48 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



cidedly weak and would probabh^ succumb within a day or two. 

 Ten days after the demonstration was started, fully 99 per cent of 

 the pests were dead. There was a very marked contrast between 

 conditions obtaining at this time and those noted at the beginning 

 of the demonstration. The cost of the materials was estimated at 

 13 cents an acre. 



The work in this demonstration area was checked by observations 

 in other fields, particularly in one or two representative areas, and 

 it was most gratifying to note that in fields where the distribution 

 was thorough, the results were as good or nearly as good as those out- 

 lined above. The oat field of Mr E. W. Peck, located a mile west of 

 Meco, is particularly noteworthy. This was surrounded by large 

 areas of grass which had been badly infested. The hay had just 

 been cut and the grasshoppers, at the time of our examination on 

 July 17th, were drifting into the oats in large numbers. The grain 

 was luxuriant and stout and the seeding had made an excellent 

 growth. On Juty 21st poison bait was sown in this field and the 

 next day there was a heavy rain for two hours. An examination on 

 the 23d, forty-eight hours after the distribution of the bait, resulted 

 in finding a number of dead grasshoppers, and the next day three to 

 nine dead insects could easily be found in twelve inches of a grain 

 row. There was very little injury by insects either to the oats or 

 the luxuriant seeding. 



Practically as good results were obtained by a number of other 

 farmers who used the bait according to directions. A ver}^ thin 

 distribution, so scattering that it was difficult to find particles of the 

 mixture, seemed to give better results than where more of the bait 

 was used, and there was certainly much less danger of poisoning 

 birds or other larger animals. The grasshoppers, as was shown by 

 repeated observations, experienced no difficulty in locating pieces of 

 bait the size of a grain of wheat or even smaller. 



Iijuries. Serious injuries the preceding year were reported by a 

 number of indi\dduals here and there in the Gloversville section, and 

 an examination of representative areas last summer showed that the 

 pests fairly swarmed in some places and had inflicted grave losses. 

 There were certainly two hundred acres of oats, buckwheat, corn, rye 

 and other grain in the \dcinity of Gloversidlle which were either in- 

 jured or liable to be seriously injured by the grasshoppers, and con- 

 ditions obtaining here were representative of man}" other sections 

 where the pests were numerous. The grasshoppers tend to collect in 

 shelters of one kind or another and in a number of instances practically 

 defoliated berry bushes. They invaded cornfields, establishing 



