484 Journal of the Department op Agriculture. 



Locusts in Canada. 



It i.>- nuL J, el generally realized that the Uniou is again at grips 

 with the locust scourge. During the season just past swarms of voet- 

 gangers of the brown locust were fought witli fTOvernnieut poison in 

 twenty districts, inost of them in the Kari'oo ; and it is expected that 

 there will be very extensive outbreaks over a huge area in the coming 

 spring. In this country, the law requires the occui)ier of jciny land to 

 destroy any swarm of voetgangers that appears there, while the 

 (xovernment undertakes to jjrovide poison free of charge. The occupier 

 is obliged to report the api)earance of voetgangers and the laying of 

 eggs. Enoimous swarms of flying locusts such as used to ravage 

 South Africa will, there is reason to hope, never again be allowed to 

 develo]). but such visitations of the pest as have occurred in recent 

 years seem inevitable. Swarms arise, it is now known, by the gather- 

 ing together of individuals that have bred in a scattered cojidition. 

 There always will be scattered locusts, and when seasonal conditions 

 are favourable to their great increase they will form swarms. 



Half a century ago the central region of the United States of 

 America suffered terribly from swarms of locusts ; but there have 

 been no large swarms since the country where the pest chiefly bred 

 has been put under crops. However, almost every year farmers 

 there have niu'li trouble with scattered grasshopi)ers. and remedial 

 poisoning" measures are used on a stupendous scale. In general a 

 ''bait" of bran sweetened with molasses or other sweetening agent, 

 flavoured with fresh lemons or oranges, and poisoned with an 

 arsenical, is scatteied over the infested fields. Canada shares the 

 trouble with the ITnited States, and the hght put uj) against the pest 

 in the great western wheat-growing region involves the spreading of 

 bait over millions of acres. The area is one of appalling cold in 

 the long winter, there commonly being over seventy degrees of frost, 

 but locusts and insects are amazingly abundant in the short, hot 

 growing season. The locust destruction work is a matter for pro- 

 vincial and local, nOt federal, action, but the officials of the central 

 (xovernment render very valuable aid by their advisory and pro- 

 I)aganda work on tlie subject. In a recent address, the Dominion 

 Entomologist, Mr. A. G. (xibson, told of the work carried out in 

 different provinces in the 192U season. The following })aragraphs are 

 taken from a report of the address jniblished in Scievfific 

 Agriculture : — 



" During the height of the infestation from 12 to 1-t tons of 

 poisoned bait were mixed at some of these mixing stations (' mixing 

 stations ' for the preparation of jjoison bait were established through- 

 out the Province of Manitoba). On one occasion at Deloraine as much 

 as 18 tons were mixed, and those hi charge of this station worked day 

 and night. . . . The ])rovincial officials have been able to secure 

 definite intorjuation as to the actual value of this cam])aign, and their 

 figures show that the enornujus amount of |1T,()()(I,()()U was actually 

 saved by the farmers. . . . The Manitoba Government supplied the 

 bait to the farmers free of charge and the cost to the Province in this 

 respect was |155,000. ... 



"The organization in Saskatchewan was of a somewhat different 

 nature and was more of a semi-military character. The provincial 

 officers worked in close co-opeiation with the municipalities. In general 

 the ))rovi!!cial officers directed the campaign, and the municipal officials 



