The Grit-advocate., 1903-05-22
FARMING MATTERS.
Fighting the Grasshopper.


Colorady Agricultural College at Fort
Coilihs treats of the grasshopper pest.
Remelles and methods of destruction
are Inscribed as follows:
lheFe are many remedies that may
be used 10 advantage against grass
hoppeEs. Which is best TO use in a
given 'ase depends upon circum-
stance 1t may be best often to use
combination OF remedial Or preventive
measures.
The best of all artificial remedies,
where d can be used. is ploWing deep
ly late In the fall or early in the spring
all The ground where the eggs are
abundanl, Even the young hoppers.
when very small. may be turned under
quite successfully in this manner and
DESTROYED
Whcre blowing cannot be reaorted
to. q thorough narrowing. especially
with alsk harrow. will do much to
destroy the eggs. Some will be
crushed, others will be eaten by birds
and sui others will succumb to the
freezing and thawing and drying when
separaied 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
may be killed along ditch banks and
in Other places where they are abun-
dant 10y covering the ground with
straw and then burning it,
Poisoning. Young hoppers may also
be poisgntd in large numbers by thor
oughly spraying the young weeds and
other vegetation on the waste land,
where they are Matching in large num-
DerS, with any of the arSeniCal pOiSUnS
as paris green, arsenite of lime. arsen-
ate OF lead. etc The poisOns should be
used rail her strong. Later, when the
hoppers get into the crops. they may
be poisoned quite successfully by the
use of arsenic-bran mash Mix pound
of pari5 green or white arsenic with
about twenty pounds of bran, mOistcn
enough with water so that the parti-
cles viii adhere together in a CrHmbly
mass, and chen SOW broadcast where
the hoppers are most abundant. DO
not use this where chickens feed.
Banddges keep grasshoppers out
of trees, bandage the trunks with cot
ton batting or printers ink or axle
grease. II either of the last two named
substances is used do not put if upon
the bar of the tree but upon heavy
paper which is first wrapped about
the trnr # the hoppers jump Or dy
into the trees. using poisonous sprays
or driving with whips will have to be
resoued to.
H0Dper-Dozers.- For open fields. the
hopu r-do2ers. or Catchcrs, are prob
ably he best remedy after the grass
hopp rs have hatchcd. A cheap and
simpa form Of hopper-do2er is made
Of sheet iron and the back is extended
by mans of upright stakes and strip
of m.slin. In the pan is placed a
quar " of kerosene or crude pelr0le-
um a small amount Of water with
oil gn1n the surface and the pan Dr.
dozer IS then drawn over the field by
hand 90 by means Of a couple Of horses
kept we'll apart so as to collect the
hopp.s. If the horses are in front Of
the middle of the pan, many of the
hoppnrs will jump out at the sides and
escaUy he pan. Every hopper that gets
wet W h the oil dies. Many will jump
into he oil and jump out to die. When
they come abundant in the pan they
shoul be thrown out.
Auuhe- type of hopper-dozcr which
10 Ilt' 10 lihtu W many Ni' IltlN' ''n'N
it. ca hes the grasshOppers alive in a
box. Ir is manufactured by a Mr.. j. II.
Behrr-s, of Evans Colorado, and costs
abou S12.
Ora hopper Diseascs.-The African
grass Ipper fungus was experimental
with rIte extensively last summer in
Colorado, nearly 400 tubes OF the fun
gus h..ng sent out to those requesting
a quantity for trial. The station also
used % number OF tubes enLeavOrinG 10
spTeau the disease among the grass
hOppCr about Fort Collins. There IS
very u'tle evidence that the disease
beCauu destructive to the graSshOp-
pers iu any case whore it was used.
Therc S a native grasshopper disease
that IS generally distributed over tn"
counts which did kill great numbers
of gra hoppers in nearly all parts Of
the sta.' last year. II is popularity
of this disease that it causes its victims
to cTaH to the tops of plants to die.
If this iISease does not occur in To-
Cality where grasshOppers are abUnd-
ant. # night be well to obtain a guam
tity Of re dead hoppers from this dis
ease. D-lsh them as finely as possible
in wator and sprinkle the decOction on
the liyt.g hoppers and food-plants
where pussible. especially upon low
ground and just before dark