541 



Merrill (D, E.). Grasshopper Control. — New Mexico Agric. Expt. 

 Sla., Stats College, Las Cruces, Bull. no. 102, April 1916, 32 pp., 

 19 figs. [Received 1st October 1917.] 



This bulletin is the outcome of investigations carried on since 1912. 

 Every part of the State of New Mexico is liable to grasshojoper damage, 

 the most injurious species being Melanoplus differentialis, M. bivit- 

 tatus and M. atlantis ; other species causing less serious loss are 

 M. femnr-rubrum, Hadrotetiix trifasciatus, Schistocerca venusta and 

 Brachystola magna. The damage is chiefly caused by non-migratory 

 species. Natural enemies such as birds, poultry, mites and an uniden- 

 tified fly, assist in control, but are not always sufficiently numerous 

 to keep the locusts in check. Lucerne, garden and vegetable crops, 

 grain and young fruit trees suffer most from grasshopper attack. The 

 usual remedial measures are advocated ; hopperdozers are described 

 and formulae given for poison-baits. Emphasis is laid upon the 

 importance of j)reventive measures and the destruction of breeding- 

 places and eggs. It is suggested that remedial measures and the 

 necessary treatment of waste land should be compulsory. 



A. N. Acetic Acid as an Insecticide. — Gardeners' Chronicle, London, 

 Ixii, no. 1606, 6th October 1917, p. 142. 



Acetic acid or vinegar is stated to be a powerful insecticide, and 

 if volatilised in a small enamelled pan by means of a spirit lamp will 

 free greenhouses from whiteflies and Aphids. 



McIndoo (N. E.) & SiEVERS (A. F.). Quassia Extract as a Contact 

 Insecticide. — Jl. Agric. Research, Wcshuigton D.C., x, no. 10, 

 3rd September 1917, pp. 497-531, 3 figs., 9 tables. 



Official quassia is derived from either Aeschrion {Picrasma) excelsa, 

 Swz., family SiMARUBACEAE, known commercially as Jamaica quassia, 

 or from Quassia' amara, L., a plant of the same family, known commer- 

 cially as Surinam quassia. There are several other plants the wood 

 of which contains an active constituent identical with, or similar to 

 cpiassiin, the bitter principle and main constituent of quassia. These 

 include Sintaruba amara, Aubl., S. versicolor, St. Hil., Aeschrion 

 {Picrasma) qiiassioides, Benn., and Ailanthus excelsa, Roxb. 



In the experimental investigation of the effectiveness of this sub- 

 stance as an insecticide the following Aphids were employed : Macro- 

 siphum liriodendri, Mon. (tuhp-tree aphis), M. rosae, L. (rose aphis), 

 A. rumicis, L. (nasturtium aphis), A. brassicae, L. (cabbage aphis), 

 Acyrthosiphon {Macrosiphimi) pisi, L. (pea aphis), Apihis sp. on Colutea 

 arborescens (bladder senna), Phyllaphis fagi, L. (woolly beech aphis), 

 and Chaitophorus populicola, Thos., on Carolina poplars. The formula 

 recommended against the hop aj)his [Phorodon humuli] was found 

 efficient on the nasturtium aphis only, although it was tested upon 

 six other species. This solution was composed of 6 '3 gm. of quassia 

 chips soaked for 24 hours in 2,000 c.c. of water, fish-oil soap being 

 subsequently added in the projjortion of I'G lb. soap to 100 U.S. gals, 

 water. Caterpillars of Hyphantria cunea, Dru. (fall web-worm) and 

 larvae of Leptinotarsa decemlineafa, Say. (potato beetle) sprayed with a 

 similar mixture were merely reduced to a state of stupor, from which 



