70. 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE 



February, 1921. 



typical breeding places are open meadows and prairies 

 bordering the river, which are flooded at high wat-er 

 time. The winter is passed in the egg stage and the 

 eggs are exceedingly numerous in some places. In one 

 meadow 642 larvae hatched from eggs which had been 

 laid in one square foot of sod and ^nthin six minutes 

 of the sod being submerged in warm water. The devel- 

 opment of the immature stages varies a great deal 

 according to climatic conditions, but the adults usually 

 emerge within two weeks of the hatching of the eggs. 

 They commence biting after three or four days and 

 spread over a considerabie territory in search of vic- 

 tims. The adult life is about six weeks. 



There can ne no doubt in tlie minds of those who 

 have experienced a really bad mosquito season in the 

 Lower Fraser Valley that the mosquito pest is a factor 

 of vital economic importance in that most fertile and 

 beautiful district. During bad seasons lumber camps 

 are obliged to close doAm, road construction is hamper- 

 ed, and agriculture is very seriously affected. Cattle 

 are so tormented that they are unable to feed satisfac- 

 torily and become emaciated. The drop in milk produc- 

 tion is marked, some dairymen claiiming a reduction 

 of forty per cent. There are even a few authentic cases 

 where cattle have actually died as a result of mosquito 

 attacks. Even poultry have been affected during 

 seasons of severe mosquito infestation, the hens being 

 so pestered at night by the mosquitoes attacking their 

 feet that they stopped laying eggs. 



During j-ears when heavy berrj' crops and bad mos- 

 quito infestations coincide, the picking of the berries 

 is much hampered and a considerably wastage results. 

 On some of tlie larger ranches this exceeds twenty per 

 cent. On account of mosquitos it is almost impo.ssible 

 to retain farm help in some areas during the season 

 when help is most needed. There are very few under- 

 takings necessitating outside labor that are not affected 

 by the pest, either directly or indirectly. 



The problem is one of enormous proportions and 

 relief can be expected only as a result of long and 

 painstaking efforts. From our investigations we be- 

 lieve that it is feasible to greatly mitigate the pest, but 

 only when a concerted and determined attemj)! is made 

 by those who are mainly affected — the residents of 

 the infested territory. 



The reclamation of the larger breeding areas by 

 dyking and pumping is the first step necessary. Miu-li 

 has already been done and at the present time dyking 

 operations are being undertaken on the largest remain- 

 ing area subject to flooding — Sumas Prairie — in 

 which are 34,000 acres. Countless millions of mos(iuitos 

 are produced here whenever flooding ficcurs. During 

 the coming .summer an aerial survey is planned to 

 facilitate the mappmg of the main breeding areas, and, 

 with this accomplished, the investigational aspect of 

 the work will be nearing completion. It will after- 

 wards be possible to study other mosquito infested 

 areas in British Columbia that are in need of investiga- 

 tion. In some of the richest agricultural areas in the 

 province, the mosquito scourge is the one adverse factor 

 that mars otherwise excellent conditions, and every 

 effort should be made to ascertain whether mosquito 

 control in these places is feasible or not. The problems 

 vary with the topography and the mosiiuito fauna of 

 the different districts, and special investigation is 

 needed to ascertain the control measures best suited for 

 each. 



MARKETING. 



W. A. BROWN, M.S., B.S.A., Chief, Poultry Division, 



Live Stock Branch, Ottawa. 



Note. — In the January issue of "Scientific Agricul- 

 ture", page 40, tlie two kinds of losses sustained by 

 farmers through lack of business methods in market- 

 ing, were pointed out by Mr. Brown, i.e. monetary los- 

 ses and loss of morale. In the following statements, 

 attention is drawn to some business achievements in 

 agriculture and the work of the Canadian National 

 Poultrv Association in the marketing of poultrv pro- 

 ducts.-^EDITOR. 



Some Distinctive Business Achievements in 

 Agriculture. 



Due credit must be given to the grain growers 

 of the west, for no one could visit the offices 

 of "The Grain Growers' Grain Company" of Winni- 

 peg, or the offices of the "Alberta Co-operative Elev- 

 ator Company" in Calgary, or the "Saskatchewan 

 Grain Growers" in Regiua, and not be impressed with 

 the bigness of things and the way in which the pro- 

 ducers themselves are grappling with the marketing 

 problem. In ILve stock, the activities of the producers 

 in a marketing way in the stockyards of Toronto, Win- 

 nipeg and elsewhere are signs of the times, but there 

 is a great gulf fixed between the sale of the animal on 

 foot and the sale of the product to the consumer, in 

 which, at the present time, the interests of the pro- 

 ducer are not clearly defined or fully safeguarded. In 

 dairy products the grading systems of the western pro- 

 vinces and the public auctions in Montreal stand out 

 pre-eminently. In fruit and poultry some distinctive 

 producers" business enterprises have been worked up, 

 l)ut much yet remains to be done in a co-operative way 

 if one is to judge by the relative percentage of total 

 volume so marketed. 



Departmental Activity in Assisting Marketing. 

 Some difference of opinion exists between certain 

 parts of the country as to the exact function of gov- 

 ernments in the business of marketing. Probably as 

 much discussion has taken place in connection with 

 the marketing of poultry products as with any other. 

 The National Poultry Policy adopted by the Canadian 

 National Poultry Association is an endeavour to 

 answer this controversy. The National Poultrj^ Policy 

 is as follows : 



1. — Standardized Product — Government Inspected 

 and Guaranteed. 



2. — Markets Intelligence, giving an a.ssurance of 

 price. 



■i- — Co-operation in Marketing — one of the greatest 

 assets that has come home to the rural producer. 



4. — Economic Production — through .stock improve- 

 ment. 



•"i. — Increased Production. 



6. — Quality Payment. 



7. — Service in Transportation. 



H. — Perfection in Storage. 



9. — Increased Consumption. 



10. — Advertising and salesmau.ship in the disposal of 

 the product at home and abroad. 

 The high, firm tone of tlie poultry and egg market 

 during the past year is, in part, we believe, the answer 

 to the question as to the effectiveness and wisdom of 

 the policy, and emphasizes the underlying thought 

 behind the policy ; viz., to make the industry so profit- 

 able to producers that everyone will not only want to 

 keep poultrj', but more and better poultry. 



