78 ALFAI^PA 



THE NATIVE GRASSHOPPER 



" The fall visit of 1897 revealed the fadl that, as 

 had been brought forth by correspondence, there was 

 a species of grasshopper there which at times became 

 of some local economic importance, curtailing the yield 

 of the alfalfa around the borders of the field, sometimes 

 taking an entire field, and frequently being present in 

 numbers sufficient to prevent the formation of seed, 

 yet not in numbers great enough to destroy the forage. 

 It was noticed that these insedls deposited their eggs 

 late in the fall, about 100 in a pod, an inch below the 

 surface of the alfalfa meadow. Here these eggs winter. 

 The insedls which come from these eggs in the spring 

 are natives of the soil, and appear only upon cultivated 

 lands under given conditions — ^viz., an undisturbed 

 land for the safe retention of their eggs during the 

 winter, and an early spring food-plant for the nourish- 

 ment of the young upon their appearance. Wherever 

 these conditions exist this species of grasshopper may 

 be expedled to appear in numbers proportionate to the 

 area of the ground furnishing such conditions. 



THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN LOCUST 



" It may be well at this time, in view of the fadl 

 that there is an erroneous idea prevalent that Kansas 

 alone is subjedl to grasshoppers, to speak of the states 

 comparatively. Since whatever unfavorable comment 

 Kansas may have received has been caused by the 

 presence of the Rocky Mountain locust, I have thought 

 well to present a comparative historical table showing 

 the number of annual visits of grasshoppers to the 

 various states in the Union within the period of 1851 



