Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1918-04-25
Observation-Disclosures AT
TENTION.

Grasshoppers lay their eggs in
masses in the late summer and early
fall, at depth of an inch and a half
The egg mass or egg pod of the
Differential grasshopper and Two
lind grasshopper is cylindrical in
shape, curved and about one and a
half inches long and three eighths of
an inch in diamond. Each egg mass
contains from 80 to 1876, with an
average Of about 80 eggs. Each egg
is about three-sixteenths of an inch
in diameter, it is more or less oval
in shape, slightly curved and yellow
or brownish in color. In normal years
the eggs hatch from about May LIST
to May 18th. The egg masses of the
smaller species of grasshoppers do
not contain many eggs nor are the
egg masses so large.
The eggs of the King grasshopper
hatch in the fall, and live over win
ter as nymphs. This is the grass
hopper that has been reported from
several parts of the southwestern
part of the state as having already
Matched this spring. These Matched
last fall and passed the winter under
grass, rubbish. etc.
Grasshoppers lay their eggs in var
ious places, but the species found in
this locality lay their eggs in rather
loose ground. Some of the places
selected are fields that were broke a
few years ago and have not been cul-
tivated since, roadsides, the banks of
bitches and the bare spots around
clumps of grass. Where the soil be-
comes baked and hardened by the sun,
the eggs are often laid in the crowns
of plants, such as alfalfa, grama
grass, young buffalo grass and false
buffalo grass.
It take 20 to 10 days for the young
grasshopper to reach maturity and
developed wings. They pass through
five molting stages, the wings being
fully developed in the last mott AZ
ter the wings are fully deveoped, they
feed for about ten days, then mate,
then feed another ten days and then
egg laying begins.
In fields where large numbers of
grasshoppers were found late in the
fall, blowing should be done before
May LIST, or earlier, if the warm
weather continues. The blowing or
breaking should be five inches deep,
the ground should then be narrowed
and packed, so that the young grass
hoppers cannot work their way up be-
tween the furrow slices.
All alfalfa fields should be narrowed
or dragged lengthwise and crosswise
with spike tooth harrow before May
LIST, or earlier. if the warm weather
continues. This will not only be very
beneficial in destroying the grasshop-
pers eggs, but will also be very ben
efcial to the alfalfa.
Those farmers who find it impos-
sible to pillow or break their land for
their crops this spring should disc their
fields very thoroughly and give them
a thorough narrowing and dragging
In regions where the grasshoppers
were very numerous last year, the
roadside should be thoroughly disked,
so as to break up and destroy the
egg masses.
All vacant old broke land should
be plowed before May LIST, or earlier,
if the warm weather continues, or if
this is impossible, it should be thor
oughly disked lengthwise and cross
wise and then packed.
In regions where the grasshoppers
were numerous last fall all of the
farmers should cooperate in every way
to destroy the eggs before May LIST,
or earlier, if the warm weather con-
tinues.
H. o. SAUER,
County Agricultural Agent,
Emmons County.
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