14 



unexplained "silver-top" injury to hay, this crop in Ontario has not suffered. The- 

 clover seed midge is now by early cutting comparatively well kept in hand by growers. 



The root crops have been poor for want of rain, turnips suffered severely and late 

 in the season all growth was stopped in some districts by enormous quantities of a grey 

 aphis. When treated in time these were easily destroyed by spraying with kerosene 

 emulsion. Few, however, could be induced to take this trouble so late in the season ;. 

 preferring to take their chance they did nothing, and as a consequence lost their crop 

 of turnips. 



Carrots last year were badly attacked by the carrot fly (Psila rosce), but this year 

 very few complaints were received. Radishes and cabbages were badly attacked by 

 Anthomyian flies, so well known to gardeners as root maggots. I have, however, during 

 the past summer had such success with Prof. Cook's carbolic acid treatment, that I had 

 no trouble in growing radishes entirely free from attack, right through the summer. 

 This remedy consists of one gallon of water in which two quarts of soft soap have been 

 dissolved. Into this when boiling hot one pint of crude carbolic acid is put, and after 

 being boiled and stirred for a short time, is put by in bottles. When required for use 

 I put one cupful in a watering can with fifty cupfuls of soft water. This 

 when stirred up a little is ready for use, and is watered by means of a rose all over the 

 beds, beginning three days after the seed is sown and continuing once a week until the 

 radishes are ready for the table. It can be watered all over the foliage and will have 

 no effect, either on the vegetation or in giving any offensive taste to the vegetable. 

 For cabbages the most successful treatment was as follows : — At the time of planting 

 out gas-lime was sprinkled lightly all round each plant. About first July the earth was 

 well hoed up round the stems and another light application was made. This substance 

 was also found very beneficial by Mr. E. Bell, of Archville, in preventing to a large 

 extent the attacks of the onion maggot. In this case it was sown very lightly broadcast 

 over the whole bed — once a fortnight, — from the beginning of the season until the middle 

 of August. 



Potatoes suffered in some localities from the Colorado potato beetle. This pest, 

 however, is so easily and cheaply kept down with Paris green that it is not necessary 

 to speak of it at greater length. 



The imported white cabbage butterfly (Pieris Bapce), committed serious injury 

 throughout the Province, notwithstanding the fact that myriads of the larva? were 

 iyed by the fungous disease known smjlacherie. This disease has been noticed for 

 the last seven or eight years from the virulence of its attacks upon the larva? of this 

 insect ; but this year the caterpillars having appeared in undue numbers, its presence 

 se imed to force itself upon everyone's notice. Great injury was done by these cater- 

 pillars before the epidemic developed and it was necessary to have recourse to active 

 remedies. Of these, without doubt, insect powder (Pyrethrum) is the best. This 

 material can be mixed with four or five times its weight of common flour. With one of the 

 many insect-guns and a very little practice, a large number of plants can be dusted in 



irt time Treatment with a tea of this poison was not so successful as the dry 

 application. 



Orchards have in some districts fared worse than other crops. In the first place the leaf- 

 ing nut of the trees was retarded in earlyspring by the want of rains. The enormous numbers 

 of Clisiocampa and a goodly host of other caterpillars, at one time threatened to entirely 

 strip the foliage from the apple trees. In Nova Scotia the apples were from various causes 

 reduced to one-quarter of the average crop. Two particular insects were most complained 

 of, •' the canker worm" and the pear-blight beetle Xyleborn* dispar, Fab., (Xyleborus pyri). 

 This latter was called, locally, " the shot-borer," from the resemblance of its tunnels to 

 small shot holes. It has done much injury. Many specimens have been sent to me from 

 the Annapolis Valley, and by the kind assistance of Mr. T. E. Smith, of the JS r ova Scotia 

 nursery at Cornwallis, N.S., a close and careful observer, I have been put in possession 

 of much useful knowledge with regard to this insect. Mr. Smith is under the impres- 

 sion that they do attack healthy trees. He writes : " One of my neighbours has lost 

 about forty fine healthy apple trees, mostly Gravensteins and King of Tompkins. They 

 attack the butt, and in some cases well into the limbs of young and bearing trees a foot 



