BAGGING THE GEASSHOPJPER 37 



sheet behind, drop into the pan and are killed by the 

 kerosene. 



Such a contrivance is fairly expensive and cannot be 

 worked satisfactorily on uneven ground or in crops that are 

 at all high. In India, the contrivance for catching grass- 

 hoppers which has found most general acceptance is in the 

 form of a broad bag of cheap cloth. Various different sizes 

 have been used and much diversity exists as to the amount 

 of framework used to support the bag. The size and pat- 

 tern to be used will depend largely upon the character of 

 the ground over which the bag is to be drawn. 



In the case of the Eice Grasshopper, bagging is 

 possible at two distinct periods of the grasshoppers' 

 development. Firstly, it can be done shortly after the 

 hoppers have emerged and while they are still feeding 

 almost entirely upon the bunds ; secondly, it can be 

 done after they have gone over on to the paddy. Where 

 sugar-cane is attacked, it is impossible to bag on the crop, 

 at least in Mysore,^ so in this case measures must be taken 

 before the hoppers have migrated from the grassy bunds. 



For the Rice Grasshopper, Lefroy recommends a bag 

 or net 36 feet by 7 feet weighted at one side, having ropes 

 at the bottom and a bamboo to hold on the top.^ Such a 

 bag, when open, would be at least 30 feet wide and would 

 require a number of coolies to draw it. It could, of course, 

 be used only on the paddy fields and would be a decidedly 

 awkward thing to handle. Our experience indicates that 

 the effectiveness of bagging operations depends very largely 

 upon the rapidity with which it is done. For this reason, 

 if for no other, a large bag is unsuitable. In the case of 

 the Eice Grasshopper, it seems also to be unnecessary for 

 the additional reason that bagging can be done most 

 effectively on the grassy bunds, before the hoppers have 

 gone over on to the paddy. These bunds are usually 

 comparatively narrow, rarely reaching six feet, and a com- 

 paratively small and narrow bag is the most suitable. 



Bagging w^as first attempted in November 1908, 

 therefore at a time when the grasshoppers were all adult 

 and were on the paddy. It was quite unsuccessful owing 

 to the power of flight of the adults. Practically no grass- 

 hoppers were caught. 



1 Sugar-cane is usually planted from January to March and so is quite high by the 

 time the hoppers emerge. 



'^ This bag was first devised by Mr. Stewart Stockman, of the Central Provinces, 

 vide Report on the Department of Agi-iculture, C. P., for 1901-02, p. 12. 



