14 GRASSHOPPERS IN GENERAL. 



been disturbed for more than two years past. The previous cultiva- 

 tion had left the alfalfa as a food not only for the cattle, but for the 

 native grasshopper, which flourished undisturbed. Returning by an- 

 other route, and going out east of town, we found the damage nowhere 

 general, but all alfalfa fields showed the effects of grasshoppers in 

 places. 



HAMILTON COUNTY. Being also requested to visit Hamilton county, 

 I went there upon the 18th of July. Mr. C. M. Humphrey, county 

 treasurer, being aware of ray coming, took me to a number of farms 

 in the vicinity of Syracuse. While in his office I met Hon. Thomas 

 H. Ford, who gave me a cordial invitation to accompany him home to 

 his ranch, about five miles east of Syracuse. Having been previously 

 informed that he was one of the largest alfalfa growers in the county, I 

 readily accepted. On our way out we observed grasshoppers glisten- 

 ing, as Mr. Ford termed it, from the tops of the alfalfa stalks grow- 

 ing in fields adjoining the road. I walked through all of these fields, to 

 make sure of the species most prevalent, and in every case found the 

 Differential Locust by far the most numerous. In one corner of a field, 

 comprising less than an acre, I found a fungous disease, Empusa 

 gr'dli, at work. Here were goodly numbers of locusts clinging in 

 the tops of the alfalfa stalks. I was much interested here, as this 

 was the first time I had observed the disease this season. Upon 

 reaching Mr. Ford's place, I was told the grasshoppers had been so 

 bad that he saw the only way to save so large a crop of alfalfa was to 

 cut it all down as fast as possible. Accordingly, at that time the 

 whole alfalfa crop more than 400 acres in all was either in the 

 windrow, swath, or shock, except a small piece that he had allowed 

 to remain, hoping to secure seed. His young orchard was being 

 rapidly stripped by the grasshoppers which had been driven out of 

 the alfalfa. His neighbor on the east, Mr. Price, was also suffer- 

 ing a great loss of peaches in satisfying the appetites of these 

 creatures. Here was the first time I had had the opportunity to 

 observe the work of the locusts in the irrigated districts. Former 

 reports have stated that these native locusts deposit their eggs along 

 the irrigating ditches, and that along these the damage is the great- 

 est. My own observation, and the testimony of all the farmers con- 

 sulted, did not bear out the above facts. On the contrary, the most 

 luxuriant growth of alfalfa is on the sides of the ditches. Many of 

 the farmers here were of the opinion that these locusts come down 

 from the prairies. I mention this fact here, because in my subse- 

 quent investigations I gave this point special attention. Before leav- 

 ing the subject of Hamilton county, I might state that I returned two 

 weeks later to observe the action of the fungus disease, Empusa 



