Gilpin observer., 1903-05-21
FARMING MATTERS.
Fighting the erasshopper.


Press Bulletin No. 10. of the Agri-
cultural Experiment Station of the
Colorado Agricultural College at Fort
Collins. treats of the grasshopper pest.
Remedies and methods of destruction
are described as follows:
There are many remedies that may
be used to advantage against grass
hoppers Which is best to use in a
given case depends upon circum-
stances. 1t may be best often to use a
combination of remedial or preventive
measures.
The best of all artificial remedies,
| where it can be used, is blowing deep
ly late in the fall or early in the spring
all the ground where the eggs are
abundant. Even the young hoppers,
when very small, may be turned under
quite successfully in this manner and
destroyed.
| Where plowing cannot be resorted
to- a thorough narrowing, especially
with disk harrow, will do much to
destroy the eggs. Some will be
crushed, others will be eaten by birds
and still others will succumb to the
freezing and thawing and drying when
| separated from the egg mass. These
remedies must be applied before the
young hoppers hatch.
| Burning.-When the grasshoppers
are quite small and travel slowly, they
I may be killed along ditch banks and
| in other places where they are abun-
dant by covering the ground with
straw and then burning it.
Poisoning.-Young hoppers may also
a tn Ior b<.x.e l,ryt I,<,y
oughly spraying the young weeds and
other vegetation on. the waste land,
where they are Matching in large num-
bers, with any of the arsenical poisons
as paris green, arsenite of lime, arsen-
ate of lead, etc. The poisons should be
used rather strong. Later, when the
hoppers get into the crops, they may
be poisoned quite successfully by the
use of arsenic-bran mash. Mix a pound
OF paris green or white arsenic with
about twenty pounds of bran, moisten
enough with water SO that the parti-
cles will adhere together in a crumbly
mass, and then SOW broadcast where
the hoppers are most abundant. Do
| not use this where chickens feed.
Bandages.-To keep grasshoppers out
| of trees, bandage the trunks with cot
ton batting or printers ink or axle
grease. If either of the last two named
substances is used do not put it upon
the bark of the tree but upon heavy
paper which is first wrapped about
| the trunk. If the hoppers jump or fly
| into the trees, using poisonous sprays
or driving with whips will have to be
resorted to.
| HOpper-Dozers.-For open fields, the
/ hopper-doZers, or catchers, are prob
| ably the best remedy after the grass
| hoppers have Matched. A cheap and
simple form of hopper-dozer is made
| of sheet iron and the back is extended
| by means of upright stakes and a strip
of muslin. In the pan is placed a
quantity of kerosene or crude petrole-
um or a small amount of water with
oil upon the surface and the pan or
dozer is then drawn over the field by
hand or by means of a couple of horses
kept well apart SO as to collect the
hoppers. If the horses are in front of
the middle of the pan, many of the
hoppers will jump out at the sides and
escape the pan. Every hopper that gets
wet with the oil dies. Many will jump
into the oil and jump out to die. When
they become abundant in the pan they
should be thrown out
Another type of hopper-dozer which
is much liked by many who have used
it. catches the grasshoppers alive in a
box. 1t is manufactured by Mr.. ]. H.
Behrens. of Evans, Colorado, and costs
about $12.
Grasshopper Diseases.-The African
grasshopper fungus was experimental
with quite extensively last summer in
Colorado, nearly 400 tubes of the fun
gus being sent out to those requesting
a quantity for trial. The station also
used a number of tubes endeavoring to
| spread the disease among the grass
hoppers about Fort Collins There is
very little evidence that the disease
became destructive to the grasshop-
pers in any case where it was used.
There is native grasshopper disease
that is generally distributed over the
country which did kill great numbers
of grasshoppers in nearly all parts OF
the state last year. 1t Is a peculiarly
of this disease that 1t causes it's victims
to crawl to the tops of plants to die
If this disease does not occur in a To-
cality where grasshoppers are abund-
| ant. 1t might be well to obtain a guam
tity of the dead hoppers from this dis
ease. crush them as finely as possible
in water and sprinkle the decoction on
the living hoppers and food-plants
where possible. especially upon low
ground. and just before dark.
New Grazing Permit Rule.