212 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



4-5 EDWARD VII., A. 1S05 



fore them, it is frequently possible to prevent damage to a large extent by applying 

 poisoned bait in advance of their line of march. The poisoned bran remedy, vphich 

 gives such remarkably good results against all surface feeding cutworms, is probably 

 the best form of bait. This can be scattered lightly through the grain near the spots 

 where the caterpillars are numerous, and the small particles of bran will be found by 

 the cutworms, which eat this material with avidity. For the Glassy Cutworm, which feeds 

 almost entirely underground, this remedy would be of little avail, and the best means 

 of combating this insect is to keep the land to be used for small grain crops the fol- 

 lowing year as free as possible from long grass and weeds in the autumn before. Prai- 

 rie or sod land which is to be broken for seeding the next year should be fed off as 

 late as possible or mowed before breaking. In this way the female moths will not 

 be attracted to the tall vegetation on such land when laying their eggs. 



Grasshoppers. — I visited the districts in Central Manitoba lying between Trees- 

 bank and Douglas in the middle of July, and saw no traces of injury by locusts. Mr. 

 N. Criddle, of Aweme, writes under date of November 1: 'As was anticipated, locusts 

 did not hatch out in sufficient numbers to cause any loss to farmers in this district. 

 A few reports of their being unduly numerous were heard in the spring from places 

 south-east of here ; but, as far as I can learn, very little, if any, damage was done. The 

 gradual disappearance of these troublesome pests seems to have been brought about 

 chiefly by the multiplication of their well known parasites, mention of which was 

 made in my last year's report.' 



The kinds of grasshoppers which have been devastating the crops in Central Mani- 

 toba for the last four years are the Rocky Mountain Locust (Melanoplus sprehis, 

 Uhler), the Lesser Migratory Locust (M. atlanis, Riley), and Packard's Locust (M. 

 paclcardii. Scud.). The two parasites referred to by Mr. Criddle are two blister beetles, 

 Epicauta sericans, Lee, and Epicauta pennsylvanica, DeG., as well as two or three 

 kinds of Tachina flies. 



In some of the dry regions of British Columbia another species of locust, Cam- 

 nula peUucida, Scud., appeared in a few places, and did a good deal of harm on the 

 ranges. Mr. George Packham, of the Plateau ranch, Okanagan Mission, writes on 

 June 25 : ' Grasshoppers ere coming out in thousands again this year. Last year they 

 destroyed most of the crops and damaged the young orchards considerably. Is there 

 nothing that can be done to check them ? Is there not a fungous disease that the 

 Australian government supplies to settlers? If so, could not our government supply 

 it to us at cost price? It is important that we get it immediately, or we shall lose 

 acres of vegetables and thousands of young trees.' In view of the great success which 

 had been obtained by Mr. Criddle in controlling vast hordes of grasshoppers in Mani- 

 toba in a practical way with the Criddle mixture, I recommended Mr. Packham to try 

 that mixture in the Okanagan country. It has been noticed that the Pellucid Locust, 

 which was tiie species there prevalent, has the habit of occurring in dense swarms in 

 rather restricted localities, and therefore gives a good opportunity for the application 

 of poison. 



The Criddle mixture, for convenience, is made in quantities of half a barrel at 

 a time. It consists of fresh horse droppings 100 parts, Paris green 1 part (=1 pound), 

 and salt 2 pounds, dissolved in half a pail of water, and the whole mixed together. In 

 this connection, Mr. Criddle says : ' We usually measure with a three-gallon patent 

 pail, because it is more convenient to farmers than to weigh the material. Five pails 

 we calculate approximately equal 100 parts of horse droppings, and each part equals 

 in bullv one pound of Paris green. The great drawback in using weights is that horse 

 droppings are not always of the same weight.' 



The propagation and wholesale cultivation of the fungous disease for the destruc- 

 tion of grasshoppers of all kinds, which is mentioned by Mr. Packham and has been 

 inquired about from time to time by many other correspondents, I regret to say, has not 

 proved to be, on the whole, of much service in fighting outbreaks of injurious locusts. 



