236 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 



of them, but there are many young hoppers coming in their place. If the pre- 

 sent state of things continues much longer, there will be very little of anything left. I 

 fear it is now almost too late to try the hopper-dozer, as the grasshoppers can fly well. 

 Of all the pests this is the worst we have ever seen." — A. Beaton. 



" Ashgrove, Halton Co., Ont., Sept. 14. — Grasshoppers this year were very numer- 

 ous in some sections, but were not so general over the country as I have seen them. In 

 some parts that were stony they appeared at one time as if they would take everything. 

 They were particularly destructive on grass, spring wheat, oats and turnips." — George 

 Hakdy. 



" Osnabruck Centre, Stormont Co., Ont., Nov. 23. — The worst pests we had to 

 contend with in this section were grasshoppers and Colorado Potato-beetles. With regard 

 to the grasshoppers, they were very .bad for a while, but disappeared from this part, as 

 far as I can remember, about August 1st. They were particularly destructive to grain 

 fields adjoining pastures or grass lands." — A. S. Hodgins. 



Remedy. — When locusts appear in enormous numbers, they frequently become a 

 serious scourge to the agriculturist. The most efiicient remedial measure which can be 

 adopted is the use of the hopper-dozer, which has been described in previous reports. 

 In the case of restricted swarms, much good may be done by the use of poisonous 

 mixtures. As an instance, I cite the following experience : — 



"Princeton, Brant Co., Ont., June 23. — I am trying to get rid of the locusts by 

 mixing bran, Paris green and molasses together and putting it in heaps in different 

 parts of a field. Cm you recommend any better way of exterminating them ? They 

 are doing considerable damage to my crops already. 



" July 7. — As to the result of the mixture I used, viz., bran, Paris green and molasses, 

 I applied it in a similar way to that in which the mixture you mentioned in your letter w;is 

 applied. I put it around six aeresof beans which the lojusts were destroying as fast as they 

 could. In the next field I had another six acres of beans which were sown a week later. 

 After putting the mixture on the first field the locusts did no further damage to that piece, 

 but started at the beans in the next field. Noticing this, I put the mixture round the 

 second field and they did no further damage to either piece afterwards. I noticed 

 several dead around the heaps and suppose several hopped away to the fences and died 

 there. Whether the poison stopped them eating the beans or whether the beans got too 

 tough for them, I cannot say. Only, I am quite sure they did not bother either lot after 

 it was applied. Alongside of the first lot of beans I had nearly five acres of potatoes 

 just coming out in flower. There we put Paris green on for the potato bug, a few days 

 after putting the poison on the second lot of beans. We then noticed that the locusts 

 were cuiting the potato stems ofi". Some of the stems cut I noticed were a foot in 

 length. When walking through the patch lately I saw hundreds of locusts lying dead. 

 The Paris green was applied to the potatoes mixed with land plaster. At the present 

 time there are millions of grasshoppers or locusts on my farm, and they are doing an 

 enormous amount of damage to my oats. I am afraid it is too late to stop them, 

 although I intend to scatter the poisonous mixture about the fields. My opinion, so far, 

 is that the mixture should be put on, especially on grass land, early in the season before 

 the locusts get their wings and before there is much for them to eat, and continue to 

 apply it at certain intervals." — J. E. Richardson. 



From the answers received to the questions sent out by Prof. Panton, grasshoppers 

 were rated as second in the amount of injury caused by insects in Ontario during the past 

 year. There is no doubt but that early in the season there was a considerable amount of 

 damage done by locusts ; nevertheless, one of the remarkable occurrences of the year was 

 certainly the widespread and sudden diminution in the numbers of these insects, 

 beginning about the 1st of August. 



A curious fact affecting the sudden disappearance of locusts in August last was 

 brought to my notice by Mrs. J. Cunningham Stewart, of Ottawa, who, when travelling 

 on Lake Huron, saw large numbers of grasshoppers floating in the lake. Mrs. Stewart 

 also kindly referred me to Mr. Wm. Lockerbie, engineer of the Canadian. Pacific Rail- 

 way Co.'s steamship "Athabasca," who had observed them on a previous trip. Mr. 

 Lockerbie writes: "As to how numerous these insects were, I can only say they were 



