1906.] 



A New Enemy of Douglas Fir. 



The portions to be planted in 1905 were the Swinsty Moor 

 and the Horse Allotment Plantation, a total of 97 acres. There 

 is also the laying out of a large nursery. The trees for the first 

 year's work had been selected, the total number to be planted 

 on Swinsty Moor being 360,750, consisting of spruce, Corsican 

 pine, larch, Scots fir, beech, birch, sycamore, mountain elm, ash, 

 black alder, and white alder. 



The number of seedlings to be planted in the nursery is 

 638,000 of the above varieties. A large number of seeds will 

 also be sown, so that in future years planting may go on without 

 trees having to be purchased. 



It is proposed to plant about 150 acres annually during the 

 next five years, and if it is found that planting can be done 

 more cheaply than is estimated at present more land will be 

 taken. 



In the month of May, 1905, 1 received a number of seeds of 



the Douglas Fir that had been sent by Mr. John Crozier, of 



Durris, Aberdeenshire, to the Board of 



A NeW of nemy Agriculture and to myself. Accompany- 



the Douglas Fir. ing tne seeds were some insects that had 



{Megastigmus issued from them. The insects on examina- 

 spermotrophus. ) . , . n/r 



tion proved to be Megastigmus spermo- 



trophus. From these seeds and from others I bred out a 

 number of males and females of the species. The infested 

 seed had been rendered useless by the destructive work of 

 the Megastigmus larva-. In the letter asking for the identi- 

 fication of the insect, Mr. Crozier wrote :— " The insect 

 has for some years back been causing a serious loss to 

 our stock of Douglas Fir seed. I noticed its presence 

 on coming here nine years ago, but no doubt it had been on 

 the estate before that time. Seed was plentiful, however, and 

 as the acreage was comparatively trifling, I did not pay much 

 attention to the fact. Now, however, it has assumed a more 

 serious aspect, as the seed on many of the older trees from 

 which I formerly collected my supply in good years, amounting 

 to^ over 300 bushels, is not worth the trouble of gathering. I 

 have raised some millions of plants on this estate, but unless 



