The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1903-12-23
ADVICE WELL WORTH
HEED|NG
Bulletin No. l From the Ne
vada Agricultural Exper-
iment Station
GRASSHOPPERS.

GRASSHOPPERS.
OF all insect pests which are found
in Nevada grasshoppers are most de-
structive, for they injure our most i'm
portant industries, agriculture and
stock raising. by invading the alfalfa
fields
They usually do the greatest damage
to the second crop of alfalfa for,
though they hatch in the spring from
eggs laid the previous autumn, the
young "hoppers" do very little ap-
parent injury to the first crop. AS
soon as it is cut, however, they are de-
prived of their abundant supply of
green food. The few leaves remain. ng
are quickly destroyed, and with teen
every opening bud and newly formed
leaf. The second crop cannot make
a start for the new growth is eaten as
fast as it appears. The injured fields
sometimes looks as bare and bIown
in midsummer as they are early in
spring. In many cases this means the
loss of thousands of dollars worth OF
hay.
In Nevada very little has been done
toward preventing this loss; but in
Minnesota and NEBRASKA grasshOppers
aie 1ousnt Systematically wllh cor
sioeraule success. Beto.e we can ad-
opt n cans Tor hoiaing tnIs pest In
check, we must unde. stand sometn4ns
of It's lie history in the alfalfa flelds.
Every year great numbers OF g.ass-
hoppels gatner along ditoh LanAs and
ROAD SIDES and aIons httie used roaus
through the neIds. In sucn piaces as
these females lay their eggs, thrust.ns
the apaomen an lncn or moe deep III
the SON. ana laying d poo or mass o.
oDIons yenow esss. Inc eggs IN The
hoAen soh haten when Ine g.ounA
BLOWS VAIN IN spring. Inc youno
hoppeis nid>e Inelr way 10 TIE sa,Iace
anu at once oesln Ieeulng on Ine tea-
oei green leaves anu Z. ass.
AS the new4y ha.Died young are
small anu weah it Is "a alnIcait naeIei
sul1aee. IL the eggs can De buried d
fe~ inches in the son TINS becomes lm-
possible.
FLOWING.
For this reason II is customary in
pats OF Nebraska ana MINNESOTA 10
buy the 81 gIassnOpper eggs py piowihg
them mo me soiI. Tulned under l..e
pIow the eggs are burned So deepAy
that wnen tl.ey match Inc young mop
pers cannot MAKE lneIr way 10 TIE
suIIace. inns is d practical and sue
cessIul way OF destroying giassnOp-
pers wneIe il can be appned.
DlIch DanAs, roads through the fields
ana waste places near the NEEDS should
be examined Ior eggs late in the au-
tumn. An inch OF surface soil should
be snceo on with shovel here and
the e. III the ground is tuiI OF eggs
1t snouia be pIowed before winter.
The ram ana snow viii tnen Gaze the
SURFACE SON ana pack it 50 nard tiiat
the newIy nalcned grassAoppers cah
Scarcely maAe tneir way through.
Spung piowlng is not so enecuse be-
cause the soL does not nave time 10
Settle and pack before the grassnop-
per eggs begin to hatch.
DISK AND HARROWING.
AS vast numebrs OF these insects
hatch out in the fields themselves
wne.e plowing is oDt of the question,
narrowing or disclng must be resoIted
to in sucn cituaIlons. harl OWING b. eaks
Up the clusters OF eggs, Durles man
of them, crusnes some and scatlers the
rest through the soil. 1t is not SO
effective as plowing because II does
not bury the eggs oeep enough TO de-
stroy them all 1t can be done either
in autumn or in spring. These meth
ods of destroying che eggs are our
most effective means of holding thu
grasshoppers in check. Other meta
ods will be discussed in a later bull
letin; among them burning, poisoning
and the use of hopper-dozers which
destroys half-grown grasshoppers by
means of kerosene and crude petro-
leum.
Flowing and narrowing are the best
methods known. The work should be
done early in the winter before the
ground is frozen or else as early in
spring as is possible.
SAMUEL b. DOTEN.
Nevada State University.
c. - .L1,, xx,;rao,uC. tbau ra