REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST I914 49 



themselves at the base of the leaves and fouling the fodder with their 

 excrement. They even ate half through corn stalks an inch or so in 

 diameter. There were a few cases observed where hunger compelled 

 the insects to gnaw most of the bark from currant bushes. 



The greatest damage was in the grain fields. Practically all the 

 leaves were eaten from the rye and the insects attacked the heads, 

 gnawing away one-fourth to two-thirds of the grain (Plate 2 , figure 2) , 

 and reducing the yield to almost nothing. Oat fields, acres in 

 extent, were invaded, the leaves stripped from the stalks and much 

 grain lost by the insects feeding upon the heads and causing a 

 shelling of from one-fourth to over half the crop. Occasionally 

 almost nothing of value would be left in the field. 



The injury to buckwheat was even more striking, most of the fields 

 being surrounded by a strip of one to three or even ten rods upon 

 which nothing green was permitted to grow. This was due to the 

 young grasshoppers invading the field and devouring every vestige 

 of the small plants so that the buckwheat was practically killed out. 

 The pests seemed unwilling or unable to leave the shelter of the tall 

 grass or hedge rows and live in the comparatively exposed buckwheat 

 field, though occasionally large areas of buckwheat were entirely 

 destroyed. The injury to this grain was apparently caused mostly 

 by the young grasshoppers, though full-grown individuals were found 

 in small numbers throughout the fields. A few typical cases of 

 injury to grass and grain are given below. 



Mr E. W. Peck has a large grass and grain farm a mile west of 

 Meco, on sandy soil. The grass crop was reduced from one-half to 

 two-thirds and possibly more, while in certain restricted areas almost 

 nothing was obtained from fields which should have produced a 

 fairly good crop. 



A. Lasher & Son have a 400 acre farm near Union Mills, some 33 

 acres being in oats, 17 in corn and 15 in buckwheat. Mr Lasher 

 stated that the yield of certain hay fields was greatly reduced ; in one 

 instance he obtained only two loads where he should have secured 

 twelve. Many other instances of similar injury could be adduced. 



Mr Frank Priester, a truck gardener of Saratoga, estimated the 

 damage from grasshoppers on 17 acres amounted to $1000, most of 

 which could have been averted by the judicious employment of a 

 poisoned bait. Market gardens near Saratoga were very seriously 

 affected, cauliflower and cabbage being destroyed, while asparagus 

 stems and branches were peeled in part by the insects. 



Mr George A. Saportus, also of Saratoga, had 30 acres of oats, 

 one-half of which was destroyed by grasshoppers. 



