The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1933-06-22
'Hoppers Will Be
Menace This Year
Matching In Large Numbers In Sec
tiOns of Stearns and Todd

Grasshoppers are Matching in
large numbers in many of the
townships where outbreaks were
common last year according to re-
ports from ED Lenzmeier, County
Agricultural Agent Up to this
time Matching reports have been
coming in greatest numbers from
the townships of st. Wendell, st.
Joseph, Collegeville, Wakefield,
Gutenberg, Krain, Melrose, Mill
wood, Albany and Raymond. Seven
or eight other townships are re-
porting lesser outbreaks. Portions
Of Todd are also affected.
Farm people that have used the
bran molasses arsenic combination
last year are loud in their praise Of
results. Last year in Stearns coun-
ty about sixteen carloads of three
hundred twenty tons Of poison bait
were used and about 1920 acres
were covered. Only areas were COW
cred with poison where the hoppers
Matched. Here they were fed be-
fore they had developed wings for
rapid locomotion. The insects al
ways hatch in the hard soils where
the eggs were laid namely, pas
lures, meadow, fence rows, road
bitches, etc. For that reason poison
was scattered only in the Matching
grounds.
At the present time fifteen tons
or 300 sacks of ready mixed poison
are on hand in the townships of
Rockville, Wakefield, Paynesville,
Sank Centre, Raymond, Farming,
Getty, st. Augusta, Wildwood, Ash
ley, and Gutenberg. Some of these
townships have only limited sup
plies left from last year while Ray
mond, Ashley, Sank Centre, Getty
and st. Augusta have large guam
titles on hand. Farmers in those
townships needing some at once
should get in touch with the town.
ship chairmen in their township. In
the other townships the small sup
ply left over will not last long and
arrangement will have to be made
for some new stock.
T. L. Aamodt, st. Paul deputy to
A. G, Ruggles, state entomologist
has given word to the Stearns
County Farm Bureau office that
state funds would furnish some
poison bait to this county this year,
and that a carload would be shipped
in few days to st. Cloud.
The amount Of poison available
from the state will undoubtedly not
suffice and dealers at st. Cloud and
Freeport now have supply of mo-
lasses and crude arsenic on hand.
Bran Of course Is available in any
community. The formula should
not be forgotten, however. Five
pounds of crude arsenic, 100 pounds
bran, two gallons of feeding mo-
lasses and SO gallons of water
make up batch large enough to
care for ten acres of land. Bran
and arsenic should be mixed dry
and the molasses dissolved in the
water. The sweetened water should
then be poured over the arsenic
and bran mixture accompanied
when shoveling.
Best results are secured, accord
ing to the county agent, when the
bait Is spread on clear day from
4:3O to 900 A. M. Insects of this
kind do most Of their feeding early
in the day.
With reasonable care in distribu-
ton no losses in livestock poultry
or wild game should take place
when poison bait Is distributed. In
1882 all livestock losses were
brought by cattle and horses find
ing the stored poison in sacks,
wash-tubs, etc. Bulletins on the life
habits Of hoppers, their control
measures, etc., are available from
the county agents office.