26 THE RKI'ORT OF THE [19 



Last year I referred to the excellent work being done by our Dominion Entomolo,gist 

 Dr. Fletcher, but he is grtatly handicapped by the Jack of almost every requisite for the 

 efficient prosecution of his work. It is true that since our meeting last year he has been 

 given another assistant in the person of Mr Arthur Gibson, a director of this Society, 

 but much more than this is n* eded, and the farm should be equipped with an insectary 

 of the most approved design, and also, I would suggest, with a small cold storage chamber 

 for the successful wintering of pupa? and hibernating larvae, which might be the subjects 

 of experimentation. There are many such insectaries in the United States, and it is high 

 time that we had at least one in Canada, especially as no great outlay would be necessary, 

 and I would respectfully represent to " the powers that be " that there is no economy in 

 employing a first class entomologist and not giving him every facility for doing the very 

 best work of which he is capable. 



But I must pass on to other subjects, and would invite your attention to a rapid 

 review of some of the more important work being carried on by leading workers in this 

 branch of science. 



In Canada, owing to the opposition to the working of the San Jose Scale law in 

 Ontario, a commission was appointed to inquire as to the extent of infestation, whether 

 it had spread beyond its former limits, whether the destruction of infested trees would 

 check the further spread of the scale, whether it would be possible to exterminate it, 

 whether there was danger of further infestation from scales being carried across the 

 Niagara River, whether opposition to the act was unanimous, how the work of inspection 

 had been performed, the commissioners being invited to make any suggestions they 

 thought desirable as to changes in the mode of procedure, and as to measures for the 

 complete suppression of the pest. The commissioners appointed were Dr. James Mills, 

 President of the Agricultural College at Guelph, chairman, with Mr. John Dearness, ex- 

 President of this Society, and Mr. W. H. Bunting, of St. Catharines. The inquiry was 

 opened on 20th June and closed on 14th July, the Commissioners visiting the counties 

 of Lincoln, Welland, Wentworth, Elgin, Kent and Essex in Ontario, as well as the New 

 York side of the Niagara River and Catawba Island in Ohio, and examining one hundred 

 and sixty- eight witnesses. In regard to the amount of infestation and the extent to 

 which it had been controlled, it was found that the greatest infestation is in one corner 

 of Niagara Township, near Niagara on-the-Lake, and in the Township of Harwich, Kent 

 County, in the neighborhood of Guild's Post-office. There is a limited infestation at 

 Kings ville, and less important ones at St. Catharines, Winona, Burlington and near 

 Chatham. In ninety-one other cases trees planted within the last two years were found 

 infested. These trees were all destroyed, and this year's inspection failed to discovf r 

 scale in any but thirteen out of the ninety-one places. The scale was found in five 

 nurseries*, but the infested stock was destroyed. While the areas of infestation are not 

 large the inspector estimated that it would be necessary to destroy over 150,000 trees to 

 be reasonably sure of exterminating the scale. The inspector thinks that the scale can 

 be exterminated by the prompt and vigorous enforcement of the Act, but the Commis- 

 sioners incline to the opposite opinion, and they also believe that the damage which the 

 insect is capable of doing in this latitude has been overestimated. They found that, as 

 was to be expected, the owners of orchards were not unanimous in opposition to the Act, 

 for while those whose orchards are not in immediate danger are overwhelmingly in favor 

 of it, those whose orchards are infested or in immediate danger of becoming so oppose it, 

 largely on account of the inadequate compensation allowed for trees which are destroyed, 

 but also because no effort was made to save valuable trees which were only slightly 

 affected, and because the owners had no voice in the determination of the value of the 

 trees deitroyed. The Commissioners, while acknowledging the faithful work of the 

 inspector and his assistants, thought that more consideration might have been shown for 

 the feelings of the owners of infested trees and a less offensive method of marking such 

 trees adopted, They advised a continuance of the inspection on modified lines for some 

 time to come but that valuable trees be treated for the purpose of destroying the scale 

 without cutting them down and that owners of trees not so badly infested be required to 

 treat them by a prescribed method once a week from the time of notice till the 15th 



