ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 75 



INJURIOUS INSECTS IN 1898. 



By Dr. James Fletcher, Ottawa. 



The crops of the Province during 1898 have not suffered generally from any unusual 

 or even locally severe outbreak of injurious insects. There have been, of course, losses 

 in all crops from the ordinary annually-recurring pest s; but the wide awake Ontario far- 

 mer now knows pretty well what to do or where to get the necessary information, when 

 he notices an unusual abundance of an insect enemy, We may again be thankful for a 

 season of good crops, and for the most part these were got in in good condition. The 

 general results of the year are given concisely in the excellent Crop Reports for November, 

 issued by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Prof. C. C. James. The only drawbacks of 

 the season were exceptionally hot weather with drought in some sections in July and 

 August and a rather wide-spread and almost unheard of frost in the month of July, which 

 affected some tender crops. The autumn was long and fine, with no severe early frosts, 

 thus allowing all root crops and fodder to pick up well. 



Cereals. 



The cereals throughout the Province have made an excellent showing. Owing to 

 the increase in the price of wheat last autumn, a large area was sown to this staple crop. 

 The hot, dry period referred to, although it ripened up some oats rather prematurely, pro- 

 duced wheat of exceptionally fine quality. Mr. W. Scott, of the McKay Milling Co'y 

 of Ottawa, a large buyer of grain, tells me that he has not seen for many years wheat of 

 such high quality as he has this year received from some parts of the Ottawa Valley, some 

 samples running as high as 64| lbs. to the bushel, without any sign of injury by the 

 Wheat Midge or other insect enemies. 



" Poor yields were exceptional, and large yields were common. The plumpness of 

 the grain is frequently alluded to, in many cases the weight going over the standard, and 

 as high sometimes as 63 or 64 lbs. to the bushel. Here and there only did correspondents 

 complain of rust, midge, or other injury to the crop. The yield is 24 bushels per acre for 



Fall Wheat The crop of spring wheat has been over an average in yield, 



and the quality is also good. The yield is 17.7 bushels per acre." — (November Crop 

 Report, Ont. Bureau of Industries, p. 2.) 



Barley yielded heavily, and the sample, for weight and color, has seldom been sur- 

 passed. I have not heard of any injury by insects. 



Oats were in places light, and in some localities suffered from the attacks of the 

 Grain Aphis, Wireworms, and Cutworms. The injury by the first of these was light. As 

 is usually the case, the parasites which invariably accompany this plant-louse, 

 increased in enormous numbers and the plague stopped. The parasite which did best 

 service was Aphidius granariaphis, Cook. 



Devastating Dart Moth. A rather bad attack of the Glassy Cutworm (Hadena 

 devastatrix, Brace), Fig. 29, the caterpillar of the Devastating 

 Dart Moth, occurred on the farm of Messrs. J. Yuill & Sons, 

 at Carleton Place. 



When insects attack a crop of grain it is always difficult 

 to apply any remedy to the standing plants and the only 

 resource is the practising of agricultural methods founded on 

 the known life-history of the pest. Most insects feed upon 

 closely allied plants ; the wisdom, therefore, is apparent of 

 Fi £* 39, following an infested crop belonging to the grass family with 



another consisting of plants belonging to a different botanical family. 



