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I I Coloured pages / Pages de couleur I I Pages damaged / Pages endommag6es D Pages restored and/or laminated / Pages restaur^es et/ou pellicul^es Pages discoloured, stained or foxed / Pages dteolortes, tachet^es ou piqu^es I I Pages detached / Pages d6tach6es I direction of the Hon. MARTIN BURRELL, Minister of Aflriculture, Ottawa. OTTAWA govern\;ent printing bureau 1915. .;•'•;-■ ,.v>- • 'l»VFt'A- "fk^-m^^^-sc^r-- ^j -(. .». ,v .'.'.rr -A.. ..>,;-•, "0 "^ 3 . V -1 '•;?. „ '- i i ,^ ^,JR W-. --.--■ i^j^^j^ «_, dV^j- ,^ • •'•-;■■ ■••:-^.jr - >♦•,-;• t; 11 I ' \ft -,(^i. I ,» ria". ■■•,;t>,'n>r. >iiri.t^' .1,* ,A- A. ■ .3^- V ■ i'.i ) Vk ,».- ;j-r»:- 'MirUft T , .? ,;; • W ■> .i -■•^*i-k -^ i'^»»^^;l*.' ^- s^;; s^.^ '.^fa^i^j DOMINION OF CANADA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ENTOMOLOGICAL BRANCH CANADA NATIONAL UIRARY BIBLIOTHCOUI NATIONAU GOVERNMENT PUKICATIONI COLLECTION DES PUBLICATIONS DU OOUVEWNIiHWT THE ARMY-WORM Cirphua (Leucania) unipuncta Huw. UY ARTHUR GIBSON Chief Aaaislant ErUomologisl. BULLETIN No. 9. Published by d ... of tha Hon. MARTIN BURRELL, Minister of Agriculture. Ottawa. OTTAWA GOVERNMENT PRINTING BUREAU 1915. 74385—1 NOTE. Fiirmrrs iind othrrH are invited to scikI spi-cimons ..f iiispotH which arc found causini? injuries to their crops. Such srccimciis shouhi he enclo.s.Ml with a supply of food planv or ^rass in a tin or wooden ho.. (n..t a paper hoxi which iniiv he mailed ' Free". u|) .<> 12 oune<- in weiKlit, if achlressed to the Doininion EntomoloRist. Department of Agriculture. Ottawa I. a 1 cases the specimens should hear th.- address of the sen(UT. ami should he i.ccompame.l hy a letter giving the crops which are being attacked and the extent ol the damage. (hi AW A, .litiiiiiirv 215, I'.M.'i. To flu- Hoiioiiraltli' The Miiiistrr nl' AKrii'iiltiiri', Ottawa. Silt, — i liavf til*' iHiiioiir to i^iilitnit tor voiir a|>|)roval l''.iitoiiMiloKi<'al Hullctiii No. it, on '•'riif .\rinv-\vorm, Cirplnis i l.i iininia) uiiiitinutn Waw.'. which has hccn prrpari'd hy Mr. Arthur (r'lr-'iii. Chief .\ssi>tiiiit l'!iitomuio({i.«tt, who has fliar(t<' of investigations on insects .itT itinn hehl crops. The onti)reak of the arniy-worin in lltU ii; Kastern Canaihi. any those whom it poncerni'd. Of all native insects I hit periodically incre.ise in luiinlicis suffi- ciently to fonstitiite an outltreak of econoinic importance, the army-worm is perhaps one of the most si);'ci.i iilar. I'ortnnately. it can lie readily controlled if ihe cimtrol measures are kiuiwii and immediately carried out. Ignorance of control measures, delay and lack of co-operation in their execution will alway.s moan very serious loss. The last serious outbreak of the army-worm in Can.iila occurred in ISIMi. The outhreuk of last year enabled us to demonstrate the value of nn <1( m control measures, by far the more efficient of which is the trench, wtieii corn ctly made. In this bulletin the habits and life-history of the insect and tl e control measures are fully described and illustrated, and v.e lioj)e that the distiibution of tl is practical information will enab!<- agrii ulturists to le fully inforim d on the subject when futun- outbn ;iks occur. While the htsses occasioned by the outbr«'ak were considerable, amountinjr in O-itario alone to over om'-quaiter million dollars, the prompt action of our ofTicers, .-specially our I'ield Officer, Mr. H. J". Hudson, and of the ofHcers and district representatives of the Ontario Department of .Agriculture, i)revented a m jch greater loss. I should like to take this opportunity of impressing upon .IP agriculturists who may be affected by future outbreaks the necessity of immediate action and of the greatest co-operation among neighbouri'ig farniors, a policy which is of the utmost a, tage in all efforts of this kind. I have the honour to be , Sir, Your obedient servant, C. fiOHDOX HKWITT, Dominion Entotudlogist. r4385— 2 CONTENTS. ft Hiiiiiiiiury K ItitriMliK'iion H Ihwriptiiin ^ Thf Km H Tho l.iirvii g Thi- I'lipii I) Th.- Moth .'...'.' l,if<'-iiixl"ry iinil lliit'il* ItriHHliiiK I'liKt* NiiiiiImt "f HhmmIh FittlinK HiiMtn IQ l*ii|ml ion _ II KixhI IMhiiIk Nuliiriit Kiii'ini' j^ ToikIh un.'AHY. Tf><' aniiy-woriii i« a Htnooth cutWDrin-likc catcrnillur lM>limKitiK ti» tin- family NiwiuUlu', the iiiotim of which ari' linuwn pupuhtrly an tii' "owit't mot hi*." When full grown it ix ahout one and on*>-half ini-h«>M h>nK, v tli t-onxpiruous Htri{M>s along thf ImmIv. On fitluT (ti«li' arc thrw xtripox which arc wix flourixh, that the female mothx chicHy depoxi* their cggx. A xingle fcniah- moth ix capable of laying ax many ax 700 cggx. When, owing to certain natural faetorx, xuch ux xuitable weather conditionx, ahxence of i)araxitcx. etc., the nrmy-wormx increaxc in enormoux numhr- the f«MMl 'n xuch breeding placex Itecomex exhauxteil, and it ix then that ti. • caterpillar axxumex the nuirching habit owing to which it wax given the popular name of the "army-worm." When xuch outbnakx oicur, ax wax the caxe in 1914, the wormx migrate to cultivatesx xhould refer to the province of Ontario, the balance of $50,000 being losses occasioned in the provinces of Quebec, New Brunxv ick, and Nova Scotia. Among the methods of control, the digging of trenches at least ten ; ?»x .>ii inaxh used for cutworms was also found useful in some locality Hprayii j (he edges of crops towards which the worms are approaching vHli a strong Paris green or arsenate of lead solution, may be used to gor in^^tancc the tent-caterpillars are often spoken ., t„ -.ortnin niirts of British Columbia, notal)ly m the nortiiern sttiion Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. •M F„, ,.__Te„-arro f, W of corn, near Kinl.urn, Ont., showing de.truetivo work of ar,ny-w«rm. (Original). \s to the first armv-worm vear, 1743 has been recognized by entomologists as dark-coloured grubs half an mch long. He further siate.^ i y the grass in their way m -ny nu-acbw hey g^^^^^^^^ the following is "»'-"racf : News c^i^^^^^ the Journal of the « '""'Thlr^th Falmouth Sle? and rLrs to the outbreak of worms in fhTsari'Te^r" ''June'2T 1743. There are millions of worms, m armies, The Lake Ontario in Canada. London: printed in 1751. appearing and thrrntoninR to cut off every green thing; people are exeeedingly alarmed." In the United States, in eertain years, the army-worm has destroyed crojjs to the value of many thousands of dollars. In I8t>l, in Massaehusetts, the damage caused by the eaterpillars was estimated at .S")0(),()00. and in 1«81. the oat crop of Indiana and Illinois was destroyed to the extent of iST.'UJ.OOO. Serious outWreaks have also occurred in Canada from time to time, notably in 1861, 1875, 1881, and 18%. P>om a study of the records of injury caused l»y the army-worm in Canada, it would appear that in no year has more injury been caused and such widesjiread infestation observed than in the year 1914. Farmers in the eastern i)rovinces, particularly in the southern portion of Ontario will long remember the devastating hordes of the army-worm which attacked their fields of oats, corn, barley, etc., in the latter half of July and during August. In many districts in Eastern Canada, the infestation was light, and in such places, apparently, little damage was done. Fortunately, too, the cateri)illars appeared at a time when many fields of grain, such as oats and barley, were approaching maturity, owing largely to thedry season which forced the growth. The army-worm naturally feeds on succulent plants such as rank-growing grasses, and conseciuently the leaves of grain crops, when these become hard and dry owing to maturity are by no means relished. The worst previous outbreak in Canada of which we have definite knowledge was in 1896, but in that year the injury was largely confined to the province of Ontario. During 1914, however, not only was the army-worm present in Ontario throughout the whole province, but widesj)read and serious infestations also occurred in the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. No evidence was at hand which would indicate that this widesi)read infesta- tion would occur. Reports of the presence of the worms were not received until they were found by the farmers in their fields of oats, corn, etc., when assistance was immediately solicited from the department in th«' matter of control measures. The onlv recent record which we had was one which referred to an outbreak in Manitoba in 1913. This occurred near Treesbank, Man., where in August the army-worms were in great abundance, particularly in a large fiehl of oats, which had been practically stripped of all leaves. Mr. Norman ("riddle, in charge of the Entomological Field Station at Treesbank, estimated that the average damage where the worms occurred was about 20 per cent, and the greatest damage 50 per cent. In almost every instance where invasions of this insect have occurred in Canada, the injury has been done by the brood of caterpillars which appeared in .July and the beginning of August. Fortunately, the army-worm is seldom abundant in enormous numbers in the same locality for two years in succession. After an cnitbreak, many parasitic insects, as well as parasitic diseases attack t\w caterpillars and bring their numbers again down to normal. Although it is not altogether thoroughly understood how such insects increase in numbers so suddenly, it would appear that dry weather is favourable to their development. This was instanced in one of the more recent of the serious outbreaks of this insect which we have had in Canada. In Ontario, the season of 1895 was dry and this was followed by a mild winter and another dry summer in 1896. In this latter year the army-worm was present in very large numlM-rs. i)articularly all through the western part of the province, and devastated fields of oats, timothy, wheat, rye, barley, and corn. In the following year (1897) not a single report of the presence of the insect was received. tMf»)is»i-'Xau».u.i DESCRIPTION. Like other kinds of moths, there are four stages in the life-hi tory of the army-worm. The Egg.— Th\>^ is gh)bular, or round, in shape, smootii, white or pale yellowish; about 5 mm. in diameter (one twenty-fifth of an inch). The Lrtrca.— When hatched the young caterpillar is whitish in colour with indistinct tubercles from each of which is a pale hair. As it increases m size, it passes through several moults, the colour soon after feeding btcommg greenish, and later brownish or blackish; longitudinal stripes appear and, in the case (^ Fig 2. I' Fig 3. FiK. 2 — EnKs of tho army-worm motti, rnituml sizr iind muih .nliirKol. ( RcMlrawn iiftrr Rili-y 1- KiK. 3.— Matun- army-worms, cnhiriEcl oiK-quart.'r: .1, showing nmspicious l.amlson si 1.-, fc, s'lowini? stripis on bark. (Oiininal). of the mid-summer brood, in about a month from the time of hatching, it is full grown and readv to enter the ground for pupation. At this time it is about an inch and a half long, smooth, the back being of a greenish-brown or blackish colour with three pale yellowish or whitish stripes above, one down the mitldle and the others on either side of the back. The central of these stripes is edgec on both sides with black, and the two others bordered above with a narrow band of the same colour. On each side of the body are three conspicuous wide bands, the median one being blackish and the upper and lower ones of a ye lowish colour, more or less flushed with red. Touching the upper edge of the blackish band is a white stripe. The under surface of the body is dull greenish, with dark brownish or blackish streaks and spots. The head is brown, with two distinct, curved, blackish bars down the centre of the face. The sides bear a network of brown. In width, it is slightly less than one-eighth of an inch. The front six legs are light brown in colour, the posterior five pairs of legs being of the same colour as the underside of the body. Each of tl-.e four anterior pairs bear on the outside a large, shiny, blackish spot. The caterpillars vary considerably in general colour and intensity of the markings, some specimens being much paler than others. The Pitpa.— Reddish-brown in colour, from about 15 to 19 mm. in length (three-fifths to four-fifths of an inch), 5 to 6 mm. in width (one-fifth of an inch) at widest part. At the pointed end, are two stiff blackish spines curled at the tips, and close by four additional shorter spines also curled at the tips, but these .ire slender and not nearly so conspicuous. The Moth.— Th\>i is iibout from :in inch and a half to rather more than an inch and three-quarters in width when tiie wings are spread. Tiic fore-wings are of a reddish-gray, or fawn colour, speckled with black. About the centre of each wing there 'is a distinct white spot. The round and kidney-shaped spots are indistinct in some specimens, but appear as two yellowish-red patches. .\ row of small black spots near the outer margins of the wings and a dark streak from each apex to these spots completes the imjiortant markings. The lind wings are mostly brown, darker at the outer margins antl whitish towards the ba.se, the veins being blackish. The thorax is of the same colour as the fore-wings and the abdomen is similar to the hind wings. When the moth is at rest the fore-wings are foUled back over the hind wuigs. II Fio. 4.- a, Kartlicn coi'imjii, in wliiih army-worin rlmn'ios Id pupu; h, pupa', ventral anil lateral aspi'ets natural »ize. (Ori/inall. Fi«. 5.— Moths of army-worm, natural si»u: a, with win 12 On the marsh lands along the St. John river in New Brunswick, the favorite foo-parts of the living worms. During the 1914 outbreak of the army-worm the presence of these eggs on the caterpillars was readily observed, large numbers of the flies being present throughout the infested areas. In some fields it was estimated that from W) to 70 per cent of the larvtB bore eggs. The nund)er of eggs deposited on a single worm ..nged, on the average, from two to five. A very much larger number of eggs are sometimes depositetl on one caterpillar; in fact, as many as fifty are stated to have been found on a single larva. Many of the eggs, however, are laid on the caterpillars about the time they are moulting, ami the old skins bearing the eggs are cast off. All of the young tachinid fly maggots, therefore, do not reach the body of the army-worm. The young maggots which succeed in hatching on the caterpillars immediately enter the hotly, feeding entirely within and gradually kill the host. Very often one army-worm will be sufficient food for several of these fly maggots. Professor L. C-aesar, Provincial Ento- mologist for the province of Ontario, informed me that during the recent ^ Fig. 7.— o, Army-worm Ix-urinn (l Tachina fly, H inlhrmtu guadri)iui>lulata Fab. — Imtli rnlarRcd uno-third. (Oriicinal). outbreak he reared four of these tachinid flies from a single army-worm upon which six eggs had been deposited. From another worm which bore tliirty-<'ight eggs, ten mature larvse ready to pupate were obtained. Caterpillars bearing the eggs were kept under ol)servation by Mr. H. F. Hudson at the Dominion Ento- mological Laboratory at Strathroy, Ont., and in no ca:..s did he succeed in obtaining more than one tachinid fly per host, although several of the cater- pillars had as manv as five eggs deposited upon them. At this laboratory the flies emerged from \ugust 20 to August 26. In our breeding cages at Ottawa, from army-worms collected at Carp, Ont., the first specimen of the Red-tailed Tachina fly emerfr i on August 19, and other specimens issued on August 21, 23, 24, 26, 28, and one specimen on October 13. The maggot of this latter changed to puparium on September 24, the stage, therefore, lasting in this-- instance nineteen days. At the Dominion Entomological Laboratory at Vine- land, Ont., Mr. W. A. Ross, Field Officer in charge, reared the adult flies on the dates August 10 to AuKust 1.5, At Ottawa we also reared this tachinid from larvse received from Mahone Bay, N.S., the date of issue being Augu.st 25. Prof. Brittain also reared the species from Nova Scotia army-worms, the date of issue being October 8. 74385— 3J 14 Phryxe (Extrrinta) vulgaris Full. — This Hpefies linH boon reared from larv» collected in Nova Hcotia and New Brunnwick. At Smith's Cove, N.S., 2 per cent of larviE collected by Mr. (J. E. Sanders, Field Officer of the Branch, were narasitized, the adults issuing during September. Adults were also collected in fields where the army-worm was present, n«'ar Digby, N.S., by Mr. C. A. Cloml, of the Provinciaf Department of Agriculture. The writer also collected the species in an infested army-worm fieUl at Smith's Cove, N.S., August 15. In New Brunswick, flies were reared by Mr. R. P. (Jorham, the Provincial Assistant Horticulturist, from army-worms collected in King's county, speci- mens emerging (m September 11, 17, and October 1. Phorocera (Euphorocera) dnripennin Macq. — ^This species was reare«l at the Ontario Agricultural College, (iuelph, by Mr. A. W. Baker. It is a well-known enemy of caterpillars. Coquillet, in his compiled list of tachinid flies and their hosts,' gives 26 hosts, ncme of which, however, refer to the army-worm. Wagneria (I'horichata) sequax VVill. — Also reared at (Iuelph, Ont., by Mr. A. W. Baker. This species is also known to attack other caterpillars. It has been reared in Michigan from the Black Army-worm, Nocluafennica Tausch. BRACONID.G. Among the braconid four-winged flics are some important species which attack the army-worm, and which were present in Eastern Canada in 1914. These flies, owing to their small size, are inconspicuous, but they are extremely useful parasites. Their larvce live within the bodies of the army-worms, and when mature they leave the cutorpillars and spin loos.-, white, or yellowish, egg-shaped cocoons. "These cocoon:*, when noticed by farmers, are oft« n mistaken for the eggs of insects. Apantelea militaris Walsh. — The most abumlant sjiecies which occurred during the recent outbreak of the army-worm was the one known as Apanteles 7nilitaris, which makes a loose, white cocoon, many of which were seen massetl together. This species was reared in our breeding cages, and Mr. A. W. Baker, of the Ontario Agricultural College, informs me that the cocoons were commonly noticed in all counties of Ontario which he visited. Mr. H. F. Hudson, Field Officer of the Branch, reported that the cocoons were fairly abundant cm July 19. This species has long been known as an enemy of the army-worm. Apanteles sp. — In Nova Scotia, Mr. G. E. Sanders, Field Officer of the Branch, reared an Apanteles which makes a loose, very pale yellowish cocoon. Army-worms collected at Smith's Cove, N.S., were parasitized to the extent of 2 per cent. Specimens of the adults submitted to the Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D.C., were returned unnamed. At our Entomological Laboratory at Bridgetown, N.S., specimens of the adults emerged from the cocoons on September 22. Apanteles limenitidis Riley. — Although wc did not actually rear any of these parasites from the army-worm in 1914, clusters of the conspicuous yellowish cocoons occurred in fields near Fitzroy Harbour, Ont., not very far from which locality reports of the presence of army-worms were received. On one farm our correspondent reported that the ground was thickly covered with the cocoons. From material forwarded to the Branch, adults emerged on November 3, some of which have been determined by Mr. A. B. Gahan, of the U. S. Bureau of Entcnology, as Apanteles limenitidis. The form flaviconche Riley is supposed to be parasitic on the army-worm. Meteoris communis Cr. — Mr. A. W. Baker, of the Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, informs us that he reared this parasite from the army-worm in 1914. He states that it was not very common. ' Bull. Tech. Scries N'o. 7, Div. of Ent., U.S. Dcpt. AKriiulturp. 15 ICHNEUMONIDiC. Soveral Hpccies of ichneunionicl flies which arc much larger than the braconid flicM are alwo important parasitPH of the army-worm. Tiie female ichneunion fly, with itH long ovipositor, punctures the skin of the caterpillars and lays its eggs within. The young maggots from these eggs soon hatch antl at once begin to feed upon antl live inside of the army-worm. The caterpillar, however, is able to complete its growth, the parasites emerging from the pupa*. The following ichneumons were reared in 1914: — Paniaeun geminatua Say. — At the Ontario .\gricultural College this ichneu- monid parasite was bred from material collected at Guelph. Mr. A. W. Baker states that it was very ccmimon in that Uicality. This species attacks also other smooth noctuid caterpillars. At the Entomological Laboratory at Tr('e!*l)ank, Man., Mr. Norman Criddle, Field Officer in charge, reared the parasite from the Red-backed Cutworm, Euxoa ochroyanter, tlie date of emergence being .July 21, 1914. I'unplifleo pedal'iH (Cress). — Prof. W. H. Brittain, I'rovincial Entomologist for Nova Scotia, informs us tliat this species was reared in his department from the army-worm collected in Nova Scotia in 1914. It attacks a nund)er of (liff»'rent kin, Irhmumon eanadrniiin C'r. — both cnlarucil (ini'-tliinl. (OriKinal). Ichneumon laetus Br. — This parasite was reared in numbers at the Entomo- logical Field Laboratory, Bridj;etown, N.S. Two hundred pupa; of the army- worm collected at Clranville Ferry, N.S., on Septembers by Mr. G. E. Sanders, Field Officer of the Branch, were j)arasitized to the extt nt of 10 per cent, by the species. Prof. Brittain also reports the rearing of it from Nova Scotia pupse. Mr. H. G. Payne, of the Provincial Department of Agriculture, forwarded to me specimens of this ichneumon fly, which he noted on October 4 to be very abundant at Granville Ferry, N.S., in fields which were infested by the army- worm in August. In New Brunswick this parasite also occurred, specimens beinfe forwarded to the Branch V)y Mr. R. P. Gorham, of the Provincial Department of Agriculture. Ichneumon jucundus Br. — Mr. A. W. Baker informs us that this species was reared in numbers in the Entomological Department at the Ontario Agricultural College. He reports that it was common in the Guelph district. Ichneumon Icucania: Fiteli. — It is surprising that no specimens of this well-known ichneumonid parasite of the army-worm were reared in our labora- tories in 1914. In the previous outbreak in 1896 this species was present in the province of Ontario. 16 pRKDA«'EorH InhKI'TM. AnumR thi' prt'iluccouM inM«'ctK which prry upon the urniy-worin, tho Xrtiuntl IxM'tli'H of thi' gcnuK CaloKoma nrr of much importance. ThcMc bcrtlm iiunt out the wornm ami eagerly devour them. The Common Fiery Hunter (('(tloHoma cnlidum Fal).) wan ahumlant in 1914, ami wan fn-ciuently ween in the furroWH or powt holes where such control mennure was adopted. In w«>Ktern Ontario the cliwely allied «|)ecie» known as the Searcher (I'tiloMoma Hcruttilor Fah.) wan aln(» commonly ohnerved to he eatinn .; b, Larw Harpuluii, H. calii/iniiKUM Knii.— lM>lh natural niie. (Orininal). DiHKAHKH. Bacterial Disease. — In Ontario in 1914 large numbers of the army-worm were destroyed by a bacterial disease. Mr. H. F. Hudson, Field Oflftcer of the Branch, reported that the disease was very apparent at the time the caterpillars were approaching full growth. Diseased worms were particularly observed at Burford, Brant county, and at Princeton, Oxford county, Ontario. In one experiment, 100 apparently healthy specimens were collected by Mr. Hudson, 'iaken to the laboratory and confined in two breeding cages, with abundance of food. Two days later all but two were dead from the disease. Fungous Disease. — A parasitic fungus of the genus Empusa is known to attack the army-worm, but we have recieveil no reports of the presence of any fungus durinjj the 1914 outbreak. In th > Oitawa district, cutworms of several kinds were attucketl by a fungus of thi ,.enus Sorosporella. Vere!«<;ate Animals. Birds. — The wild birds are an important aid in outbreaks of noctuid caterpillars, and in 1914 large numbers of army-worms were devoured by them. Blackbirds were frequently noticed feeding upon the caterpillars in Ontario, and also in New Brunswick, as were also crows. During a local outbreak of the army-worm near Treesbank, Man., in 1913, Mr. Norman Critldle, Field Officer of the Branch, observed, in August, thousands of crows feeding upon the larva?. They were Mso seen to dig out and «'at the pupa? A large flock of probablj' three th< d birds visited the infested locality every day from the time Mr. C'riddle ' loticed the worms until at least two weeks after the larva; had pupated. I stern Ontario, the English sparrow was reported to have fed freely upon th rms during the past .season, and in Nova Scotia the writer saw the Vesjx i -parrow devouring t' 'iterpillars. Other wild birds which previously have been seen to feed upo. army-worm are the Bobolink, Robin, Meadow-lark, Bluebird, Kingbird, Blu ay. Flicker, Cat-bird, Phoebe, Cow- bird, Baltimore Oriole, Chipping sparrow, Chicadee, and Quail. The Sharp- tailed Grouse, common in Manitoba, feeds on smooth caterpillars, and doubtle.sa 17 would (lf>v miiiiiv Htat«>iiii>iit uiuloul>t<-(lly IioIr hinlK thun tfi«> al>ov«> m«>iition(>ir foud in tin- oprii. Tho vului' of nrott'ctiiiK our nutiv«' iiij*('HivorouH binix will thuH Uv ri-mli!;- »«■«■», und fnrmi'rH, inh-m-rH, i>tr., should do all thi-y j)o«Hil)ly ran to prntirt tln-in from iM'inu nhot and th«'ir nvnU from Iw-inn toMmmI DomeMtic Piiitltri/. -In many diMtiiftM when* II army-worm was |m>H<-nt in 1014, domestic poultry were noticctl to feed freely upon the caterpillars. From Kssex county, Ontario, reports wi-re receivi'il of the value of ducks and turkeys in consuming lar|{e nundn'rs. One farmer in Wentworth county, Ontario, turned his geese and ducks into infested fields, and these lived on the worms for nearly three weeks. At Hear Hiver, N.S., on .\uKUst 11, I saw a jtortion of a l)arley fiel«l near a dwellinR-house into which hens ha -worms. In the \H\H\ outbreak of the army- worm in Pennsylvania, many farmers testified to the value of skunks in r trench, and on thia <;ccaMlon it waa amply demonstrated that no matter how biR the armieti of worm* appmailiini migl.t l|e, that they could be controlled by trenchen correctly made. Another intercstmR record is the fact that on Sunday afternoon, July 2«, fifty men Pw. to— Showing ■rmy-worm* eMaplns up the nMv of a rurrow. The diteh ahould tiave been deeper anil the aide triniiiicM>n«l hrnn mniih hud cxcHlrnt ■uemm. My regular men who were m the flehi report tliat they never found Z^l Z^i.y controllejl » the .my-worm wa. when it w«h miRrn .ni from one field t4> another In the eveninff a .trip of the poinoned l.rnn innHh wa. »pwn along the edge of the field into which they were nutating. l)n"err«l occaalona the poisoned bran maiih wa« town during the day nimply becauHe the Tv tkT"? "^ ?."'*/*" 7*!^" were moving during the main part of the day. Ihw wenpecially true during one day when there wait a Blight rain. In I I Via. il.— Maklns a tmieh In wMtern OnUrlo, showing thiw necMMry euentklx lum-U- nl™,„i,i« dccpenmB«,d .rimmin, the furrow with .Me. and diggii^^oir^'&'by" ) *M^^"!!'''^' many cases the army-worms wvie already in the corn fields, but even lure t)ne application of the poisoned bran mash was sufficient. The bran maxh ,■ w ^l?!,S "''tI! ^^'"'^''^}: «5"n« of it falling on the corn anri the balance on che f\Th'A \A T°""A.*^*,* T^^^ ^5®*^'"? °" *^« «"™ ""wied to the bran mash that had lodged on the blades and ate it in preference to the corn " The bran was broadcasted thinly in such a manner as to spread 20 pounds over 3 acres. The mixture is made as follows:— g"""" 20 pounds. Paria green ^ pound. Molasses 2 quarts. Oranges or kmons 3 Water 3j gallons. In preparing the bran mash, mix the bran and Paris green thoroughly in a ^ u"^J^^''^ '^^■- ^'l"^''* *^^ J"*'^^ °f ^^^ oranges or lemons into the water and chop the remaimng pulp and the peel to fine bits and add them to the water 1 J1S.S0IVC the molasses m the water and wet the bran and poison with the mixture' stirnng at the same time so as to dampen the mash thoroughly. In our exneri- ments with this mixture near Ottawa for the control of grasshoppers, the farmers prepared the mixture on the cement floor of a stable or other outhouse, stirring It thoroughly by means ot an ordinary field hoe. 20 ^ The results obtained with the mixture in Kansas are certainly very remark- iihle, and we have no hesitation whatever in recommending this new remedy for the army-vorm wh<-never the insect should again appear in destructive numbers in ('anada. It will also undoubtedly prove equally useful in the control of ordinary cutworms. The mixture should be broadcasted early in the evening so that it will retain the moisture and be in the most attractive condition when the worms feed at night. Spraying. — At some places in 1914 spraying with Paris green or arsenate of lead was used to good advantage. This, of course, should be done ahead of the line of march of the worms, and is only satisfactory where the foliage is dense and an area of four or five rods wide is sprayed. In the Ontario outbreak the spraying of roadsides was found to be useless owing to the fact that the plant growth was not dense enough to hold sufficient poison to stop tl^e advancing army of worms. Where it appeared impossible to plough a trench, spraying with a strong Paris green solution, 4 pounds to 100 gallons of water (in which 4 pounds of soap hat! been dissolved), or 6 pounds of arsenate of lead to 100 gallons of water, was recommended, and this recommendation was included in a proclamation issued by the Municipal Council of the township of Burford. Wherever such spraying is done, it is important that live stock, including poultry, be kept away. It is a wise precaution also to gather up the remaining portion of the sprayed crop and destroy the same by burning. In the 1896 outbreak in Ontario the late Prof. J. H. Panton records' that in one instance where windrows of green oats hat! been sprayed with Paris green (1 pound to 75 gallons of water) and placed in the line of march, myriads of the worms were destroyed nearby farms where the army-worm was doing considerable damage. His report on the investigation is as follows: — "The first stopping place was the farm of Mr. Derby, where the worms were cros.sing the road in thousands, heading for a corn field. He had already ploughed a furrow, which was partly keeping them in check, but this was not deep enough and much too short. With the assistance of four neighbours, a suitable trench 10 inches deep and a quarter of a mile long liad been dug by evening, by which time several bushels of worms had been caught. The worms had left their old feeding ground, a pasture of about 2.5 acres, practically bare. Continuing in a westerly direction, worms were observed in huge numbers oii both sides of the road. I stopped at every farm in passing, urging upon tin- fanners the absolute necessity of prompt action and united effort. Cathcart was reached in the evening, and here I found the greatest injury, viz., on the farm of Mr. C.-hant. Two hundreil acres of flats, which were used for pasture, had l)een entirely stripped, a 10-aere field of corn was as bare as a suninxT fallow, and the oat fields were partly injured. To prevent furtl er destruction of the oat crop, a swath was cut through the oat fields ahead of the worms; a proper trench was dug and post-holes 2 feet deej) placed lo feet apart in the trench. In a very short time tiie trench was simply a wriggling mass of worms, and sonu- of the post-holes were half filled with th(> eat«'rpillars. \'isiting tl;e same field two days later, nearly all of the post-holes were filled with worms. \ conser- vative estimate of the worms thus trapped would be between ten and twelve bushels. "Realizing the extent of country over which the armv-worm was present, a meeting of fanners was called at Harley, on the afternoon of July 1.5 by tie reeve, Mr. Milmine. As a result a i)roclamation was issued, duly i)rinted and distributed. This urged upon all farmers the seriousness of the outbreak and the general methods of control. The meeting resulted in nmch good. As a result, farmers were more willing lo help one another, and those who had not 22 looked carefully at their crops were surprised to find the army-worm present. On the following morning, Mr. A. W. Baker, of the Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, accompanied me to Princeton, where we were pleased to find tw€'niy-five men and six teams busy at work. It was gratifying to find such excellent co-operation. When wc arrived there a trench, one-quarter of a mile long had been dug, and before noon over a mile of trench had been completed. In this particular spot no injury except to the pasture and hay crop had been done, 80 that by ploughing an efficient trench all round the pasture ami hay fields, no grain or other crops were injured. Fio. 12.— Digging trench at Burford, Ont. This shows tlio spirit of co-opor.»tion whioli was so apparent among the farmers. (Oriirinal). "Continuing in a northerly direction we found the worms had been doing serious injury on the 2nd and 4th concessions of Blenheim township, Oxford county, antl after advising the farmers as to control measures, we proceeded in an easterly ilirection to Falkland. Here we found a great deal of low-lying pasture land, an ideal feeding and breeding ground for the army-worm, and they had certainly cleaned the pasture up. In the evening Messrs. Green and Sutton, the Ontario Agricultural Representatives of Oxford county, and also Mr. Schuyler, the Ontario Agricultural Representative of Brant county, came to Burford, and the question of the best methods of control and division of the work was taken up. I made my headquarters at Burford until Sunday morning, July 19, in the meantime visiting Belmont, New Durham, Northfield, Harley, Falkland, and Cathcart. Realizing the situation was well in hand, and rendering all assistance possible, I motored to Brantford Sunday afternoon, where 1 found tliat there was a bad infestation at Cainesville, and also at the Mohawk Institute, on the outskirts of Brantford. The outbreak at Cainesville was partly checked bv an armv of men and boys, working all day Sunday. Early Monday mornmg r visited the Mohawk Institute, where I looked over the situation with Mr. Spence, the farm manager. Cutting a swath ahead of the worms in the oat fields and ploughing a trench, and also protecting the corn by trenches, saved the 23 hulk of the crops. As the outbroak was hpcoming more extensive ami more serious, a special meeting of the County Council was called at the city hall in Brantford to discuss the situation, and the most effir='nt methods of control. I addressed the council, laying particular stress upon prompt action and co-opera- tion, while Mr. Schuyler pointed out the serious lack of help to cope with the present invasion. After a short discussion, led by Mr. Fisher, M.P., it was unanimously resolved that the council expend a sum not exceeding five hundred dollars, the said sum to be used in securing help where such was necessary. "On Monday evening, I left for Hamilton to assist Mr. Vining, the Agricultural Representative for Wentworth county. Several small outbreaks had been recorded, but nothing of a serious nature. In response to several calls, Mr. Vining and I went to Jerseyville and Ancaster on Tuesday. The outbreak at Jerseyville was purely local, and did not call for any rcircdial measures. Fig. 13.— Showing arniy-worms raunlit in trcnrli iinil in post-holes, near Cathrart, Ont. > : -i nile indicates numbers ot worms in trenehes. (Orininal). On Wednesday morning I went to Greenville, in Wentworth county. Here the worms were well scattered through a 12-acre field of oats, the leaves had been eaten off and part of the grain also. The only recommendation that seemed possible in this case was the cutting of the crop for feed. Ak the outbreak did not seem to be gaining in extent or seriousness in Oxford county, and learning of its appearance in Middlesex county, I journeyed to London. The first outbreak recorded was that at Appin in a 5-acre barley field. Little injury had occurred, and the barlev was so ripe it was being cut. On reaching London I found .lat several calls had been received at the office of the Ontario Department of Agriculture. In conjunction with Mr. J. B. Whale and his .assistant, Mr. Noble, we motored to East Nissouri, where we found a low-lying piece of pasture a living mass of worms. Six men and a team were busy preparing a trench, and with a little extra help which was readily obtained, it was possible to keep tl.eni to their original quarters. In Uordiesier tuwusliip several bad outbreaks had occurred, necessitating the cutting of oat fields before the grain was ripe in some 24 cases, in others a trench around the corn field was all that was necessary. The situation being well in hand, I left future calls for Mr. Whale, the Agricultural Representative, to deal with. "Th«- outbreak of the army-worm occurre:• re I'iyiiipton Sumiii ELGIN COUNTY. AldborouRh Bayhain DorehcHtcr South Dunwich Maiuhide Sout hwold Yarmouth MIDDLESEX COUNTY. Hlddulph Canidoo Delaware Dorchester Kkfrid London Mosa N'i.ssouri West Westminster HURON COUNTY. BHUCE COUNTY. OREY COUNTY. Amalx'l Derby .•MlH-rmarle Kuremont Arran (ilenelic Brant KepiM'l Carrick Proton Culross Sullivan Kastnor Sydenham Elderslie (ireenork Htiron Saugeen DUPFERIN COUNT .\niaranth East (Jarafraxa PERTH COUNTY. Melanrthon Blanshard Drillia Sunnidale Charlotteville Teeumseh Mid'Ueton Tiny Townsend Vespra Walshingham Windham Woodhouse PEEL COUNTY. Chinguapousy Toronto OXFORD COUNTY. Toronto Gore Blandford Blenheim Dereham Nissouri Eiist Norwich North ()xforo Hniith AdolphuHtown EnioHttown FerderiekHburn North FrederiokHburn South Kalailar Hii'hniond i Ml'MKUKA IIWTRK-T. \«'EL1,AN'I) COINTY. Bertie Hunil)er»tone Stanford Thorold Wainfleet Chaffey DratM-r Marauhiy Monok Sti»teISSIN(i niSTRKT. Chisholm Glackineyer Kamarohe Mai*)r.ville I'ai)incau Springer AI.{iven us the foUowinn statement: - L-e were investigated hy Mr. ^Kriculture, Fredericton, .„ counties were infested: and St. .John. Mr. (iorham has kindly I 11. «■ ill iii^> -»»<>■ m III iiiis |llll\llll-|- ««•!«■ iim-niinimii ii\ -••1. (iorham, .\ssistant Horticulturist. Department of ARriculture, Fredericton, ' ' ■ ' ' The followiuK counties were infested: ...1 ^* I..1... \r. iiiff!«tnl. On AuKUst 10 tin inffstation wax foiinil on tl.c low marsh lands alonii tic St. John river in Kinns county, and an assistant was sent to niak<> an fxainination of all the wild meadows and marsh lands idouK the rivi^r fnmi Krederieton to St. John, lie fouml no trace of the army-worms until reaching I'pper Musciuash island, -Mi mih'sl)eh)w Fn'dericton, in (Queens county. On the central and lowest part of this island he found a strip of somethinn over 10 acres in extent that was entirely eaten over by the caterpillars. This was on the lowest ({rounil, havinj? an elevation of not more than 'A feet ahove water level. The higher hanks on the sides of the island were not affected. "On Lower Mus(iuash island, a few miles south, I.e found .-i small amount of (jrass on th<' low ttri'imd. and evidences of slight damane over nearly the whole of tie i; land. Xo caierpillars were found. Fhj. !•).— Dilrli mar Sussex, N H.. iluK by tracliim diti'licr. (Orininull. "On the next two islands, Lcmn island and Sjxion island, no trace of army- worms were found. These islands are considerably hiKl.er than the others, probably 12 feet above water level. "On Pig island. Kings county, he found a quite general infestation over the whole of the small island of about 40 acres. About l rakf thfin up ininu'diati-ly. The result wan. of courw, that the caterpilhirH at onee ate off the I.eiitU and h>aye», praciieally deMtroyinn the whole crop. Tliey tlien tur»e«l into a nearliy meadow and deHtri>yed a Minall area of uranx land and a (tmali pateh of corn i)efore changing to the pupal state. Near Loeii Lcmiimd, in St. John county. Mr. H. (i. Murray reported tiiat in a Heven-acre field of oatu it wan «lifficuit to find a phint which iuid not been defoliated. ThouHandw of ntalki* standing '.i and 4 feci high were ntripped bare of leaves and grain. Although too late, poiKoned bran was distributed and innumerable numbers of the worms killed. , «. ,. Mr. \V. Mcintosh, ("urator of the Natural History Society of New Bruns- wick, St. John, N.B., who investigated outbreaks of the i!rniy-w«)rni in New Brunswick, rep«)rts as follows: - "Army-worms were first nuticed to be unusually jileiitiful fiim the niuldlc of July onwartl. Tlie first complaint re«'eived was from Mr. J. 1). McKenna, Sussex. July «). The worms were reported from or found on eleven farms in the Nerepi« valley, considerable loss being caused on the Lyons farm. There were eighteen reeonls between St. John anil VVestfield Beach, the most s«'rious damage being done to oats (m the (Juinton farm ami on the farm of the Provin«'ial Hospital, Lancaster. East of St. John city the greatest damage wu.t done on the farm of R. (1. Murrav, Loch Lomond road, and in the Re