56 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



be at the back a light canvas or oilcloth shield two to three feet high 

 and held in place by braces. Runners are provided at each end, and 

 in the case of the larger hopperdozers, several in between, the height 

 of these varying from two to eight or ten inches according to the crop 

 to be protected and the age of the insects to be captured. The oil 

 quickly kills the pests and the collected grasshoppers should be re- 

 moved as soon as the pans are well filled and more kerosene and 

 water added, if necessary. The hopperdozer is particularly valuable 

 in places where it is inadvisable to use poisoned baits. 



Poisoned baits. This is one of the most effective and cheapest 

 methods of destroying grasshoppers, especially after they have be- 

 come nearly full grown. One great advantage of the poisoned bait 

 is that under ordinary conditions it may remain effective for a week 

 or ten days, killing insects most of the time and occasionally destroy- 

 ing others, because hungry grasshoppers have not hesitated to devour 

 the remains of their dead associates. The very effective poi- 

 soned bait, mentioned above, is composed of 20 pounds of bran, i 

 pound of Paris green, 2 quarts of cheap syrup, 3 oranges or lemons 

 and 3 1 gallons of water. The bran and Paris green are thoroughly 

 mixed while dry and if large quantities are to be used, it is important 

 that the men preparing this protect the nostrils with a moistened 

 sponge and avoid breathing the poisoned dust so far as practical. 

 The juice of the lemons or oranges should be squeezed into the water 

 and the remaining pulp and peel chopped fine and put in the water 

 and the syrup added. The poisoned bran is then well dampened or 

 mixed with this liquid. The addition of the lemons or oranges 

 appears to increase materially the attractiveness of the bait. The 

 mixture as prepared is moist and sufficiently mealy so that it can be 

 sown broadcast in a field. The quantities given above are suf- 

 ficient for five acres. It should be distributed preferably early in 

 the morning and sown in as small particles as possible in order to 

 secure the greatest efficiency and at the same time lessen the danger 

 of poisoning birds and other animals. 



The Criddle mixture is composed of Paris green i part, salt 2 parts, 

 and horse droppings (preferably fresh) 35 to 40 parts by measure. 

 It should be thoroughly mixed with enough water to make a soft 

 though not sloppy paste and then distributed throughout the infested 

 field. This was tried in some portions of the grasshopper-infested 

 region and reported nearly as effective as the poisoned bait given 

 above. 



These poisoned baits are relatively cheap, the first named costing 

 for materials and application only about 30 cents an acre. It is 



