a remedy I had during the past four years specifically shown to 

 be the best means of controlling certain highly important and 

 injurious insects. This remedy consists in the judicious and 

 extensive use of poultry. 



In the case of the smoky cranefly you have an insect, 

 which as adults, spend their their time in low-growing vege- 

 tation. While more or less hidden during day time, poultry, if 

 given access would stir up many and be able to secure these 

 "awkward flies." Also the larvae, through the small ridges 

 they leave attract the attention of poultry, they being razorial 

 birds. Further, the transformation from pupa to adult takes 

 place with the pupa two-thirds protruding above the surface 

 of the ground, and seems to require a day or two at least, thus 

 the helpless pupa also becomes exposed to attacks by poultry. 

 If a gull, with its large size and rather clumsy habits .on land, 

 finds it feasible to include the cranefly in one form or the other 

 in its menu, why should not poultry do so likewise ? 



It was four years ago in an effort to evolve a practical 

 method of controlling the New T Mexico range caterpillar that 

 I first came to realize the great economic good that would 

 result were the inherent possibilities of poultry as insect de- 

 stroyers more fully developed. I pointed out in my Circular 

 No. 146 that the New Mexico range caterpillar exists as egg, 

 laid in clusters around the stems of weeds and grasses from 

 about October 1 till June 1, being thus exposed to attack by 

 poultry during all of this long time in this form. As the eggs 

 hatch the young caterpillars up till they are about an inch 

 long do not carrv any decidedly poisonous hairs and may be 



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