86 



gallon of water) around the root of each plant, after drawing away the 

 earth; the earth then to be replaced. For onions and radishes, dust- 

 ing white hellebore along the rows as soon as the young plants appear 

 has given good results. For garden radishes and onions undoubt- 

 edly the best application is Prof. A. J. Cook's carbolic wash, made b} T 

 adding 1 quart of soft soap or 1 pound of hard soap to a gallon of water, 

 heat to the boiling point, and add crude carbolic acid half a pint. 

 AVhen required for use take one part of the stock mixture to fifty of 

 water and sprinkle directly upon the growing plants once a week from 

 the time they appear above the ground. 



Some very satisfactory experiments from the entomologist's stand- 

 point were made during the past summer by Mr. W. T. Macoun, the 

 horticulturist of the Central Experimental Farm. Several varieties 

 of tobacco and vegetables were grown beneath a cheese-cloth inclosure, 

 so as to iuqjrove the quality of the plants, and it was observed that 

 not only were satisfactory results obtained with the plants, but that 

 this cheap protection prevented entirely the attacks of many kinds of 

 injurious insects. Radishes, onions, cabbages, and cauliflowers were 

 well developed and absolutely free from root maggots. Nothing was 

 attacked by either the tarnished or four-lined leaf bugs, or by the 

 turnip flea beetle. Cucurbits of all kinds were free from attack by 

 the striped cucumber beetle; in fact, this experiment has shown that 

 at small expense choice vegetables can be grown, the cultivation of 

 some of which had been relinquished by gardeners, owing to the dif- 

 ficulty of producing them free of insect injury. The plan of apply- 

 ing this preventive method will, of course, vary with circumstances, 

 but I believe that a light frame covered with cheese cloth, will form 

 an easy means for entomologists to protect planus against some insects 

 which now defy our efforts. There is not, of course, anything new 

 in the idea except the extent to which the protection was applied. 



An insect which of recent years has given very little trouble in 

 Canada is the hop aphis. During 1903 hop yards in southern central 

 Ontario were badly attacked and much loss was sustained. Where 

 the quassia and soap wash was applied much benefit was manifest, 

 and hop growers claim that the results paid them well for all expendi- 

 ture of time and labor. 



The hornfly, which some years ago was the cause of so much loss 

 on dairy and stock farms, was last year decidedly more troublesome 

 than it had been for several years. This Avas probably due to the 

 moist season, which kept cattle droppings in a condition suitable for 

 the development of the larvse for a much longer time than usual. I 

 was interested at finding specimens of this fly upon horses at Regina, 

 in the center of our Canadian northwest prairie region. I also 

 observed that during the summer of 1903 it had reached the Pacific 

 coast in British Columbia and was injuriously abundant on Van- 

 couver Island. 



