60 Vict. Provincial Board op Horticulture. 39 



under each segment except the fourth and the last. After the last moult it loses its slimy 

 appearance and dark colour, and appears in a clean yellow skin entirely free froiri slime. Its 

 form is also changed, being proportionately longer. In a few hours after this change it leaves 

 the tree and crawls or falls to the ground, where it buries itself to a depth of from one to three 

 or four inches. By repeated movements of the body the earth is pressed firmly on all sides, 

 and an oblong oval chamber is formed, which is afterwards lined with a sticky, glossy 

 substance, which makes it retain its shape. Within this little earthen cell the insect changes 

 to a chrysalis, and in about a fortnight finishes its transformations, breaks open the enclosure, 

 crawls to the surface of the ground, and appears in the winged form. 



About the third week in July the flies are actively engaged in depositing eggs for a 

 second brood, the young slugs appearing early in August. They reach maturity in about four 

 weeks, then retire underground, change to pupse, and remain in that condition until the 

 following spring. 



Pear and cherry growers should be on the look-out for this destructive pest about the 

 middle of June, and again early in August, and if the young larvae- are then abundant they 

 should be promptly attended to, since, if neglected, they soon play sad havoc with the foliage, 

 feeding upon the upper side of the leaves and consuming the tissues, leaving only the veins 

 and under skin. The foliage, deprived of its substance, withers and becomes dark coloured, 

 as if scorched by tire, and soon afterwards it drops from the trees. In a badly infested pear 

 orchard whole rows of trees may sometimes be seen as bare of foliage during the eaily days 

 of July as they are in midwinter. In such instances the trees are obliged to throw out new 

 leaves, and this extra effort so exhausts their vigour as to interfere seriously with their fruit- 

 prbducing power the following year. Although very abundant in a given locality one season, 

 these slugs may be very scarce the next, as they are liable to be destroyed in the interval by 

 enemies and by unfavourable climatic influences. 



Spraying with Paris green or hellebore as soon as noticed. See sprays Nos. 8 and 9, or 



„ ,. small trees may be treated as for the currant worm, with hellebore or Parjs 



Remedies. ■' 



green. 



Cut-worms (JVoctuidce) are reported from all parts of 



the Province, very destructive to garden crops. There are 



many different species of these well-known 



Cut-worms. enemies of the garden 



and farm. They are 



all larv£e of night-flying moths, and are 



rather thick, naked worms, which curl 



up when disturbed. 



Moth. Xn places where cutworms are Larvse. 



known to be troublesome, it is advisable to fall-plough sod-land as early in the season as 



convenient ; this will avoid egg-laying by moths of late broods. Prof. Pletcher advises the 



following remedies : 



(1.) As the young caterpillars of many species hatch in autumn, the removal of all 



vegetation from the ground as soon as possible in autumn deprives them of their food supply, 



and also prevents the late flying moths from laying their eggs in that 



Clean Culture, locality. Fields or gardens which are allowed to become overgrown with 



weeds or other vegetation late in the autumn are almost sure to be troubled 



with cut-worms in the spring. 



(2.) Large numbers may be destroyed by placing between the rows of an infected crop, 



or at short distances apart on infected land, bundles of any succulent weed, or other vegetation 



which has been previously poisoned by dipping it, after tying in bundles, 



Traps. into a strong mixture of Paris green. The cut-worms eat the poisoned plants 



and bury themselves and die. In hot and dry weather these bundles should 



be placed out after sundown, and a shingle may be placed on each to keep it from fading. 



(3.) — (a.) It will be found to well repay the trouble and expense to place a band of tin 



around each cabbage or other plant at the time of setting out. These may very easily be 



made by taking pieces of tin six inches long and two and al half wide and 



^^riding and bending them around a broom handle; the two ends can be sprung apart to 



Wrapping. g^j^jj^. ^j^g pjant, and then the tube should be pressed about half an inch into 



