class maybe mentioned the "black army worm," Agrotis fennica, a species which is much 

 commoner in this district than was at one time supposed. The young caterpillars appear in 

 May and devour many kinds of low herbs as strawberries and other garden plants ; peas 

 and clover appear to be preferred to everything else. About the end of May its habits 

 seem to change and it feeds much more boldly, being frequently found feeding by day. 

 It also at this time attacks young trees and bushes, devouring the buds and seems to be 

 particularly partial to raspberry buds. There is no doubt that these cut-worms are very dif- 

 ficult enemies to combat. I have found them difficult torear to maturity, and notwithstanding 

 vast number of species the life histories of comparatively very few have been worked out. 

 After many experiments and much observation some remedies have been devised which 

 may be tried with a varying amount of success. 1 give some of those which I have 

 myself found most beneficial. It must not be forgotten, however, that as yet we have no 

 sure preventive of attack and T urge iipon our members to give this matter their earnest 

 consideration, so that we may be in a position to save more of the great loss they 

 occasion. 



For climbing cut-worms a sure remedy is to take a sheet of bright tin, six inches 

 wide and roll it around the base of a tree so that the edges overlap and it forms a tube 

 through the middle of which the tree passes. This may be kept in position by having the 

 lower edge pressed into the ground and tying a piece of twine round the outside, a modi- 

 cation of the same device which may be used in gardens, is to cut out the top and bottom 

 of tomato cans and place them over young cabbages, tomatoes, etc., the heavy-bodied 

 caterpillars being unable to crawl up over the smooth surface. Another remedy I have 

 found useful for climbing cut-worms, is to tie a strip of cotton-batting round the trunks 

 of trees which also they are unable to crawl over. Spraying trees with Paris green, half 

 an ounce to one pailful of water, will destroy these as well as many other kinds of cater- 

 pillars which attack young foliage. 



The remedies for the second class or surface cut-worms are somewhat different of 

 application. The caterpillars are essentially vagrants, not remaining in one place for any 

 length of time, but wandering aboufc at night from plant to plant. The remedies of which I 

 have the greatest hope for this class are preventive, and consist of keeping down weeds 

 and destroying all refuse in the autumn, so as to deprive them of food and winter shelter; 

 and late ploughing by which the hibernating insects will be disturbed and exposed to the 

 effects of weather and the attacks of insectivorous birds at a time when the food supply of 

 the latter is limited. Poultry will be found valuable assistants in an orchard. In 

 spring, attacks may be prevented by placing round the young plants some substance 

 with an obnoxious odour. The most effective of these remedies I have found to be sand 

 or sawdust saturated with carbolic acid or coal oil, a small quantity of which may be 

 sprinkled round each plant or between the rows. Fresh gaslime used in the same way 

 acts equally well. Another remedy suggested by Dr. Eiley, by which they may be de- 

 stroyed in large numbers, is by setting poisoned traps between the rows of the crop 

 attacked. These are made as follows : Having procured a supply of some succulent plant 

 as grass, clover, or even lamb's quarters, tie them in loose bundles and sprinkle them 

 heavily or dip them in Paris green and water, then take them and place them between 

 the rows in the fields. The lamb's quarters (Chenopodium album) is a favourite plant 

 with cut-worms, and during the past season I noticed frequently where rows of this 

 plant had been Jeft standing between fields, that it was much more eaten than the crops 

 on either side. As this weed springs up everywhere in cultivated ground and also is 

 very easily destroyed, I cannot help thinking that this observation might be turned to 

 good effect by leaving strips of it for a time to attract these insects. Where one has been 

 at work in the night, it can be at once detected by the withered top of the plant, and the 

 caterpillar will generally be found just beneath the surface of the ground at its root when 

 it may be destroyed. 



The " army worm " has been reported as injurious from several localities in Ontario ; 

 but specimens of the true army worm (Leucania unipuncta, Haw) have only been sent 

 in from one locality, namely, from the new settlement at Lake Temiscaming. A few, 

 however, were bred from caterpillars taken on wheat at Ottawa. Of these many were 

 attacked by a parasite, which Prof. Riley has identified as a new species of Apanteles. 



