58 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



February 12, 1916. 



INSECT NOTES. 



GRASSHOPPER CONTROL. 



An account is given in Bullptin 293 of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture, of the grasshopper outbreak 

 in New Mexico during the Summer of 1913. The section of 

 this Bulletin dealing with artificial remedies is reproduced 

 below, as being likely to be of interest to West Indian 

 planters during the next few months, when the grasshoppers 

 may be expected to be numerous and injurious to cane and 

 other cultivated crops. 



The poison bran bait in which fruit juices are used has 

 been mentioned in previous numbers of the Ai/ricultitral 

 A'ev's. The directions for preparing and using the ('riddle 

 mixture were also given in the columns of this Journal, but as 

 this was some time ago, they also are reproduced below. 



ARTIFICIAL REMEDIES. 



'The most eflFeciive artificial means of exterminating the 

 grasshoppers of this species was found in the use of the 

 poisoned bran mash. This was made as follows: Thoroughly 

 mix together in the dry state 2.5 Bj. of wheat bran and 



1 ft), of Paris green. Into a separate recei)tacle containing 



2 quarts of a cheap molasses or syrup add the juices and 

 finely ground skin and pulp of three oranges or lemons. 

 Dilute the molasses mixture in 2 gallons of water and add 

 to the poisoned bran mixture. Thoroughly mix the two 

 together, adding enough more water, if necessary, to bring 

 all to a stift' dough. This amount of poisoned bait will 

 treat from 5 to 10 acres. 



'The bait should be .sown broadcast early in tlie morn- 

 ing before sunrise, in strips 1 rod apart, over the area to be 

 treated. The most satisfactory method of distributing the 

 bait is to sow it from the rear end of a buggy. 



'In using the poisoned bait as above, with lemons as 

 the fruit emploj'ed, tremendous numbers of the gra.s.shoppers 

 were exterminated. As many as 7-5 dead grasshoppers per 

 square foot were frequently found, several days after the 

 application, over large areas. The grasshoppers usually die 

 from 6 to SO hours after taking the poisoned bait into the 

 .system. 



'Coarse-flaked brans should lie used in preference to the 

 fine-Haked varieties. Only those brands of Paris green 

 which are guaranteed to contain not less than 5-5 per cent, 

 of arsenic should be employed. Ar.?enate of lead should 

 not be used in any form. There have existed some ditt'er- 

 ences of opinion as to whether oranges or lemons make the 

 bait more etiective. As 7-5 per cent, of the efficiency of the 

 bait is attributed to the use of these citrus fruits, this point 

 is naturally a very important one. The writer, in extensive 

 experiments with different species of grasshoppers, has yet 

 to note any material advantage or marked ditierence of 

 efficiency in favour of either oranges or lemons. 



'The ('riddle mixture, as commonly employed in grass- 

 hopper extermination, was not experimented with during the 

 present investigation for lack of availnblc material. But as 

 nymphs nf this species are voracious feeilers on hor.se drop- 

 pings and dried 'cow chips,' there seems little question but 

 what this bait could be etfectively used if the ingredients 

 were readily available.' 



THE CKllHlLE MIXTUUE.* 



'What has come to be known as the "Criddle mixture" is 

 giving most satisfactory results in dealing with grasshoppers 

 on the ranches of both the United State.s and Canada. The 

 mixture is compo.sed of half a barrel of fresh horse droppings 



■*See Ayricidlund Neirs, Vol. VTI, p. 202. 



in which is mixed a pound each of salt and Paris green. If 

 the horse droppings are not fresh the salt is dis.solved in 

 water and mixed with the manure and poison. When this 

 mixture is scattered freely about where the grasshoppers are 

 abundant, they seem to be attracted to it, for they devour it 

 readily and are poisoned thereby. Dr. James Fletcher, 

 Entomologist for the Dominion of Canada, cites an instance 

 where this mixture had been scattered freely around the 

 edges of a field, and states that this particular field stood out 

 as a green patch in a brown plain, as it was situated in the 

 midst of fields where nothing had been done to de.stroy the 

 grasshoppers. The "Criddle mixture" now seems preferable 

 to the poisoned bran remedy that has given, and still 

 continues to give, beneficial results, for it is less expensive 

 than the latter, and less likely to poison other animal life.' 



H.A.B. 



SCHOOL GARDENS IN BRITISH GUIANA. 



The matter of greatest interest to readers of this Journal 

 in the report of the Director of Primary Education in British 

 Guiana for 191-1-1. j, is that concerning agricultural education. 

 This principally deals with school gardens. It is stated that 

 there are well over 100 of these attached to the primary 

 schools in every part of the Colony. The number of them 

 has not varied much in recent years, so that the probability 

 is that nearly every school, having available land suitably 

 situated, has its garden. There used to be eight Government 

 model gardens in British Guiana, but these have been closed 

 by decision of the Combined Court, which has decided 

 not to vote the necessary money for their upkeep. These 

 gardens have served for many years past as models to the 

 agricultural community resident within a radius of several 

 miles around them; and they have also been utilized as prac- 

 tising schools for the instruction, at regular intervals, of boys- 

 and girls, by trained instructors of the Department of Science 

 and Agriculture, on the principles underlying a sound knowl- 

 edge ol scientific agriculture. By clo.sing down these model 

 gardens, the report says it is greatly to be feared that any 

 further progre.ss in the direction of agricultural education will 

 be seriously impeded. 



The agricultural officers occasionally visit the ordinary 

 school gardens, and thus afford material assistance to the 

 teachers in the laying out and maintenance of their gardens, 

 and to the inspectors in arriving at a fair judgment of the 

 grant to be awarded at the annual inspection. The Report 

 continues: — 



' The chief faults that the Agricultural Officers report in 

 respect of the School Gardens are that in many cases the 

 drains are grassy; the beds and drains not well regulated or 

 shaped: and the general cultivation of the beds neglected, 

 overgrown with weed.s, or not sufficiently varied, .{gain in 

 some instances, the general condition of the garden is either 

 unsatisfactory or bad: while in a few schools the officers 

 recommended that the gardens .should be discontinued. On- 

 the other hand, it is gratifying to note that the condition of 

 .some School Ciardcns is reported, at the time of the visits 

 of the .\gricidtural Officers, to be either "fair," "good, " or 

 " very good".' 



'One of the changes introduced by the new Code is that 

 the garden grant is no longer restricted to the pupils of the 

 three Higher Standards. Every boy between the ages of 

 nine and fourteen is now eligible to receive instruction in 

 garden operations, irrespective of the class or standard in 

 which he is working, but, on the other hand, this grant ceases 

 to be available for girls. The maximum grant, however is 

 now !$l-20 per pupil, whereas under the previous Code 

 it was. 1? 1-00.' 



