40 



THE APPLE LEAF HOPPER 



Fig. 21. Striped ground 

 cricket, jyeniobius fax- 

 ciatus vur. vittatux. 



If the farmer ])refers. or if the grasshoppers 

 have become too large to treat in this way, the 

 hopperdozer. so fully described above, may be 

 made use of, or recourse may be had to a poisoned 

 bait, the so-called Criddle ^Mixture, which is herein 

 described. 



It is interesting to note that at this date (Sept. 

 18, 1908) the state press is quoting the entomolo- 

 gist as predicting a "grasshopper plague" next year. 

 This is somewhat of an exaggeration, for there are 

 no indications at date of writing to promise that, 

 yet it has been our experience here in Minnesota 

 that when our native forms, especially the Lesser 

 Migratory Locust, M. atlanis, get very abundant, 

 they cause locally great loss, and it is to prevent 

 this that we are sounding the alx)ve warning. 

 Should we ever be so unfortunate as to have a visi- 

 tation from the Rocky Mountain Locust, such as 

 we experienced in the '70s, they would, the first year, probably come 

 upon us in enormous winged swarms, attacking and devouring every- 

 thing green, and calling for most strenuous work on the part of the 

 farmer, aided l)y state help. Should this devouring host deposit eggs 

 here, as it doubtless would, the methods of protection for the farmer 

 to follow are as outlined above. 



In this connection the following clipping from the October 1st 

 issue of Wlieelock's Weekly (Fergus Falls) is significant: 



"Marine, Minn., Sept. 23. — A small shower of grasshoppers passed over 

 on the afternoon of the 17th; some alighted. It caused some of the people 

 to repeat some of their old-time grasshopper experiences, which to some 

 sounded a little fishy, but nevertheless are quite true." 



The following letter from Prof. Jensen is interesting, recording, 

 as it does, a beneficial characteristic of one of our common crickets: 



Eagle Bend, .Alinn., Sept. 23, 1908. 

 Dear Sir: — 



While engaged in entomological studies a little north of Eagle Bend 

 I noticed a female Striped Ground Cricket, Ncmobius fasciatus form vit- 

 tatus, very busy digging a hole on a bare spot. I watched it for some 

 time and meanwhile found two other females near by engaged in the 

 same occupation. After about ten minutes one of them had reached some- 

 thing that it began to eat, biting out piece after piece and finally pulling 

 out what proved to be the remainder of a locust egg. The cricket held this 

 and kept on eating from il uiUil I caught it. 



