lis JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 5 



You will note in the above list that Mr. Somes collected and named 

 one M. spretus, which I brought with me for your examination. It 

 has the ear-marks of the so-called species spretus, and yet in looking 

 at the genital plates I am inclined to think it resembles atlanis in 

 this particular as much as it does spretus. At any rate the finding of 

 this one isolated example in the midst of so many other species, atlanis 

 among the rest, throws doubt upon the validity of spretus as a species. 



The advantages of spraying early with arsenite of soda are as follows : 



1. The grain is short and, therefore, more easily covered. 



2. The hoppers are still in masses, hence greater effect with a small 

 amount of poison is secured than later when they are scattered. The 

 young hoppers travel more slowly and must eat continuously while 

 in the poison zone. 



3. Large fields, therefore, can be protected by spraying relatively 

 few acres on edges of larger tracts. We found that wild mustard 

 growing amongst the grain was badly burned by the spray, although 

 the grain itself was uninjured. 



The efficacy of this spraying is shown by the fact that after one 

 application 2| bushels of dead hoppers were gathered from one acre 

 €f a field twenty-two acres in extent. This would mean over fifty 

 bushels of dead hoppers in that field. 



This spray did fine work on flax, one man's crop being saved, whereas 

 that of his neighbor in the near vicinity, who did not spray, was a 

 total loss. 



In Minnesota we feel that the best time to spray is between May 

 15th and June 15th — practically the same period as advised for the 

 use of hopperdozers. Hopperdozers used by the farmers cost from 

 $5 to $8 for the 16 foot size, and we purchased a cheap grade of oil, 

 varying from 7c to 10c a gallon at the supply tanks. 



A Member: Do you find that your farmers out there invest readily 

 in the spraying machines? 



F. L, Washburn: They will doubtless do so next summer. That 

 is, a number of them may go in together. These machines cost in 

 the neighborhood of $90, but a large number of farmers are convinced 

 of the value of the spray and will probably invest. 



H. A. Surface: I should like to ask the speaker if he finds the 

 spike tooth harrow reaches sufficiently deep to break up the pupa and 

 egg cases or if he thinks the spring tooth harrow necessary. 



F. L. Washburn: I think the disk harrow is more commonly 

 used there. I should suppose the spike tooth harrow would do it 

 more thoroughly, perhaps, than the disk harrow. 



H. A. Surface: Do you think a spike tooth harrow would be 

 deep enough to do the work? 



