Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-05-19
GRAPEVINE HOPPER.
DESCRIPTION AND HABITS OF A
DESTRUCTIVE PEST.
remedies Prescribed by the Chief
Viticultural Officer for It's
determination.

OF the destructive grapevine hopper ha
nearly arrived, the recent treatise by tn,
State Chief Executive Viticultural Office,
for its determination is timely, and there
fore published for the benefit of our read
ers, as follows:
The description of this insect and #,
habits are taken from g Harris Insects In.
furious to Vegetation" page 227, which
reads as follows:
The vine hoppers, as they may be
called, inhabit the foreign and the native
grape-vines, on the under surface of the
leaves on which they may be found during
the greater part Of the summer; for they
pass through all their changes ON the vines.
Ihey make their first appearance on the
leaves IN June, when they are very small
and not provided with wings, being then
IN the Larvae state. During most of the
time they remain perfectly quiet, with
their beaks thrust into the leaves, from
which they derive their nourishment by
suction. If disturbed, however, they leap
from one leaf TO another with great agility.
AS they increase in size they have occa-
sion frequently to change their skins. and
:.
a white color, will be found, throughout the
summer, adhering to the under sides of
the leaves and upon the ground beneath
the vines.
When arrived at maturity--which gen.
orally occnrsduring the month of August
they are still more agile than before, max
ing use of their delicate wings as well as
their legs in their motion from place to
place; and when the leaves are agitated
they leap and fly from them in swarms.
but soon alight and begin again their de-
structive operations The infested leaves
at length become yellow, sickly and pre-
maturely dry, and give to the vine at mid
summer the aspect it naturally assumes on
the approach of winter But this is not
the only injury arising from the exhaust
ing punctures of the vine hoppers. In
consequence of the interruption of the i'm
portant functions of the leaves the plant
itself languishes, the stem does not in
crease IN size, very little new wood is
formed, or, In the language of the garden
ers, the canes do not ripen we'll, the fruit is
stunted and mildewed, and if the evil is
allowed to go on unchecked, in few years
the vines become exhausted, barren and
worthless. In the autumn the vine hop
per desert the vines and retire for shelter
during the coming winter beneath fallen
leaves, and among the decayed tufts and
roots of grass where they remain till the
following spring, when they emerge from
their winter quarters, and in due time de-
post their eggs upon the leaves of the
vines and then perish"
As observed in California the hopper
boo L. j i
been seen on their vines with the first warm
weather of April. 1t continues its depre-
dations even up to October, and has been
observed infesting the rubbish of some
vineyards all winter long The most in
jury is done by them in defoliating the
plant thereby subjecting the grapes to
sunburn and causing their failure to ripen.
Their first appearance in spring is usually
on the outside rows Of the vineyard, par
ticularly on those rows bordering grassy
plots or uncultivated fields, and from these
they spread in few weeks to the other
portions of the vineyard field With a
knowledge of this fact the vineyardists
may often head them off from a greater
part of the vineyard by treating the first
infested vines at an early date.
The ordinary operations of spring vine
yard work, viz, blowing, cultivating and
clod-smashing, destroy the eggs and larvae
of the insects, which are found on the rub
bish and leaves of the previous wear, but
they may still be looked for coming from
the surrounding fields if such there are
about Burning the adjoining fields would
prove a valuable auxiliary to their de-
struction.
THE REMEDY.
Little difficulty has been experienced of
late in destroying insects which prey di-
rectly upon the foliage of the plant. A re-
sort TO poison, where it may be had, has
usually proved satisfactory The subject
of this treatise however, is much more DIFF
ticult TO eradicate in that it derives its
nourishment by sucking the sap from the
cells, to poison which would mean the de-
struction of the same. Most prominent
among the remedies proposed in the past
few years have been spraying with toxical
solutions, whale-oil soap being foremost.
Sulphuring in the early part of the season
has been advocated as partial remedy.
Carrying lighted torch through the vine
yard has also been suggested An import
ant aid to their destruction has been
brought about by turning sheep into the
vineyards in the fall, whereby the eggs
and insects are eaten on the foliage or
tramped under foot This, however, has
proven inconyenient in many cases, and
cannot be recommended as general rem
edy.
During the past week experiments have
been conducted by myself at the "Olivina''
vineyard, near Livermore, where. with the
assistance of Mr.. Smith, the proprietor, !
have been able TO devise a means which
proves complete success.
First, however, to test the value of pre-.
ylouS experiments, We resort to spraying
sulphuring, etc The following solution.
were employed;
/. One pound OF whale-oil mixed with
one pint of syrup and then diluted with
one gallon of water.
2. One-half gallon of syrup with one
gallon of water
3. Two pounds of whale-oil soap to ons
gallon of water
4. -Four pounds of whale-oil soap with
one gallon of water
Each and all of these were carefully an
piled to the infected vines by means of til,
Cyclone nozzle.
The strongest solutions of soap wer,
oNNA 80 w tAiil l6dN6S Oh INT
vine, so noticed day or two later. Thu
strongest solutions of the syrup likewis,
proved detrimental to the foliage; but will
all alike the hoppers continued their worl
undisturbed. Twenty minutes after tn,
applications were made and they wer,
made thoroughly, the hoppers were founC
on any and all Of the vines treated and il
as great abundance as before. In man,
cases they had been forced to the grounc
by spraying, where it was thought tn,
wings would become clogged and their fur
Their recovery thereby prevented. A shor
time afterward, however, careful search re
vealed their absence from the ground an,
remedies of this character were accordingl,
abandoned.
sulphur has been busted on the vine f
such an extent as to render the foliage vel
low, but shortly afterwards the hopper
were found uniniured and continued so.
A torch carried at night has proved
failure
EARLY MORNING TRAMP.
A contrivance for holding petroleum il
pans was then arranged so that it could b
placed under the vine. This, emplove,
night and morning, will prove an effec;iv
trap; for on shaking the vine the hopper
drop into the liquid aud so become de
strcyed. Still the apparatus for this pur
=