16 



found their way to the poultry range after having eaten of the poison- 

 ous mixture. Mr. Boynton, whose farm adjoins the Buhach plantation 

 on the west, stated to me that many of the locusts which had eaten of 

 the poisonous mixture would fall into an irrigating ditch that flowed 

 through his poultry yard, and many of the locusts were thus carried 

 within the reach of his fowls; still he was not aware that any of the lat- 

 ter had died from the effects of having eaten of the poisoned locusts. 



In fact, I did not learn of a single instance where this mixture had 

 caused the death of any person, nor of any domestic animal, although 

 it was used very extensively in many parts of the San Joaquiu Valley. 

 Neither were the birds killed in any considerable numbers from hav- 

 ing eaten either of the mixture itself or of the locusts that had been 

 poisoned by it. During the four weeks following the putting out of 

 this mixture upon about 300 acres of the Buhach plantation, I found 

 only about half a dozen dead birds that had evidently met their death 

 through the agency of this mixture ; these consisted of three or four 

 meadow larks, a bee-bird, and a field sparrow. 



Rabbits and hares, or " jack rabbits," as they are commonly called, 

 were destroyed in large numbers by this mixture. After the greater 

 numbers of locusts upon the Buhach plantation toad been destroyed the 

 work of extermination was carried into a large patch of wild sunflowers 

 adjoining the plantation on the north, and as one of the results, at least 

 two dozen hares paid the penalty with their lives. 



The four greyhounds belonging to the plantation were among these 

 poisoned hares almost every day; still I never saw one of them attempt 

 to feed upon the poisoned hares; certain it is that not one of them met 

 his death from this cause. 



As the mixture is saturated with water before it is put among the 

 plants infested with locusts, there is no danger of its being blown about 

 by the wind ; and tjiere is also very little danger of its being deposited 

 upon the fruit by the feet of birds and insects that may have alighted 

 upon the mixture and afterwards flown to and alighted upon the fruit. 

 As the mixture becomes dry its particles adhere together, forming a 

 solid mass which could not be blown about by the wind. 



I have never seen this poisonous mixture used in grain fields, but 

 know of no reason why it would not prove very effectual in such fields. 

 Great care should be exercised in using it in alfalfa fields, but if it were 

 placed upon small pieces of boards it could doubtless be used with en- 

 tire safety in such fields; but of course it would not be safe to pasture 

 any animal in such fields, even after the poison had been removed. 



Where it is desired to destroy locusts infesting trt j es or shrubs in 

 places where it would not be safe to use the poisonous mixture described 

 above, this can be accomplished by placing blankets upon the ground 

 beneath the tree or shrub and spraying the latter with a solution com- 

 posed of 1 pound of buhach thoroughly stirred in 10 gallons of water. 

 This solution will be more effectual if 2 or 3 pounds of glucose is added 

 to it, first dissolving the glucose in hot water; the addition of the glu- 

 cose is for the purpose of causing the solution to adhere more firmly to 

 the bodies of the locusts, while its presence does not appear to have an 

 injurious effect upon the leaves of such trees as the Carolina Poplar. 



The best time lor applying this solution is late at night, and the stiller 

 the night the more effect the solution will have upon the locusts. In a 

 few minutes after it is applied the locusts will begin to drop down upon 

 the blanket placed under the tree, and in the course of half an hour all 

 of the locusts that have been touched by the solution will be lying upon 

 the blanket in a perfectly helpless condition, when they can easily be 



