72 



THE REPORT OF THE 



[19 



About the middle of Jane cutting was discontinued and the whole bed, rows and all, 

 cultivated up deeply with a large field cultivator. All stalks were then allowed to grow 

 and in a couple of weeks there was a growth of between three and four feet In height. 

 No attention wa3 given to the insects as it was thought their time of doing damage had 

 passed and that the plantation had top enough to suffer no injury. In the third week of 

 July however it was found thai; a new broad of larvae had developed and was working 

 vigorously at the tops of nearly all the plants. They worked from the growing point 

 downward, eating all the green portions as they went. On July 31st the whole planta- 

 tion was thoroughly sprayed, using 4 oz. Paris green to 50 gallons of water, with 2 or 3 

 lbs. of lime to act as a fixitive. For a few days after many slugs could be found and it 

 was thought that the spraying had not been very successful. However, in a week or so 

 as the insects worked down they came in contact with the poison and were killed. As 

 the summer was very dry this mixture stayed on all season and further damage from the 

 insects was entirely stopped. 



In some unsprayed plantations which I observed, the insects stripped the plants 

 till they looked as white and bleached as they would in the depths of winter. I heard 

 some gardeners remarking how the drougth had withered up the asparagus and they 

 could not believe that it had been eaten off by an insect. Some plantations where the 

 insects were at work showed a distinct line of demarcation between the deadened tops 

 eaten off by the slugs and the green portion below that was not yet reached. 



The broods of the insect seem to be very numerous and to overlap one another so 

 that eggs, larvse and beetles may be found any time during the summer. The pupae I 

 have not found but I expect they are in the ground. 



The destruction by the insect is very general owing to the gardeners not knowing 

 the insect or seeing its destruction till their plantations had been stripped. A few odd 

 beds, however, can be found where the beetles seem to have missed them. 



I should judge that owing to the destruction of the green stalks and leaves the 

 elaboration and storing up of nutriment in the crown for next year's crop would be seri- 

 ously interfered with, and that next spring the owners of unsprayed plantations might 

 expect a reduced crop and one composed of rather spindling stalks. 



From my experience I think that the best remedial measures would be : 



1. Frequent cultivation of the ground to disturb or destroy the insect in the pupa 

 state. 



2. The removal of all spindling stalks on which eggs might be deposited. 



3. Thorough spraying after cutting has ceased. 



Fig. 28 (much magnified). 



Fig. 29 (greatly magnified.) 



These asparagus beetles are new to Canada and proved to be Orioceris asparagi, 

 Linn. (Fig. 28), arid C. 12 imnctatus, Linn. (Fig. 29). The latter species was the most 

 numerous. 



