Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-06-09
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: THE CHRISTOPHER PEST. !
: BY c. 3. Waidron, Horticultural :

= 6y -. .. "aIoTon, 7ort1cuttOr1St
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Those who failed last fall or early
this spring to destroy the grasshop
per eggs deposited during the sum
mer are confronted with the more diff
fcult problem of destroying the young
grasshoppers at this time. Reports
of damage are beginning to come in
chiefly so far from gardens. The
Matching commenced early in May and
the insects are as yet too small to
attract much attention. The fields
sure to suffer considerable injury are
those lying alongside of the unplowed
stubble fields or worn out pastures.
AS the insects hatch out from those
places they will naturally move on
to the adjoining grain fields and
meadows.
1t may not be too late to plow a
strip of the stubble nearest to the
grain gradually widening this as rap
idly as possible till the field is ploWed.
We have succeeded in saving many
grain fields in this manner even
though the blowing was not begun
until the Matching process was Aover.
Great numbers of the insects are
turned under by the pillow, particu.
larly if the central strip of each land
is left to be finished up late in the
evening when the insects are not &C.
tive.
The catching of the young insects
as they are passing from their hatch
ing grounds is means of last re-
sort and should not be necessary when
the other and surer methods for the
grasshopper determination have been
applied. -.
The large pans or chopper dozers''
that have ordinarily been used for
this purpose can readily be made at
the local blacksmith shops at total
cost of about eight dollars. The
! "hopper-dozer" consists Of a galYan-
lied iron pan usually made twelve
i feet long and about two and a half
feet deep with depth of three inches.
| it shrould be divided by cross parti-
tons into about five compartments.
This pan should be mounted on two
fiat runners about five feet long placed
under either end and joined by two
pieces of two-byfour placed along
the front and back edges Of the PAN
To the two-by-four on the back OF
the pan upright pieces two feet high
are firmly nailed to which a strip OF
canvas is fastened. This keeps the !;
grasshoppers from jumping over the /
pan as it is drawn forward. When
To- OF or
so of water with film Of Kerosene or
petroleum on top about a quarter
of an inch thick.
The canvas at the back ends should
also be kept saturated with the !
kerosene.
It is drawn by horse hitched to
either end. A light pole suspended
across from the draw ropes serves
to make the hoppers jump and when
they come down the pan Is under
them. .Aose that succee~ in escap-
ing from the pan will die after short
time as the smallest amount of the oil
is fatal. On one occasion with this
method we succeeded in catching over
a hundred bushels of half-grown hop.
pers, along side of one field. Last
season we poisoned immense num-
bers in the gardens with poisoned
bran.
his is made by adding one-fourth
of pound of Paris green to a bushel
of dry bran mixing it thoroughly, to
this is added one gallon Of molasses
and enough water to moisten we'll.
This is scattered along the rows
in the garden where it seems to be
eaten in preference to anything else.
It is a mistake to assume that the |
heavy spring rains or even SHOWS are
likely to seriously affect the grass
hoppers or their eggs. Unless some
natural enemy appears in large num-
bers such as the gull or some of its
insect foes they are bound to increase
unless the proper means are employed
for their destruction. The simplest
and most efficient method Is to pillow
under the eggs. When that is neg
lected other and more difficult means
are necessary.