The great staple productions of our country, such as wheat, oats, barley and hay have 

 not, so far as we have been able to learn, suffered material injury from insects in any 

 locality in our Province. But, while the farmers of Ontario have thus been exempt, our 

 neighbours across the lines have not enjoyed the same immunity. In the neighbouring 

 State of New York, the loss occasioned by the Hessian fly has been estimated at over 

 $100,000. In the great wheat fields on the Pacific slope and also in those of DacotaJb 

 and other Western States, there have been much severer losses from the same cause. 

 Early in August I received from a correspondent in Dallas, Oregon, samples of wheat 

 seriously injured by another destructive insect, which as yet happily has not to our 

 knowledge occurred in Canada. This is a small, yellowish worm from one-sixth to one- 

 fifth of an inch in length, which is found within the stalk of wheat about or between the 

 joints ; sometimes there are four or five larvee in a single stalk, one above each joint for the 

 first four or five joints from the ground, which cause the stalk to prematurely ripen or wither, 

 and thus occasions great loss. This insect, which is known as the wheat Isosoma, Isosoma 

 tritici (Riley) has been observed for two or three years past injuring the wheat in 

 Illinois, Tenessee and Missouri, and has prevailed in some localities to such an extent as 

 to ruin the crop. Prom the observations thus far made it seems that there is only one 

 brood of this insect during the season, and that it passes the winter in the straw, either 

 in the larval or pupal state, the perfect flies appearing the following spring. Uuder these 

 conditions the remedy is obvious, viz., burn both the stubble and the straw after harvest 5 

 rotation of crops has also been found beneficial. 



The cabbage crop has been materially injured by the ravages of the cabbage 

 Anthomyia, Anthomyia brassicae, a two-winged fly, which in the larval state burrows in the 

 centre of the stem of the young plant and causes its death. This cabbage insect is a 

 native of Europe, is very troublesome in Britain, and has been known as a very destruc- 

 tive insect in this country for about thirty years, but nothing is known either of the date 

 or the method of its introduction. The flies appear in the spring and deposit their eggs 

 upon the stems of the young cabbages about or a little below the surface of the grpund. 

 The eggs hatch in about ten days, when the young larvae usually bore into the interior 

 and work their way down towards the root ; sometimes they merely gnaw grooves on the 

 outer surface of the stem and by this find their way to the roots, on which they feed. 

 When full grown they change to yellowish red chrysalids in the earth from which the flies 

 shortly escape, the whole period of their life history, thus briefly traced, occupying about 

 eight weeks. Usually the plants attacked soon wilt and finally die ; it is believed that 

 there are two or three broods of these insects during the year. 



Several remedies have been recommended, such as dipping the roots and stems of the 

 young plants in strong lye, or a mixture of earth and cowdung diluted with water, or a 

 thick mixture of soot and w a ter • any bitter or alkaline substance ] which would adhere 

 well to the outer surface would probably deter the flies from depositing their eggs. Lime 

 added to the soil in the proportion of 100 to 150 bushels to the acre, after ploughing, and 

 well harrowed in so as to keep it near the surface, has proved a very effectual preventive 

 measure ; or even where the insects are at work upon the plants, if the earth is scraped 

 away from about the stem of each, and a handful of lime dusted around it, and the soil 

 again drawn up to the stem, the plants will sometimes recover. Coal dust, gas lime and 

 stimulating artificial manures have also been recommended. 



The cxbbage has also suffered from injuries caused by the common cabbage worm, the 

 green caterpillar of the cabbage butterfly, which feeds upon the foliage and often 

 disfigures it to such an extent as to render it unmarketable. The habit of this caterpillar, 

 feeding as it does among the folds of the leaves, makes it extremely difficult to reach 

 with any sort of poison without at the same time rendering the cabbage unfit for use. 

 Pyrethrum, or insect powder, which is the powdered flowers of Pryetlirum tinner ariae- 

 Jolium, has been used with good effect, either dusted on the plants or mixed with water 

 and applied to them with a syringe, and this remedy is not in any way objectionable or 

 poisonous. The Pyrethrum plant is in my experience quite hardy in Ontario, has stood 

 the severe cold of the past two winters without injury, and flowered freely. It is easily 

 raised from seed, and being a perennial species, when once established it will continue to 



