The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-06-22

seen many of the tiny hoppers,
ed their destructive work. But
The stoekmen do have a legiti-
mate complaint. but 1t is not so
much against the poison itself as
the means Of distributing it In
places some of the men who are
designated TO spread the poison
have nothing at stake, so they
dump their quota into the first
coulee they come to.
"Relicfer" Confesses
This lump of poison might eth
er be Tapped up by sheep or cattle
(they both like it, or 1t may rain
and the poison run down into a
nearby waterhole and kill all stock
that drink there. Pheasant and
even deer sometimes come out TO
feed on this bran, with dire results.
We talked to one man on relief,
who had been told he had to dis
tribute some Of the poison or not
receive any more help. Just after
leaving town. with several bags
of the poison, he cut them open
and just let it run out as he drove
to his farm. No one knows how
many animals that killed. but IL
certainly did not do its share OF
Kidding the country of hoppers.
Some old-timers, remembering
the experience of the Mormons at
Great Salt Lake, have tried to
have sea gulls imported for the
cleanup. but such a thought is
absolutely ridiculous. 1t would
take a million of the scavengers
to even seriously hamper the OPP
erations of the hoppers in the
states affected.
Hope for Hard Rain
Some of the people in this par
ticular district even are afraid to
eat eggs or drink milk for fear 1t
will be affected by the arsenic
eaten by the chickens or COW. Such
thoughts don't do credit to adult
intelligence. Arsenic Ia a quick
acting poison, and should any ami
NAL eat enough to seriously i'm
pregnate any of its by-products.
IL would he dead before it could
produce them.
The more serious and practical
minds will admit that the poison,
properly spread, seems To be about
the only thing to use at present,
but they also admit none OF II
is doing much good.
Their principal hope Is for eth
err hard rain or a great deal OF
hot-very hot-sunshine. The for
mer. particularly II there is lit
tie hail mixed with 1t, will actual
beat the little haE-grown hoppers
into the ground and kill many
more millions than any poison
could do. The latter will bring up
many green things and stimulate
the growth of the hopper, so their
wings soon will appear.
Crickets Are Feared
The argument Is that when that
time comes, they will rise In a
great cloud and fly on To the next
place. there TO continue their dep
relations. None Of them seriously
believe man can control nature.
They look for nature to bring
forth some remedy herself and
wipe out the great hordes, 30 they
will again be only the friendly
little, tobacco-spitting. mite we
used to catch when we were Kids.
Another pest they are seriously
worrying about in this part Of the
country In the Mormon cricket.
This little beast has wreaked
havoc In some parts Of Montana.
II is larger than a grasshoppsr, a
reddish brown in color, and does
not fly, but crawls along the
ground in great armies.
At one place in Montana they
had been so numerous while cross
ing a main highway that they had
made the road so slippery as TO
be dangerous for driving. When
one Is run over. others stop to
feed on the body and they in turn
will be crushed by the next car
and so on.
We might add that few miles
west OF WiIliston there is a slight
grade on the railroad. and that
last year the great freight trains
were seriously hampered and soms
even stopped by the orickets
despite the spraying Of rails with
fine sand.
Advance Guard Sighted
The Mormon cricket works much
faster than hoppers and they take
everything. even the leaves on the
trees. But, because they do not
fly, they are easier 10 control.
They crawl along the ground about
four inches apart, and eat every
green thing that comes within
reach.
But a trough Of oil will atop
them. Sometimes even a small
stream Will turn them back on
themselves, and they starye In
trying to retrsee their steps over
ground they have already covered.
They are By no means q nuts
anee in this part OF the country
as yet, but a few Of the farmers
have seen one now and then, and
usually those are Ike the outriders
OF an army. They herald the COM
ing OF the main body.
However, II something dOesn' :
happen soon and they DO come,
there won't De anything left for