The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1912-08-28
lhSlDlOUS ALFALFA WEEvlL
Discussed By A Professor Who
Has Studied His Various Ec-
centricities.
(By Prof. Thos. Shawl

Wy III. Illus. OnfW.
In the State of Utah an insect pest
has appeared which is doing much
harm to the alfalfa crop. This insect
(Phytonomus posticies) has been known
for long time in the old world. For
many decades, if not indeed centuries,
it has preyed upon the alfalfa of South
ern Europe, Western Asia and North
ern Africa. In this country it was
first noticed on the outskirts of Salt
Lake City, Utah, in 1904. Its ravages
had become so extended by 1907 that
the attention of the Utah Experiment
Station was called to it. By 1911 it
had reached parts of Wyoming and
Idaho adjacent to Utah In 1909 the
the Governor of Utah appealed to the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture to aid the Utah Experiment Sta
tion In fighting the pest. Since that
time the Department has employed
scientists 10 try and find some effective
means of combating the pest.
The Alfalfa WeeyI is thus described
In Bulletin No. liz. Department of Et-
omology, U. s. Department of Agri-
culture, by Prof. F. NJ. Weber. 1T
is small. rather insignificant appear.
ing beetle, slightly under one fourth of
an inch long, OF brown color. mixed
with gray and black hairs arranged In
indistinct spots and stripes on the
back" 3" The eggs are laid in the spring
and early summer within the stems or
on the buds and leaves, and they hatch
within about 10 days. The larvae are
small greenish worms with a black
head. When full grown they are
about one fourth of an inch long.
They prey upon the crops buds, the
leaves and even upon the stalks. The
damage resulting may vary with the
conditions from very slight to almost
complete destruction of the cutting.
The hay obtained from infested fields
is very woody because of the absence
of leaves, and it is much liable to in
duee coughing when fed to horses.
Various methods of fighting have
been tried. These have only been
partially successful. These include
diseing to stimulate growth, grazing
with sheep, drawing a street sweeper
or wire brush over the field, and burn
ing the stubbles. Attempts are also
being made to introduce parasites from
Eastern Hemisphere which will prey
upon the weevils. Il is also considered
important to destroy all trash such as
grows along the borders of irrigating
canals, and in waste places generally.
The insects hide in these and also under
elods and about the crowns of alfalfa
plants where they hibernate.
The bulletin referred to does not say
anything as TO the measures that
should be adopted in aninfested areas
to prevent the introduction of the
weevl. OF course in areas near to in.
Tested territory, the invasion will oc-
cur through the migration of the weev-
lis in the spring of the year. But the
fact that the beetles came to Utah
from the old world makes it clear that
invasion may come in other WAYS. 1t
may be that it may came in poorly
cleansed seed. 1t may certainly come
in alfalfa hay.
1t would be nothing short of calam-
ity to have this insect introduced into
Montana where the future promises so
much IN regard to the growing of al
falfa and also alfalfa seed. 1t would
seem to be eminently wise to make
sure in all areas where alfalfa is i'm
ported that it does not come from an
infested region Whether the insect
can live in an area with winters like
Montana and the Dakotas has not been
ascertained.