The Greeley tribune., 1910-01-20
WINTER AND SPRING
TREATMENT FOR
THE GRASSHOPPERS

juries done by grasshoppers was pret.
ty generally distributed over the
country and in many localities was
quite severe. The number of grass
I hoppers appears TO have been on the
/ increase for some years, and last sea-
son may fairly be termed a Grass
hopper Year.
Usually. when these pests become
over abundant, some natural forces
intervene TO arrest the spread. and
during the following seasons the in
sects are comparatively rare. So far
as We have observed, however. the
past fail has been an ideal one for
continuing the trouble next year.
Natural enemies in the form OF para
sites and predacious animals do not
seem to have been abundant. and
the grasshopper disease. which often
kills very large numbers. was CON-
paratively scarce.
AS is well known. the kinds OF
grasshoppers which are most injur-
ious to cultivated crops pass the win
ter in the egg state. The parent
grasshoppers all die with the coming
of cold weather II Is true that some
kinds of grasshoppers live through
the winter, but these do not often in
crease in such numbers as to make
their presence serious problem.
The eggs Of grA.shoppers are laid
IN the ground to the depth OF one or
two inches. The female digs a hole
with the ovipostors at the tip of the
abdomen and lines the cavity thus
made with a fluid which. on harden
ing, becomes well-nigh waterproof
Into this little pod from twenty to
forty eggs are placed in four parallel
rows. The top of the pod is then
sealed over and the surface OF the
ground carefully smoothed A fe-
male usually deposits two pods OF
eggs and sometimes three Thus
placed. the eggs remain secure until
the wormth OF the spring matches
them and the young hoppers begin
their depredations.
A popular notion asserts that hard
freezing will kill the eggs, but this
is probably directly the opposite OF
the truth. Repeated freezing and
thawing will probably do far more
injury than continued cold. however
severe that may be.
The writer is convinced that win
ter treatment is one of the best
methods Of control. This method con-
sists in breaking and exposing the
pods OF eggs or burying them so
deeply that the young hoppers on
Matching cannot make II air way to
the surface Of the ground AS stated
above, the eggs are laid in cases
which are practically waterproof II
these are broken, the inclemency OF
the weather will almost surely kill
the eggs. II the pods are exposed
they VIII run great risk of being
broken open by birds and mice and
their contents eaten.
The first problem, OF course. is tc
find the eggs The watchful farmer
Will have noticed that late in the
fall the grasshoppers congregated ir
certain localities about the farm. The
ground in these places is almost Ger.
tain to be well filed with pods O.
eggs. Ditch banks and dry knobs ar,
also iavoritc localities: also path.
and roads.
Whenever cropping and other con
ditlons will permit, it is best to plov
under deeply all badly infested areas
If this cannot he done, thorough har
rowing or discing will break up grea
numbers OF the pods and expose 9th
ers. The proper time to apply thes,
remedies Is AS early as the remova
or frost will permit Grasshopper
very commonly migrate from on,
held to another. especially when tn
gathering Of crop removes the foo,
supply, as in the case of grains. I
Is advisable to avoid planting crop
winch do not mature at the sam
tlme close to each other in year
When grasshoppers may be expecte
to be abundant.
S. ARTHUR JOHNSON,
colorado Agricultural College. For
Collins