The alfalfa bbnepited 8i 



habits of insedls required the observer's presence in the 

 early morning and the late evening. And, further, it 

 was found that with the field-station located in this 

 way it was more readily accessible to the farmers 

 in the vicinity. These farmers made frequent visits 

 to our camp, always with inquiries, and with an evi- 

 dent desire to profit by the investigations under way. 



THE ALFALFA BENEFITED 



" On the 23d of July the first crop of alfalfa upon 

 this experimental quarter-section was cut, and photo- 

 graphs taken, both of the standing forage and of the 

 hay in swath and windrow. The average hight of 

 the stalks was twenty-nine inches, stalks of extreme 

 length being found thirty-three inches. The yield of 

 this first crop was one and one-fourth tons per acre. 

 The grasshoppers had not appeared. Not only had 

 they disappeared, but the native grasses which threat- 

 ened to reclaim the land were likewise eliminated. 

 Two quarter-sections of alfalfa land not far removed 

 from this spot were rendered pradlically worthless by 

 the presence of large numbers of grasshoppers through- 

 out the growing season. 



' ' The results thus far, to say the least, were grati- 

 fying. The practical benefits derived from this cuU 

 ture, however, were more emphatically expressed upon 

 the appearance of the second crop, which matured, 

 indisturbed by grasshoppers, .some ten days earlier 

 than adjoining meadows, and bearing stalks of extreme 

 length of thirty-two inches; average length, twenty- 

 eight inches. The average yield of this crop was one 

 ton per acre. At the close of this season of 1898 I 

 thought it well to have a statement of the comparative 



