290 REPORT OP THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



About the middle of June the snperintendeut of the Buhach plantation, Mr. G. H. 

 Ladd, who extended me every facility in his poAver to aid me in studying up the locust 

 problem in this valley, wrote to the saperiuteudent of the Natoma vineyard, near Fdl- 

 som, in Sacramento County, askinaj him what remedies he had used for destroyin;^ the 

 locusts, and also what success he had had with them, and received a rei^ly stating t!i:it 

 he had been experimenting with a mixture composed of arsenic, sugar, middlings, and 

 water, and was of the oi)inion that this would prove a decided success. 



About this time Messrs. George West and Thomas Miuturn, two of the proprietors of 

 the extensive orchard and vineyard of Kohler, West & Minturn, at Minturn Station, 

 in Frefmo County, paid a visit to the Natoma vineyard forthe purpose of learning inr)n; 

 about the above remedy, and were so much pleased with what they saw of its eirccf> 

 upon tlie locusts that they determined to try it upon their own orchard and vineyard 

 at Minturn Station, and invited Mr. Ladd and myself to visit them and witness tlio 

 results of the experiments. Accordingly, on the 24th of June, we proceeded to Min- 

 turn Station, and from what we there saw of the effects of this remedy, were con- 

 vinced that it was a decided success. 



About the 12th of July, Messrs. Milco & Peters sent to the Buhach plantation 1,000 

 pounds of .arsenic, an equal quantity of sugar, and about 3 tons of bran, to be used in 

 poisoning the locusts upon about 300 acres of the plantation that was planted out to 

 fruit trees and grape-vines. Bran has been substituted for the middlings, not only 

 on account of its being cheaper, but also from the fact that in drying after having 

 been wet, it forma a jagged mass, which offers the locusts a chance to feed upon it ; 

 whereas middlings, in drying, being much tiner than bran, forms a smooth, even 

 mass, which gives the locusts no chance to get a bite of it. During the next two days 

 about two-fifths of the above materials were mixed and put out upon the 300 acres 

 mentioned above, and this was reppiited about one week later. After the expiration 

 of a week after this second batch had been put out there were at least 400 dead locusts 

 to eveiy living one. 



I remained at the Buhach jjlantation xmtil the first week in August, when, in ac- 

 cordance with your request for me to return to my home and write my report, I took 

 the train for Anaheim on the Hth of August, and arrived at my destination the next 

 day. A few days before this I paid a A'isit to Messrs. Milco & Peters, at Stockton, 

 but could not prevail upon them to receive any compensation whatever for my board, 

 &c., while at th^ir plantation. During my stay at the plantation these gentlemen 

 did all in their power to aid me in my studies, and Mr. Milco visited the i)lantation 

 several times while I was staying jhere, and assisted me much. 



To both of these gentlemen, and also to Mr. Ladd, the superintendent, my Avarmest 

 thanks are due. To Dr. P. R. Uhler I am iudebt('i for the determination of several 

 species of locusts ; and last, but by no means leas I am especially indebted to your- 

 self for determinations and other help. 

 Respectfully yours, 



D, W. COQUILLETT. 



Prof. C. V. Riley, 



TJ. S. Entomologist. 



The following pages comprise a report of my observations upon rlio 

 locusts of the Sau Joaquin Valley, California, during the months of June 

 and July, 1885. 



I was located at the Buhach plantation, which is situated about C 

 miles west of the village of Merced, in Merced County. This plantation 

 consists of about 400 acres, the greater part of which is planted out to 

 fruit trees and grape-vines. It is situated in the midst of a great grain- 

 growing region, and on every side of it grain fields stretch away aliiiD.st 

 as far as the eye can reach, dotted here and there by the residences of 

 the grain-growers or of their tenants, and by the fruit and oruaiuent:il 

 trees which usually surround these residences. 



When I arrived at this plantation early in the month of June, the 

 locusts were already in possession, but they were chiefly found in tin- 

 vicjjiity of the Lombardy poplar trees which grew along the banks oi' 

 almost every irrigating ditch upon the plantation. Already many ot 

 these trees were beginning to show evidences of the work of tlie locusts, 

 the leaves presenting the appearance of having been riddled by hail- 

 stones. Many of the grape-vines growing next to these trees were also 

 infested by locusts, which had not only stripped many of them of their 

 leaves, but had also gnawed off the buds and tender bark. 



