REPORT OF THE SOCIETY 55 



both places are large, neglected areas which furnish ideal breeding grounds 

 for the insects. 



The Entomological Branch had, therefore, excellent opportunities 

 of further demonstrating, in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, the value 

 of poisoned baits to control such insects. Not only has our demonstration 

 work given every satisfaction to the farmers in the districts where it was 

 conducted, but we have also been able to prove the value of certain entirely 

 new poisoned mixtures, concerning which, however, more will be stated 

 after another season's work. 



In control measures against these insects it had been observed that 

 the juice of such fruits as lemons and oranges was very attractive to the 

 insects and this therefore suggested the idea of adding such fruit to a mix- 

 ture of bran, molasses and water poisoned with Paris green. In 1914 

 the value of such a mixture was demonstrated and in one field we counted 

 in one instance 414 dead locusts in one square yard. In an oat field the same 

 mixture this year (at Bowesville) killed, on an average, 184 locusts to the 

 square yard, the largest number of dead insects found within one square 

 yard in this field being 736. 



The following mixture was distributed over 5 acres of heavily infested 

 oats on 26th June, on which date the plants were from 9 to 12 inches high: 

 bran 20 lbs., molasses 4H quarts, Paris green 1 1-6 lbs., water 2 gallons. 

 The counts made four days later indicated a remarkable death rate. The 

 ten counts made diagonally across the field gave 246, 840, 509, 473, 210, 

 368, 230, 1200, 616 and 450, an average of 514 dead locusts to the square 

 yard. 



During such times as the present when our farmers are striving to grow 

 larger and better crops, it is very gratifying to us to have been able to render 

 help in districts where the locusts were abundant. From information 

 that we were able to give an important saving of crops has taken place in 

 localities where the farmers organized to co-operate and treat large infested 

 areas at the same time. The most remarkable illustration of the value of 

 such co-operation was in St. Maurice County, Que., where following our 

 directions, the farmers of the parish of St. Etienne organized under the im- 

 mediate guidance of the Rev. J.I. Trudel. In this parish, practically all 

 farm land — estimated at 20,000 acres — was treated with the poisoned bran 

 mixture, in the week beginning June 4th, at which time the locusts were 

 about one quarter to one-half an inch in length. 



I visited St. Etienne de Gres on June 23rd and in only one or two small 

 areas, which had not been treated, owing to the fact that they were owned 

 by an outside corporation, could locusts in numbers be observed. In the 



