East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-06-19
SII-LEGGEl HEEVIL
THREATENS ALFALFA
N WESTERN STATES
NEW PEST SPREADS RAPIDLY
THROUGH NORTHERN PART
or UTAH.
Has Also Secured a FOothold in Wy
oming and IdahO-Iittle Green
Worms Cluster Upon Fresh shoots
and Feed--Become Most Numerous
In June-Dcstroy First Crops.

WASHINGTON, June 15-rhere is
noW slx-legged weeNil Threatening
alfalfa !n the intermountain states OF
the west. Introduced at a single spot
near Salt Lake CITY ten years ago it
has slowly spread throughout the
northern half Of Utah, including three
Of the most productive counties and
has taken a foothold in Idaho and
Wyoming near the Utah line
The weevil, after spending the win
ter in the fields about the roots Of
the plants. deposits large numbers Of
pale yellow eegs in cavities made in
the stems with ther beaks The lit
lie green worms" which hatch from
these during spring and early sum
mer. cluster upon the fresh shoots Of
alfalfa and feed, becoming most nu.
merous about June 1. They destroy
much Of the first crop, injure the
quality Of what remains and compel
early cutting to prevent total loss
The actual damage to the first orop
is not far from so per cent of its val
ne Upon the cuttings Of the first crop
the larvae gather upon the bit Of
food which is afforded by the fresh
shoots and destroy them as fast as
they appear This condition lasts un-
til the normal harvest time Of the sec
end crop SO that it is a total loss. The
damage to the first two crops usually
amounts to about one-half the annual
yield.
A valuable method for preventing
the injury to the second crop is brush
dragging the stubble after removal Of
the first cutting. This was devised by
the Utah experiment station in coop
Grafton with the farmers. 1t was I'M
proved afterward, in actual operation.
by the adoption Of a weighted spike
toother harrow with several layers OF
woven wire stock fenc ng underneath.
instead Of the old fashioned brush
drag,
The treatment was widely adopted
as means Of crushing the insect, and
also as means Of exposing them TO the
rays Of the sun and to the choking
action Of the dust The Bureau Of
Entomology has proved that neither
the mechanical crushing nor the di-
rect rays of the sun contribute much
10 the effectiveness of the dust treat
ment, and that most Of the insects die
long before they're smothered by the
dust The essential factor in killing
the weevil is the heat absorbed by the
soil from the suns rays.
To kill the weevil, the surface Of the
field to be treated must be dry. free
from clods. cracks and vegetation. To
get best results, however, the sky
must be clear and the day warm.
Under these conditions when the soil
reaches the necessary temperature Of
120 degrees all stages of the insect are
killed in less than two minutes. The
second crop Of alfalfa is then free TO
grow. The effectiveness of this treat
ment, however, is directly proportion
al TO the thoroughness with which the
above conditions are complied with.
If the soil is not in good condition it
must be cultivated before dragging
The great objection to this method Of
fighting the weevil is that it requires
mUch cultivation Of the alfalfa field
at the busy having season.