﻿717 
  

  

  Tmethis 
  (Eremohia) 
  muricata. 
  Pall., 
  Pyrgodera 
  armata, 
  Pall., 
  and 
  others 
  

   also 
  occur. 
  Up 
  to 
  1912, 
  the 
  campaign 
  against 
  locusts 
  was 
  conducted 
  

   exclusively 
  by 
  mechanical 
  means, 
  burning 
  and 
  driving 
  hoppers 
  into 
  

   trenches, 
  etc., 
  which 
  was 
  very 
  expensive 
  and 
  not 
  effective, 
  destroying 
  

   under 
  the 
  most 
  favourable 
  conditions 
  only 
  50 
  per 
  cent. 
  Experiments 
  

   with 
  chemicals, 
  conducted 
  by 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  authors 
  in 
  1912, 
  proved 
  very 
  

   successful 
  and 
  in 
  1913 
  it 
  was 
  decided 
  by 
  the 
  authorities 
  to 
  conduct 
  

   the 
  campaign 
  by 
  this 
  method. 
  A 
  total 
  area 
  of 
  14,700 
  acres 
  in 
  the 
  

   government 
  were 
  infested 
  with 
  egg-clusters 
  of 
  locusts, 
  but 
  the 
  actual 
  

   campaign 
  was 
  conducted 
  only 
  on 
  some 
  5,400 
  acres, 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  

   the 
  infested 
  territory 
  being 
  flooded 
  in 
  spring 
  ; 
  about 
  £2,800 
  was 
  

   assigned 
  for 
  this 
  purpose, 
  partly 
  from 
  local 
  funds 
  and 
  partly 
  from 
  

   subsidies 
  from 
  the 
  central 
  government, 
  but 
  only 
  £2,500 
  was 
  actually 
  

   expended, 
  including 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  about 
  5 
  tons 
  of 
  Paris 
  green, 
  about 
  10 
  

   tons 
  of 
  lime 
  and 
  4 
  tons 
  of 
  glue. 
  The 
  campaign 
  which 
  started 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  simultaneously 
  with 
  the 
  hatching 
  of 
  the 
  eggs, 
  began 
  on 
  19th 
  

   May 
  and 
  was 
  practically 
  over 
  on 
  28th 
  May, 
  w^hen 
  it 
  was 
  difficult 
  to 
  find 
  

   any 
  locusts. 
  It 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  heavy 
  dews 
  and 
  high 
  winds 
  made 
  stronger 
  

   solutions 
  necessary, 
  and 
  the 
  following 
  mixture 
  was 
  used 
  : 
  1 
  lb. 
  of 
  

   green, 
  2 
  lb. 
  of 
  lime, 
  1-2 
  lb, 
  of 
  glue 
  in 
  13 
  J 
  gallons 
  of 
  water 
  ; 
  in 
  1912 
  

   green 
  soap 
  was 
  used 
  instead 
  of 
  glue, 
  and 
  though 
  glue 
  gave 
  good 
  sticking 
  

   quahties 
  to 
  the 
  insecticides 
  it 
  entailed 
  much 
  labour 
  and 
  expense 
  in 
  

   fuel 
  to 
  bring 
  it 
  into 
  a 
  liquid 
  state. 
  This 
  insecticide 
  caused 
  the 
  death 
  

   of 
  the 
  hoppers 
  after 
  12 
  hours 
  and 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  a 
  httle 
  over 
  10 
  lb. 
  of 
  

   green 
  was 
  required 
  for 
  3 
  acres 
  of 
  thinly 
  planted 
  land 
  and 
  12 
  lb. 
  if 
  

   covered 
  with 
  thick 
  grass. 
  Various 
  mosquitos, 
  both 
  Anopheles 
  and 
  

   Culex, 
  which 
  appear 
  in 
  enormous 
  swarms 
  from 
  June 
  onwards, 
  com- 
  

   pelled 
  the 
  stopping 
  of 
  the 
  daily 
  operations 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  hour 
  before 
  

   sunset. 
  On 
  the 
  lower 
  reaches 
  of 
  the 
  Volga, 
  where 
  fishing 
  is 
  the 
  chief 
  

   occupation 
  of 
  the 
  population, 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  fight 
  against 
  

   locusts 
  and, 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  large 
  swarms 
  is 
  often 
  

   concealed, 
  as 
  the 
  hoppers 
  are 
  used 
  there 
  as 
  baits 
  for 
  fishing 
  and 
  have 
  a 
  

   market 
  value 
  of 
  7d. 
  to 
  8^. 
  per 
  100 
  ; 
  they 
  are 
  caught 
  and 
  kept 
  in 
  special 
  

   baskets 
  and 
  fed 
  on 
  seeds. 
  The 
  operations 
  were 
  also 
  hampered 
  through 
  

   the 
  frequent 
  necessity 
  of 
  conducting 
  them 
  in 
  flooded 
  places, 
  or 
  in 
  

   spots 
  thickly 
  covered 
  with 
  reeds. 
  Notwithstanding 
  all 
  these 
  draw- 
  

   backs 
  the 
  pests 
  have 
  been 
  totally 
  destroyed 
  wherever 
  the 
  chemical 
  

   method 
  was 
  applied. 
  The 
  operations 
  were 
  nearly 
  everywhere 
  finished 
  

   at 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  winged 
  forms 
  appeared, 
  which 
  began 
  on 
  the 
  

   3rd 
  July, 
  as 
  was 
  also 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  1912. 
  The 
  average 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  chemical 
  

   method 
  was 
  about 
  85. 
  per 
  acre, 
  which 
  figure, 
  although 
  high 
  in 
  com- 
  

   parison 
  with 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  method 
  in 
  other 
  governments, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  pecuhar 
  conditions 
  prevailing 
  in 
  Astrachan, 
  is 
  neverthe- 
  

   less 
  much 
  lower 
  than 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  mechanical 
  remedies, 
  which 
  amount 
  

   to 
  nearly 
  155. 
  per 
  acre. 
  The 
  projected 
  campaign 
  in 
  1914 
  will 
  have 
  

   to 
  be 
  conducted 
  over 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  nearly 
  18,000 
  acres 
  infested 
  with 
  egg- 
  

   clusters. 
  The 
  greatest 
  number 
  of 
  these 
  generally 
  occur 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  

   of 
  the 
  " 
  Baer 
  ridges," 
  where 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  10 
  to 
  the 
  square 
  foot 
  may 
  be 
  

   found. 
  These 
  ridges 
  have 
  a 
  clay 
  soil 
  and 
  are 
  covered 
  wdth 
  scanty 
  

   vegetation 
  ; 
  their 
  bottoms 
  have 
  a 
  slightly 
  sahne 
  character, 
  and 
  are 
  

   always 
  covered 
  with 
  rich 
  vegetation. 
  The 
  ridges 
  are 
  frequented 
  by 
  

   locusts 
  for 
  purposes 
  of 
  oviposition 
  and 
  must 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  constant 
  

   breeding 
  places 
  of 
  L. 
  migratoria. 
  A 
  full 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  question 
  

  

  