The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-11-23
Big Hoppers Attack Kansas.

Topeka, Kan, November 5.-The
Alfalfa fed grasshopper is playing hob
with living things out in Western and
Southwestern Kansas. If the winter
is mild next year may see the State
hopper ridden.
Prof. Smythe, the bird and bug
man at the State college, Gays that
they will disappear almost entirely if
the winter is cold and long. He is Of
the opinion that they are not Of the
reproductions variety, and are in fact
freak.
The alfalfa grasshopper is a whop-
per. He is fat aud sleek and posses
ses the color Of the rainbow. He has
double set of teeth and two stom-
achs.
Compared with the hopper that COM
mitted the crime of 1874 in Kansas he
is monster. The little dcvastator
was but an inch in length and about q
sixth Of an incl in diameter. The
new hopper is three and half inches
long and half an inch across the chest.
No eight hour union rules confne
his activities. He works from dawn
till dark and even in the moonlight.
He does nothing but eat.
tlfalfa appears to be the favorite
food of the hopper. Last year the
pests showed up in spots, but this
year the eggs they laid have developed
an army.
Some of them produce as many as
$50 eggs. These are laid in the fall
and remain in the ground all winter,
the nest being covered up with gum
for protection against inclement wea-
ther.
Last winter was mild one, and the
farmers say that every egg Matched
out, some producing twins. There
was no invasion of the States as in
1874. The hoppers seemed to spring
up from the ground, along the grass
blades.
One day field would be free Of
them. The next day they would
crawl out of their holes and begin eat
ing. By evening the crop, grass,
wheat or alfalfa, was all gone.
The hoppers.str an alfalfa field Of
its leaves and bloom, and leaves moth
ing but the hard stem behind. This
has to be moved down to induce the
plant to grow again.
Fruit trees and gardens are much to
their liking also. Many a young or
chard fell victim to them this year.
They even ate the bark off trees.
The only thing they left in many gar
dens were the patches of green onions.
Farmers have been employing all
sorts of devices to kill off the hopperp.
Some have sprinkled poisoned wate +
upon the alfalfa. It killed off the
pests, but the result was not regarded
as much of success when the number
of COWS that died from eating the
stalks afterwards was computed.
! Turkeys have been employed. One
fellow out at Garden City has been
able to take life easy ever since June
by renting out his flock Of turkeys to
his neighbors as hopper pickers.
Others have rigged up contrivances
something after the idea of whea,
header. This they run along ahead OF
the horses, forcing the hoppers tc
jump into the boxlike arrangement
which is full Of coal oil. The hop
pers drown easily, but the difficulty is
in training them to jump into the
coal oil pool.
The dead bodies are dumped into 9
field corner and fred when dry. One
story teller in here the other day sale
that the hoppers had oongregated on +,
Santa Fe track in such numbers as t
clog the wheels and stop the train
Many farmers have caught from 1O(
TO 800 bushels Of hoppers, but thes'
do not figure in Secretary Corburn'
reports Of Kansas crops.
Prof. Bruner, Of Nebraska, who ii
a national authority on the locust ant
gras shopper, has been asked to try
his hand at stamping them out. HI
a. a a a a A A A - A