Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-08-01
UNCLE SAM TO FIGHT GRASSHOPPERS.
Proposes to Spread Plague Among Them in New and Novel Man.
ner--s Putting Up Bottled Disease to be Shipped
TO Afflicted Districts.

only 600 well DO the older residents
OF Utah remember when the grasshop-
pers came In swarms and laid waste
mile upon mile OF fertile country. IL ~
with this disastrous period in mind that
they are viewing with alarm the in
crease Of the insect throughout the
State, for they fear the pest almost as
great as the one which visited Utah
years ago. The hoppers are abroad In
the land again. They are stretching
forth their gauzy wings over the UNI
harvested grain and are carrying de-
struction in their path In many coun-
ties.
II Is not only Utah which is afflicted,
however. An through the West and
Southwest the hopper has spread
alarm, and the government has been
reused 10 action. How II plans 70 ilght
the pest is well told In this article from
Sundays New York Herald
There Is a plague Of grasshoppers In
the West and Southwest, and farmers
are much alarmed. Startling reports
on the subject are coming In from New
Mexica. Colorado, Wyoming and Me-
braska. but the situation in southern
Texas seems to be worse than any
where else. One correspondent says
that the wheat fields are alive with
'hoppers;' another states that desc
lation is imminent" and third, writ
ing from North Platte. Neb., remarks
that this Is the third year OF the pest
In that region.
The government Is doing what 1t can
TO mitigate the misfortune, and 20 that
end Is adopting new and very extra
ordinary means for combating the IN
sect swarms. Under the direction of
professor L. O. Howard chief Of the
bureau Of entomology, Il Ia putting up
In bottles disease germs " a fungous
kind deadly TO grasshoppers, and Is
sending them to parts OF the country
where the damage threatens to be par-
ticularly severe.
The fungus ls obtained from South
Africa, where II has been used with
great success recently, vast armies Of
grasshoppers being literally wiped out
by II. II Is propagated artiflcially by
applying bit Of II TO steriized prep
aration Of gelatine and blood serum,
on which the germs multiply rapidly.
Thus prepared. the cultures" are sent
out In glass tubes. corked with absorb
ent cotton and sealed with red wax,
each one being enclosed In a pasteboard
cylinder Directions for use accompany
the package
In Colorado last summer there was
an outbreak Of fungus disease among
grasshoppers, and quantities OF the
dead Insects were shipped 10 Washing
ton and utilized here for making "cui-
lures" A whitish, threadlike growth
on the bodies Of the victims furnished
the requisite germs. These cultures"
have been distributed during the pres
ent year In Colorado. experImentalIy.
while the disease from South Africa Is
being tried In Texas
On receiving q bottle Of the fungus.
the farmer Is directed. by an accom-
panving printed slip. TO put number
OF live grasshoppers In q wooden box.
together With portion of the germ ma
terlal. They win quickly become In
fected, when he may llberate all but
helf dozen or so
These when dead, viii serve 20 COM
munlcate the disease 10 other living
grasshoppers. placed IN the box for that
purpose. The box should he covered
with slats 10 admit air. and some grass
should be put In Il also. dampness en-
couraeing the growth ~ the fungus.
As fast as they are Infected the "hop-
ners' are to be set free In the fields %
distribute the plague among their fell
lows.
The grasshopper Is one NJ the most
serious problems encountered nv the
farmer In the West Owing to the Get
tlement of great areas which formerly
we're It's permanent breeding grounds.
producing regular and enormous crons
of the voraclous pests every wear. the
insect no longer appears In those
mighty swarms thai used To- arrive Ike
devastating armies and devour everv-
thing green But even nowadays not
season passes that the "honpers" do not
appear In ALARMING numbers IN some
parts OF the country. destroying the
crops and hringing great Ices or even
ruin to the helnless aRriculturist
In former times the RrasshonpArs
sometimes appeared In swarmg multi
tndinous almost hevond hellef Twenty
six years aRo the Rio and Little Rlue
rivers tributaries Of the Missouri were
crossed az numerous nlaces hv vast
hodies Of the insects. which would pro-
ceed TO the waters edge and begin
jumping IN, one upon another. until
they actually pontooned the stream