1921 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 17 



were found to the square foot. Each egg cluster averaged about twenty eggs. 

 This meant that millions of eggs were in the sod along fences bordering the grain 

 fields. Later in the season when most of the eggs had hatched, the edges of grain 

 fields were literally swarming with tiny hoppers, and it was no unusual sight to see 

 hundreds of thousands huddled together along the edges of the fields. When young 

 they went into a field slowly : as they progressed, they entirely stripped the ground 

 of every blade of grain. Nothing was left. The ground was as bare as a summer- 

 fallow. During this period of their life poisoning wsis much more easily accom- 

 plished than later when they had spread all through the standing grain. 



In Manitoba we have a large number of species of locusts which are native 

 to the province. All those species that have been injurious during the present 

 outbreak are native. They are present every year; but due to dry weather and 

 other causes have increased enormously in numbers during the past few }<ears. 

 The four most injurious forms are : 



Camnula pellucida, The Pellucid Locust. 

 Melanoplus atlanis, The Lesser Migratory Locust. 

 Melanoplus femur-rubrum. The Red-legged Locust. 

 Melanoplus Mvittatus, The Two-striped Locust. 



These are not the only ones, but are the principal ones with which we 

 had to contend. 



During the latter part of May organization meetings were held in the 

 towns in the infested area where it was decided to fight the locusts with poisoned 

 baits. The plan suggested by the provincial Department of Agriculture was 

 adopted. The plan of campaign, briefly, was to have each municipality a unit 

 with the reeve in charge of the whole. Each of the four councillors was to 

 have charge of his ward under the general control of the reeve. Mixing stations 

 were to be established at convenient points where the farmers could obtain the 

 poisoned bait ready mixed. Each farmer was responsible for his own land 

 and the roadsides next to his land. In case of waste lands, men were to be hired 

 by the council to put the bait out. The cost of the campaign was to be borne 

 both by the provincial government and by the municipalities where the campaign 

 was carried on. The provincial government agreed to furnish all the ingredients 

 for the poisoned baits free, while the municipalities were to bear all the local 

 expenses such as the cost of labor for mixing, rentals for buildings, gasoline, etc. 



At the beginning of the campaign the mixing was done mostly by hand, 

 but soon the demand for bait was so great that the farmers could not be supplied. 

 This situation produced the Manitoba Mixer, a machine designed to turn out 

 several tons of mixture per clay. This machine is run -with a gasoline 

 engine of 1^ to 2 horse-power. Other types of machines were tried 

 out; but the one based upon he principle of a stationary drum with 

 revolving stirring rods on the inside proved pre-eminently satisfactory. Two 

 or three men are required to keep the mixer running to full capacity. A maxi- 

 mum output was obtained when the routine work was divided among the workers, 

 each man having certain duties to perform. Some idea may be gained of the 

 amount of work accomplished at one of these stations in a day when it is stated 

 that on June 15th, 185 farmers called at one station alone for some 39,800 lbs. 

 of poisoned bait. Eecords were kept of all the poisoned bait sent out from 

 these stations. A blank form was provided, which was filled in by the farmer 

 when the baits were taken from the station. 



