The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-06-14


Preserves at Any Time and Do
Serious Damage-PrOf. LuESer,
the EntomOIogist, Makes Some
Suggestions for Exiiing Them.
Unless the farmers of Minnesota eX-
erciSe considerable care they will son
be visited by an army of migratory
grasshoppers that will devour their
grain crops ami ruin the r pre- sent pos
poets of prosperity. North Dakota is
just now swarming with the pests and
there IS grave danger that they may
cross the state fine into Minnesota. The
farmers may avert such misfortune
Ey blowing, and killing the insects with
hopper doses, but they must act
promptly, for within a very short time
the grasshoppers will acquire wings,
and then il will be Impossible to pre-
Vent them from spreading over this
state and many others as well. In
short, if the matter is not quickly at
tended to. the entire country may suf-
fer from the grassAoppers.
Such at least is the opinion of Prof.
Otto Lugger, the entomoiogist, who re-
turned yesterday flom a trip III. ough
North Dakota and Manitoba, where he
made a special study of the threatened
plague Prof. Lug er went to the dis
tricts which are affe ted by the insec S
at the solicitation of the No. tharn Pa
cific, which III S through the grain dis
tricts of North Dakota. Reports from
places all along the line indicated an
unusually full grain crop and at the
same time a serious danger that it
would be ruined by the grasShepperS
which have made their appearance this
year in unusually large numbers. He
explained the situation yesteI day af,er-
noon to a report r for The G o b e.
THE situation" said Prof. Lugger,
SIS quite serious. The grasshoppers
are now Matching. They are two weeks
Old and are beg ginning to leave the
ground. / found that in every case the
eggs are laid in stubble fields and no
where else. This shows the Importance
of blowing the ground every spring.
Every inch of the soil should be plough
ed. That is the only sure way TO kill
them when they are young. They are
buried, and being too weak to fight
their way to the surface thsy die.
"At the request of General Freight
Agent Moore, of the Northern Pacific
railroad, 1 prepared poster explain
ing to farmers how to kill the insects
and copies have been posted on every
depot between st. Paul and the Rocky
mountains. There is danger Of severe
losses in certain restricted districts, but
there is ample time left to prevent it.
My principal aim in going to North
Dakota was to call the attention of
farmers in that state to the danger
and to have them take measures that
would protect farmers on our side Of
the lire. If the grasshoppers are not
soon killed off they are liable to come
to Minnesota when they acquire wings.
THE grasshoppers in cur own state
are numerous, but they are not as
much to be feared as the migratory
kind. They eat as much, but they are
not as particular as to their diet. The
migratory grasshopper is a social in
sect, moving in large armies and de-
Vouring everything, but prefering Guilt
waited crops.
THE grasshoppers are now in the
grassy edges of roads and fields, where
they can be easily killed. The crops
are all looking so well it seems a pity
that they should be destroyed by in
sects.
THE question is, what will the grass
hoppers do when they get wings? They
may stay where they are, or they may
fly. They will have wings about three
weeks from now, and they may spread
all over the United States. They seem
to be infected with the war fever and
are liable to make war upon the whole
country.
1T is important for farmers to watch
the Red river valley. There the grass
hoppers lay their eggs in ground that
is free from roots. The soil is well
drained and sandy, and they also man
ifest a liking for the slopes of railroad
beds. They are also in poor and neg
leCted fields where the soil is exposed
to the sun rays. Stubble fields should
be especially watched.
This species of grasshopper is the
Rocky mountain species that comes
fro m the eastern foothills of the
Rockies. 1t is numerous in Idaho. IT
has been contented for a number of
years, but now it has broken loose
again like a tribe of restless Indians
and is bound to infiict all the damage
1t can. There is another species of the
grasshopper peculiar to the western
slope of the Rockies and which creates
havoc in California.
Il visited Winnipeg to study wire
worms. They have inflicted a great
deal of injury to the young grain, eat
ing away the roots. They are larger
than usual, but the roots they eat will
outgrow the effects of their sting. The
wiTe-worm is the embryo of the creak-
beetle. | also Investigated the chintz
bugs that have appeared in Winnepeg
L was in receipt of fifty letters day
about the chintz bug, and 1 thought
the matter demanded attention. The
plague has abated, and now I get about
ten letters day asking my opinion
as 10 the best treatment to give them
The danger from these insects has
grown less by reason of the rain. They
require dry ground, and cannot live
where the ground is wet"