Diseases of Plants. 
229 
Diseases on pines, larches, and Douglas firs have been 
investigated, which have been described in former reports. 
Injuries to alsyke, white clover, broad beans, and wheat 
were traced to the severe frosts of early spring. . As a rule the 
plants get over such injuries. 
Advice was asked by a member as to the cultivation of hemp 
for fibre, and instructions were given as to the most improved 
methods. 
A feeding cake seriously injured by moulds had undoubtedly 
caused injury to stock. 
William Carkuthers. ^ 
The Laboratory, 
44 Central Hill, Norwood, S.K. 
ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1907 OF THE 
ZOOLOGIST. 
Introduction. 
The peculiar weather conditions which prevailed during almost 
the whole of the past year were very faithfully reflected in the 
applications for advice received by the Zoologist. During the 
spring there was little especially noticeable except that the 
ordinary pests seemed to be appearing somewhat later than 
usual. The only pest of special importance was the pygmy 
mangold beetle, Atornaria linearis. This insect was recorded 
by the late Miss Ormerod in 1892, and did not attract attention 
again until the last year or two ; but as it probably occurs 
much more frequently than is suspected, and as it is entirely 
unknown to most farmers, a fuller notice of it is given in the 
following pages. 
After a late spring followed an unusually wet summer, and 
this was marked by an unwonted number of complaints of 
caterpillar attack on fruit and foliage trees. A variety of other 
pests were reported, but it was particularly by catei’pillar 
plagues that the prolonged period of rainy weather was 
signalised, and it was noticeable that not only the familiar 
species, such as the winter moth, were more active than usual, 
but that many common caterpillars of the Tortrix or “ leaf- 
roller ” group, whose work is ordinarily unimportant, became 
on this occasion seriously destructive. 
Late in August a remarkably dry spell of weather set in, 
and during the autumn some pests which are generally asso- 
ciated with particularly dry seasons made a somewhat belated 
appeaiance. 
