Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-06-04
LoCusTs. NOT GRAssHoppERs.
Reports by Professors T.. W. Hilgard an
81. Is. Norton.

L0CUSTS. NOT GRASSH0PPERS.
Reports by Professors Il. W. Biigard and
A. +. Norton.
The presence of the So-cailed grasShop-
pers, in some sections of California the
present season. has produced considerable
alarm by reason of damage done in some
localities, and fears entertained that the
injury being done would be greatly in
creased or become more general. The fact
is that the lively hoppers have acquired
much more extended reputation
| for successful Apache cussedness,
and damages committed, than they
are entitled to. While here and there
a vineyard, orchard, hop field or fields of
| grain have been bounced upon by them,
and perhaps entirely cleaned out and seri-
Gus injury inflicted, careful reflection and
| investigation will show that this has been
only in limited spots, and the total area
| thus affected Is comparatively very small.
| The damage to the California Raisin Com
panys vineyard, near Rocklin, is perhaps
as great and complete rs anywhere TO be
found, while most of the adjoining or
chards and vineyards escaped unmolested.
The owners of fields which have been Sc
lected by the unwelcome pests as their
foraging grounds have many of them Suf-
fered very severely, but the number of
property-ownerS thus injured is not large,
and if a careful computation was to be made
of the exact acreage run over by the invad-
ing insects, it would be found that the
| actual facts have been very greatly exag-
! gerated.
The question whether the pests are grass
| hopperS or locuStS has received cOnSidera-
BILE attention, and Matthew Cookies state
ment that they are locusts and not grass
hoppers has already been published in the
REcoRp-U UNION. The San Francisco Alta
has submitted specimens of the invaders
to Professors Hilgard and Norton for in
spection and publishes their conclusions as
follows
VIEWS OF PROFESSOR E. W. HLGARD.
Professor Higard of the State Univer-
sity, says:
The insects are true locusts according to the
best present usage, although entirely different
from what are popularity known as periodic
thirteen and seventeen YEAR, iOcuStS, which are
closely related TO the small leaf hoppers but too
| familiar to our vine-growers. The true Rocky
mountain locust (LdiOptCpnS SprctuSl has not thus
far been seen west of the Sierra Nevada and
Cascade ranges OF the California species which
from time to time multiply 50 as 10 become serl-
Gus plaques, two dtopttilGS iUaHtS ana G. Re
mountain species. third OedjpOdd 1tE0a.
differs not inconsderably in its minute charac-
ters but practically there is little choice be
| tween the three. All are about equally vora-
cous and all alike, when reaching maturity,
acquire a dangerous power of fight, which ell
ables them to depart for fresh fields and pasture.
new whenever necessary, regardless of bitches,
rivers and even fires. Hence it is dOUbly i'm
| portant to destroy them while still uniledged
when the various methods already in use
, bitches straw piles and gathering machines
-f,,lIt r,.,y,r ,lf,N-A6 fitpiT trI1p
ton and burnt strips of pasture or stubble may
be made to turn their course. Little can be
done against the flying swarms directly
except when they settle down to hearty
meal and are too busy TO mind the crushing
roller: but communities so afflicted should
be diligent to note their egg-laylng grounds
usually some bare, hard-baked level ground
into which they eXcayate their egg reccptacies
Such places should, as soon as practicable, bC
deeply plowed, tuning the eggs under and on
of reach of the air and warmth needed To-
Matching. Ii is probable that current attention
to these matters would prevent the greater Dor
ton of the invasions now suffered here, as SINH
lar methods have been remarkably eHectlYe II
= ! Kansas and Nebraska although at one time i
was thought useless to attempt any defense
against their overwhelming numbers, and tina
= their incurSions must be submitted TO as prOvi
! Dental infections 1t is not long since the cpl
| denies OF filth diseases, Sucn rs typhOld ieVe
| and dphtheria were similarly regarded, al
| though we now know them to be prcyentablt
o and the direct result of improvidence. So viii
| the lOcuStS. IL we ISHI iilCll III lIe cSgS, TIT
Larvae and the adults we can keep theirnumber
G down But ii neglected, 4year such as the last
when pasture was afforded them as well rs Othc
pests throughout the season, Will be certain L
! make them - come out strong There can b
little doubt that the phenomenal invasion o
/ pests, animal and vegetable, under which w
are now suffering is q more or less direct reSuI
of the summer rains OF the past season; ana TIT
prevention OF such state OF things is one OF tn
blessings bestowed by our normal dry summers
for which sufficient credit has not been giv2i
, them by many.
Specimens of the locusts from different local.
ties have been forwarded for determination L
Professor Riley ut Washington. and there is rea
J son to hope that the rich field for study IN hi
line offered by California at this time may i'll
duce that distinguished gentleman TO pay Us {
t personal visit before long.
PROFESSOR II. b. MOTIONS REPORT.
Professor II. B. Norton, of the State Nor
nal School, says
They are true locusts, very closely related Il
the CdloDt.RUs .Spretis the Colorado or KauSa
grasshOpper IL is probably the CdloptcnU
Ftqg0liacatuS If So 1t is distinguished from tht
{. SprCtus mainly by its larger thighs and shoTte
wings having not the same power of fight a
the Kansas grasshOpper. If we could get Som
mature insects perhaps they might be more ex
| actly identified
! 1t is not probable that they will soon repea
the Tavages of this year. The warm, dry wea
ther of the past winter was favorable TO thei
multiplication, but we found in Kansas that tht
} The invading swaTms reached us in midsum
mer, and devoured every green thing. The wa
/ ter of streams and wells was made putrid will
their decay. They laid their eggs during tn,
; autumn months in plowed or turtiess land
and died with the first heavy frost
The eggs were deeply buried il
, masses like honeycomb, covered will
waxy secretion, and wintered safely
The young appeared in clouds with the warn
spring weather perfect little hoppers withou
} wings, and very voracous. They were, how
ever assailed by mites and ichneumon flies
and were proved upon by birds, that all dis
appeared by July, not an individual or descend
ant remaining of the swarm which year befor
cloudeC the air.
, Doubtless our locusts, which are essential.
identical i'll character, win run a similar course
the favorable fact being that egg-eating insect
are likely to be more active here in winter thai
in the frozen soil of Kansas. Probably few
will hatch next spring. to speedily disappear
The present swarms whose home is in the hlgl
platcaus and valleys to the eastward will doubt
. less continue to breed in limited numbers til
another dry season increases their armies an'
sends them down upon the plains i'll search o
suStenance.
i While the debris was yet smoking from
II, raoapt PnSa fro II holm,