El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-06-10
WEEDS IN UPPER VALLEY CAUSE
GRASSHOPPERS To MENACE CROPS
New Mexico Entomoogst Suggests Cleaning the Sides
of the Roads and the Banks Of the bitches to Get
Rid of the Pests-Would Use HOpperdozer to
Get Rid of Hoppers Now in the Fields
A. THOMPSON. manager Of tn

~ "A. THOMPSON, manager Of the
South New Mexico Farmers as
ISOLATION, is campaigning to des-
troy the grasshoppers in the upper
I valley. While the hOppers nave az
I peared in large numbers they are IN
I no such quantity as over IN Ine I go 80
I valley, but they are in sufficiently
large numbers to do great deaI o.
I damage. Mr.. Thompson mas mad slate
| entOmoIogist d. L. Merrill, OF State
I College. make a trip over the FalIey
to suggest action to the farmers me
! cntOmOlOgist says II the Weeus al
I cleaned up along the dltcnes anu
/ roads, things viii be much improved
He also suggests the construction ana
! operation of 'hOppeTdOZers' for eaten
/ ing as many grasshOppers as possible
I Mr.. MerrilIs letter TO Mr.. thompson
/ following his visit to the upper val
I ley. says
On my visit to your region this week
Z found that you had plenty OF grass
/ hOpDers that are native with you, but
{ there was no sign Of q scOurge. You
! viii doubtless have trouble IN places
I with the grasshOppers on the later
/ crops as you did last year and sew
I eral years previous, If you do not use
! some Of the means at your command
I to thin out their ranks now before they
I have reached the adult stage When
they have come to the adult winged
stage they are very difficult to treat
viii have eaten for a longer time even
as young ones By reducing their
Z numbers now you may avoid any ap-
probable damage to your crops. Then
Z look out for the preventive, cultural
treatment to reduce their numbers in
succeeding years
Worse Where Weeds.
The hOppers. so far as I could see
through the region, are " orse along
fields that have lots Of weeds along
the borders and along bitches that are
badly grown to weeds They were
plentiful along rOadSides where there
were weeds for protection Attention
to such places makes for a better ap-
pearing farm and countryside and les
sens the number Of brCc ding places. /
Stir mp the soil in these places in the
winter or spring as well as keep the
weeds down in the summer. The sum-
mer weeds furnish resting places for
the hoppers and also protection from
some or their bird enemies that would ]
get more of them if they could not /
hide in big weeds so successfully.
IneSe hoppers that bother you do not
live on vegetation in this country, to
any extent that is not irrigated or
near irrigated land. They are sort Cs
civilized, YOU see. We have species !
that live entirely on the shadscaIe, /
creQsote, wild grasses. etc, but they 1
are not troubling YOU for they never
set onto the cultivated crops.
Clean Waste Spaces.
30 the proper attention to those /
waste places and places that are let 4
20 uncultivated and with weeds uncut
and cultivation Of alfalfa fields this /
not being necessary yearly If the hon
pers are kept in control in other places.
/ think You can keep tho numbers !
down below damaging proportions. l. /
has been done in other sections and
there is no reason why it can not be /
done here. 1t is only q matter IF CDR
vlncing the people that il is neCes-
Sary- You VIII always have hOppers.
There is no magic way TO charm them
away. Foresight and intelligent ac-
ton In the matter viii do the work
necessary
One species Of hopper you have in Z
great numbers viii be full grown now /
in few days. They are beginning TO /
come TO the adult stage now. 1t is I
one Of the damaging kind. So you will
nave TO act now to get it A second
species. in less numbers. will be ma I
tured about July l. The third, and
largest In numbers and in size of in
and so most dana ging, Will
not De maCured till about the middle
of July. 1t is now very small. It is
the one that damages the late crops !
most Get them now before they ma
lure and you have them out Of the way.
Use HOpperdOzer.
You can reduce the numbers without
much trouble or expense by using the I
lopperdozer and the poisoned mix Z
ures- You can not get all Of them. but
'ou can get enough to bring their
numbers down to normal But you will |
III have TO do it. Your association !
should be able to effect that The /
loppers from an uncleared field will /
OOn cover cleared one and the
hrlfty man be made to lose the bene- I
II Of his work. You will have to !
.ome to this matter OF cooperative [
Je sooner.
Use OF the HOpperdOzer.
In recent notice the experiment {