon 

 them. 



THE WORK AGAINST THE GYPSY MOTH, 1897. 



By A. H. Kirkland, Malden, Mass. 



The committee having in charge the work of exterminating the Gypsy moth, in its 

 annual report for 1896, recommended that the legislature appropriate the sum of $200,- 

 000 for the work of 1897. After several hearings before the legislative committees, 

 in February the sum of $150,000 was appropriated. This sum being available com- 

 paratively early in the season a large force of men were set at work destroying the 

 egg-clusters and preparing the worst infested woodlands for the summer operations. 

 Over 1,000,000 egg-clusters, each probably containing from 300 to 500 eggs, werp 

 destroyed, 300 acres of infested forest land were cut over or thinned of trees, the grounds 



