79 



wheat-stem maggot, to distinguish it from Meromyza americana, 

 which is widely known as the wheat-stem maggot. 



Mr. Snow reported that he had taken Nysius californicus abun- 

 dantly in the San Francisco Mountains, near Flagstaff, Ariz., at an 

 elevation of 12,800 feet above the sea level, and that no vegetation 

 was present at that point. 



Mr. Osborn thought that Penfatoma sayi must occur on some native 

 plant, but had evidently adapted itself to cultivated jDlants, and sug- 

 gested that it might spread in the same manner as the potato beetle. 



Mr. Washburn referred to having found this speoies on wheat last 

 summer, but did not consider it a serious grain pest. 



Mr. Wilcox spoke of a method of catching grasshoppers which he 

 had seen practiced in the West, which was known as "ballooning." 

 A large sack was tied with a rope in such a manner as to keep the 

 mouth of the sack open. The other end of the rope was attached to 

 the pommel of a saddle, and as the horse was driven rapidly across 

 the field large quantities of the insects were caught. He stated that 

 where a bounty of 1 cent a pound was paid for the insects a man 

 could make from $5 to $10 a day by using the " balloon." 



Mr. Gillette stated that the short- winged forms of Melanoplus bivit- 

 tatus and M. femur-mibrum were not common, and that the specimens 

 that he was showing were mostly taken by Mr. E. D. Ball in shady 

 places, especialty among some small trees at Fort Collins. 



The following paper was then read: 



SOME INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1903 IN ONTARIO. 



By William Lochhead, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. 



Ontario occupies a unique j>osition in man}' respects. The great 

 agricultural part of the Province lies between the three Great Lakes, 

 Huron, Erie, and Ontario, while to the north lies another large basin 

 of water, the Georgian Bay. That these large bodies of water exer- 

 cise an influence on plant and animal life is apparent to anyone who 

 has looked into this question. For example, the plant life along the 

 north shore of Lake Erie is fully two weeks in advance of the plant 

 life near the center of the peninsula — say in the vicinity of Guelph. 

 In that district jDeaches and grapes can be grown very successfully. 

 Again, fully 200 miles north of Lake Erie is the Georgian Baj 7 . On 

 the south shore of this body of water is an attractive country which 

 is excellently adapted for fruit growing. There peaches and grapes 

 can also be grown without danger from frost. All through the 

 central part of the peninsula grapes and peaches can not be grown 

 successfully. 



It is evident, therefore, that climate must exert a strong influence 

 on both plant and animal life, and it is the duty of the economic 



