6o NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



sandy situations, it very probably is of material service in destroy- 

 ing grasshoppers. 



Control work. The very successful poisoning of last year was 

 confined almost exclusively to fully developed grasshoppers and 

 it was considered advisable to determine by practical field tests, 

 the efficiency of various baits for the destruction of the young. 

 This work was done in cooperation with the State Department of 

 Agriculture and the Saratoga County Farm. Bureau. The sodium 

 arsenite mixture was prepared according to a formula recommended 

 by Prof. F. L. Washburn, state entomologist of Minnesota, which is 

 as follows: 3 pounds of sodium arsenite, i^ gallons of molasses, and 

 180 gallons of water. This preparation was applied May 27th to 

 a new seeding of clover and timothy, clover predominating, on the 

 farm of Mr Charles H. Carr of Wilton, and badly infested with 

 young grasshoppers one-fourth to one-half of an inch in length. 

 The day was cold and the insects were rather inactive. Fifteen 

 to twenty-five could easily be counted on a square foot. The 

 clover next to the road was nearly destroyed, the leaves being badly 

 ragged. The application began at about 10.35 ^■'^- and was con- 

 tinued until early afternoon, the more thickly infested portion being 

 sprayed twice, since one treatment resulted in using only about 26 

 gallons to the acre. Where possible, the spraying should be gauged 

 to apply about 50 gallons to the acre. Many of the grasshoppers 

 jimiped on the recently sprayed clover and remained apparently 

 feeding or drinking up the minute particles for several minutes 

 at a time. The mixture has a pungent molasses odor and seems 

 to be very attractive to the insects. 



An examination about i p.m. of the next day resulted in finding 

 a number of dead grasshoppers in the clover patch, especially in 

 that portion which received the two sprayings. The hoppers were 

 so small and the debris so abundant that some care was necessary 

 in order to recognize the insects. A number of sick ones were also 

 observed here and there. 



On June 2d it was found that from three-fourths to nine-tenths 

 of the young grasshoppers in that portion of the clover field which 

 had been sprayed twice, with the arsenate of soda had succumbed 

 to the poison and fewer, probably 50 per cent, had been killed in 

 the part sprayed but once. 



The arsenite of soda was also applied on the afternoon of May 27 th 

 about 4 p.m. on the margin of a sparsely grassed field where young 

 grasshoppers were very abundant. This was for the purpose of 

 testing the effect of the prep^r.^tign under totally different conditions. 



