The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-06-12
THE HOP LICE ARE EvERYw HERE.
If the Owners OF Fields Neglect to Spray
They Should Be Compelled.

They Should BE Compelled.
PUYALLUP. June 11.-TSpecial. Some
hop-growerS think there is a less number
of lice this year at this time than there
were last year at the same time. Many
growers have been in hopes that the lice
would not appear this year, at least in
their yards. and few all along have been
sure that they would find none in their
own yards. Perhaps they did not exam
inc very closely. Few if any, can truth
fully say at the present time that their
yards are free from lice. Now that the
lice have really appeared, many are still
going to wait until they can see that they
are doing damage, which will not be OBJ
servable to the ordinary grower until his
crop is beyond redemption, and very
likely not only his crop, but the plant
itself. Mention has been made before of
the plants dying in such numbers in New
York when attacked by vermin because Of
the negligence of the grower in spraying.
Hop roots. if left to themselves. go down
into the ground an immense distance, and
make a perfect network of roots near the
top of the ground. This is broken up
and the plants kept in hills by
continually cultivating, until the vines
man and horse getting through. The
cultivator goes both ways through a field.
After the vines begin arming out so they
cannot be cultivated there is plenty of time
for good root growth, and this spring
there was considerable complaint of lack
of root growth, and especially among the
hops that were the worst infested with
vermin. To a reflective mind it is very
hot ha xxhi oh afrr
vides for the nourishment of the plant is
consumed by something outside; it
surely is taking the life of the plant, and
it is only question of two or three years
when the plant will die if the vermin is
allowed to infest it each year at growing
time. And when person waits TO see the
damage done by the lice it will be too late
to remedy, as it is so gradual that it is
scarcely perceptible, and if the grower
could not see this spring and last fall
enough to decide him to either spray or
pillow up his yard the state board of horti-
culture ought to decide for him and stop
the propagation of millions of pests to
intest his moro decisive and energetic
neighbor.
George Marshall, an old hop-raiser, adds
his belief that the insect in the ground
NHAiiiS SoAiN oplAHS Wto llot dDillS,
but he thinks the hop aphis comes from
other trees aside from the plum. He has
just returned from a visit to Oregon, where
he found and examined what he thought
was the hop-lice on dog fennel, thimble-
berry and one other plant which he could
not name. They were in all stages of de-
velopment, even the fully winged ready to
migrate TO the hops. c. Q. Bean, of Ia
&c 10 o,,I, Il
have commenced today if it had not
rained. As soon as the weather clears
four horsepower sprayers will be put at
WORK in the yards of J. Y. Meeker, J. Fer
nandez. NJ. ]. Meeker and c. o. Blair. One
was sent TO Kent in the Puyallup Hop
Company's yards there. 1t is found that
the English sprayer uses 400 gallons per
acre to the Americans 100 gallons for the
same work