2l6 THE BOOK OF ALFALFA 



dogs, putting it near the mouth of the burrow in two or 

 three httle bunches. Do not put out the poison in cold 

 or stormy weather. It will keep for a considerable time, 

 and is much more effective after a cold period, as the 

 animals are then hungry and eat the grain readily. A 

 bushel of wheat should poison looo to 1200 holes. An 

 excellent substitute for the oil of anise in this formula 

 can be made by soaking two ounces of green coffee ber- 

 ries in the whites of three eggs. Let this stand for about 

 twelve hours, and use the liquid instead of anise oil." 



A tablespoonful of carbon bisulphide, upon some such 

 absorbent material as cotton, dry horse manure, or a piece 

 of corn-cob, and rolled into the burrows, is eft"ective. It 

 is best immediately to cover the hole with a sod and stamp 

 down firmly. 



GRASSHOPPERS 



Grasshoppers are a source of no little loss to alfalfa 

 growers in some parts of the West. They usually do 

 their greatest damage to the season's second crop, the 

 young not being very destructive to the first. The best 

 remedy, or rather prevention, is deep disking in April and 

 then harrowing to destroy the eggs. 



Where the pests attack or are about to attack a field 

 of alfalfa. Prof. L. Bruner, of the Nebraska station rec- 

 ommends the use of a "hopper dozer," which is "simply a 

 long, shallow pan of stove-pipe iron or galvanized iron 

 mounted on ]:unners and backed by a light frame covered 

 with cloth. The pan is about four inches deep, from 

 eighteen inches to two feet wide, and from ten to sixteen 

 feet long. It is partly filled with water and a little kero- 

 sene. A horse drags the machine across the field over 



