18991 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 109 



less abundant than the former. The habits of the two species are very similar ; but differ in 

 some very important particulars. Those of the common Asparagus beetle are best known. 

 It passes the winter as a perfect beetle, and appears early in the spring, eating into the 

 young shoots when ready for the market, and laying its eggs upon them. These eggs are 

 black and elongated. They stick out conspicuously in every direction from the shoots 

 upon which they are laid. The grubs soon hatch, and are slimy greyish-looking slugs 

 with dark dots, a blackish head and black legs. They frequently do a great deal of harm 

 to young plants. There are two or three broods in a season, and they not only feed on 

 the youDg shoots, but upon the old foliage of the asparagus. In the case of the 12-spotted 

 species the grubs also live inside the berries. Among the remedies which have proved 

 more or less successful the following may be mentioned : (1) The beating of the beetles 

 and grubs from the plants into nets or broad pans, containing water and coal oil. 

 When collected in nets the insects must be killed by throwing them into scalding water, 

 or water with a little coal oil on the surface ; (2) Keeping the beds closely cut in spring, 

 so that no eggs are allowed to be hatched, a few stems are sometimes left for the females 

 to lay their eggs upon. These are subsequently cut and destroyed and other shoots are 

 left to take their place as traps ; (3) Spraying the beds at short intervals during the 

 summer with Paris green and water, 1 lb. in 100 gallons) of water, will destroy both the 

 larvae and the beetles; (4) Dusting with lime. It has been found that freshly slaked 

 lime is very fatal to the slimy larva?, and dusting the beds at short intervals of three or 

 four days is one of the best means of clearing them of the larvae ; (5) The larvae may 

 also be brushed off the plants with a stick, and if this is done in the middle of a hot 

 day it is claimed that few of them ever get back again, a short time on the hot soil 

 proving fatal. 



Fruits. 



The San Jose Scale investigations have been the means of drawing the attention of 

 fruit-growers to many insects which otherwise would have remained unnoticed, and although 

 no new enemies have to be recoided as having done widespread or serious harm during 

 the summer of 1899, most of the regular pests have been observed. Closely resembling 

 the San Jose Scale are three other species, the occurrence and range of which are now 

 much better known, viz., Aspidiotus Ancyhis, Putnm., A. Forbesi, Jnsn., and A. ostrece- 

 formis, Curt. The last named of these, a European species, was first discovered in America 

 at Chilli whach in British Columbia ; but it is now known to be present in considerable 

 numbers in many parts of Western Ontario and in the Eastern United States. It most 

 closely resembles A. ancylus, and has been, doubtless, confounded with that species in 

 the past. Among remedies for scale insects spraying with whale-oil soap seems to be one 

 of the most effective. Kerosene applied in various forms is also very useful. The appli- 

 cation of Bordeaux mixture, consisting of sulphate of copper and lime in water, as a remedy 

 for fungous diseases has also been found to be useful against scale insects by rendering the 

 new wood, it is thought, disagreeable to the young bark-lice when seeking for a suitable 

 place to attach themselves to the tree. Some experiments made by Mr. W. T. Macoun, 

 the Horticulturist at the Experimental Farm, in spraying trees with whitewash to retard 

 the opening of buds in spring, seems to add confirmation to this theory. Trees sprayed 

 early last spring with whitewash are certainly freer from oyster-shell bark-lice than 

 others not so treated. 



Tent caterpillars were again this year very numerous and destructive in many parts 

 of the Province, notwithstanding an abundant presence of parasites and a bacterial disease 

 which killed thousands of the larvae. Early spraying, as soon as possible after the young 

 larvae hatch, witn Paris green, 1 lb. in 100 gallons of water to which is added 1 lb. of fresh 

 lime, is quite effective; but if the spraying is delayed until the caterpillars become nearly full 

 grown, they are much more difficult to kill. The egg-masses should always be sought for 

 carefully during the winter and burnt, and a sharp lookout should be kept at the time the 

 young caterpillars hatch so that they may be destroyed when they gather together in 

 clusters after feeding, either in a web or in the case of the Forest Tent caterpillars on the 

 side of a branch. 



Among fruit pests of lesser importance which have been reported during the past 

 summer in Ontario the following may be referred to : The Apple Aphis at Meritton, the 



