﻿129 
  — 
  

  

  The 
  young 
  of 
  both 
  families 
  differ 
  from 
  adults 
  principally 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  

   of 
  developed 
  wings. 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  of 
  our 
  grasshoppers 
  hatch 
  in 
  fall 
  and 
  become 
  full 
  grown 
  in 
  

   spring. 
  Most 
  of 
  them, 
  including 
  all 
  those 
  really 
  injurious 
  to 
  beets, 
  pass 
  

   the 
  winter 
  in 
  the 
  egg, 
  and, 
  hatching 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  undergo 
  their 
  succes- 
  

   sive 
  molts 
  during 
  the 
  summer, 
  and 
  reach 
  the 
  winged 
  stage 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  summer 
  and 
  early 
  fall. 
  Most 
  of 
  these 
  summer 
  species 
  con- 
  

   tinue 
  to 
  feed 
  until 
  cold 
  weather 
  closes 
  their 
  career. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  general 
  rule, 
  whenever 
  grasshoppers 
  are 
  destructively 
  abun- 
  

   dant 
  one 
  year 
  they 
  are 
  present 
  for 
  some 
  years 
  following 
  in 
  insignificant 
  

   numbers 
  only, 
  a 
  fact 
  explained 
  by 
  the 
  numbers 
  and 
  powers 
  of 
  reproduc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  their 
  parasites 
  and 
  other 
  enemies. 
  Late 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  adults 
  are 
  

   often 
  seen 
  with 
  small, 
  bright 
  red, 
  egg-like 
  bodies 
  attached 
  at 
  the 
  bases 
  

   of 
  the 
  wings, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  elsewhere 
  on 
  the 
  body. 
  These 
  are 
  para- 
  

   sitic 
  mites, 
  which, 
  like 
  ticks, 
  suck 
  the 
  blood 
  of 
  their 
  insect 
  host 
  in 
  the 
  

   fall, 
  and, 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  spring, 
  after 
  undergoing 
  a 
  striking 
  metamor- 
  

   phosis, 
  devour 
  the 
  egg 
  masses 
  of 
  the 
  grasshoppers 
  in 
  the 
  ground. 
  Long 
  

   thread-like, 
  milk-white 
  hairworms 
  {Me?-mis) 
  are 
  often 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  abdo- 
  

   mens 
  of 
  grasshoppers, 
  living 
  there 
  as 
  internal 
  parasites, 
  and 
  escaping 
  

   after 
  maturity 
  to 
  enter 
  the 
  earth, 
  where 
  they 
  pass 
  the 
  winter, 
  pair, 
  and 
  

   produce 
  myriads 
  of 
  eggs 
  the 
  following 
  spring. 
  The 
  young 
  from 
  these 
  

   infest 
  the 
  grasshoppers 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  and 
  assist 
  greatly 
  in 
  the 
  reduction 
  

   of 
  any 
  excess 
  of 
  numbers. 
  Larvge 
  of 
  a 
  Tachina 
  fly 
  often 
  occur 
  within 
  

   the 
  body 
  when 
  grasshoppers 
  are 
  very 
  numerous, 
  and 
  every 
  specimen 
  so 
  

   infested 
  perishes 
  before 
  reproducing. 
  Deadly 
  fungus 
  parasites 
  also 
  infest 
  

   and 
  kill 
  them, 
  and 
  larvre 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  blister-beetles 
  devour 
  their 
  

   eggs 
  in 
  the 
  earth. 
  

  

  If 
  injuries 
  by 
  grasshoppers 
  reach 
  a 
  stage 
  or 
  threaten 
  a 
  result 
  

   which 
  calls 
  for 
  treatment 
  in 
  the 
  beet 
  field 
  their 
  numbers 
  may 
  best 
  be 
  

   reduced 
  by 
  poisons 
  mixed 
  with 
  bran 
  mash. 
  For 
  this 
  purpose 
  stir 
  thor- 
  

   oughly 
  five 
  pounds 
  of 
  arsenic 
  into 
  half 
  a 
  barrel 
  of 
  bran 
  (or 
  in 
  this 
  ratio 
  

   for 
  smaller 
  quantities), 
  dissolve 
  in 
  a 
  pail 
  of 
  water 
  an 
  amount 
  of 
  sugar 
  

   equal 
  in 
  weight 
  to 
  the 
  arsenic, 
  and 
  stir 
  the 
  sweetened 
  water 
  into 
  the 
  

   bran, 
  adding 
  more 
  water, 
  as 
  necessary, 
  until 
  a 
  good 
  mash 
  is 
  made. 
  

   This 
  should 
  then 
  be 
  distributed 
  in 
  handfuls 
  to 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  field 
  in- 
  

   fested 
  by 
  grasshoppers, 
  which 
  will 
  prefer 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  beet 
  itself, 
  for 
  which, 
  

   indeed, 
  they 
  have 
  no 
  very 
  eager 
  appetite. 
  Injuries 
  by 
  invasion 
  from 
  

   without 
  should, 
  however, 
  be 
  prevented 
  when 
  practicable 
  by 
  watching 
  

   adjacent 
  grass 
  lands, 
  and, 
  if 
  grasshoppers 
  appear 
  on 
  them 
  in 
  unusual 
  

   numbers, 
  by 
  using 
  the 
  so-called 
  " 
  hopperdozer 
  " 
  for 
  their 
  destruction, 
  

   according 
  to 
  methods 
  frequently 
  published 
  and 
  generally 
  well 
  known. 
  

   Spring 
  plowing 
  of 
  grass-lands 
  and 
  their 
  subsequent 
  treatment 
  with 
  the 
  

   disc 
  harrow 
  will 
  effectually 
  destroy 
  the 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  earth. 
  

  

  The 
  common 
  short-horned 
  grasshoppers 
  {^A 
  crididcB) 
  are 
  thicker 
  

  

  