WEBSTER: GRASSHOPPER CONTROL 



529 



plied per acre. This was puzzling for a considerable time until it was 

 learned that the failure was largely due to the drying out of the baits 

 before the grasshoppers had been attracted to and eaten sufficient of 

 them to be killed from the effects of the poison. This difficulty was 

 eliminated by placing the baits in the fields in the early morning, 

 before sunrise, so that the insects as they began to feed would be at- 

 tracted by and feed upon the poison. Mr. Smith's work in New Eng- 

 land has demonstrated that, over large areas, the experiments in some 

 cases covering six or seven hundred acres, the results were the destruc- 

 tion of 95 per cent of the grasshoppers at an expense of from seven to 

 thirteen cents per acre. With the Criddle mixture, 80 per cent of the 

 full-grown grasshoppers were killed over the entire area of 30 acres at an 

 expense of 6J cents per acre. 



As illustrating the actual results of the use of these poison baits, it 

 may be stated that on a farm near Franklin, N. H., two applications 

 of the poison bran bait resulted, in certain places, in as high as 550 dead 

 grasshoppers in the space of a square foot. Furthermore, some of 

 this work was carried on in pastures where valuable cattle were 

 continuously grazing and in no instance did any domestic animal 

 or bird suffer the least ill effects, so far as could be observed. 

 During the first week of the following September over these treated 

 fields there was not to be found on an average one individual to the 

 square rod. 



During the last few years many complaints have been received of 

 attacks of grasshoppers in Florida and recommendations involving the 

 use of these poison baits usually resulted unsatisfactorily, wherever 

 results were reported at all. The species involved was the large ^'luh- 

 ber" grasshopper, Romalea microptera. Farmers in many sections 

 became discouraged and were convinced that these poison baits could 

 not be used effectively against this pest. Mr. R. N. Wilson, in 

 charge of the field station at Gainesville, Fla., took up the work of 

 determining the cause of such failures. While the actual cause of 

 these failures was not determined, it was learned by actual experiments 

 that the poison bran bait, properly prepared and apphed would work 

 thoroughly and effectively in destroying these grasshoppers. After 

 carrying out a series of experiments, Mr. Wilson induced five farmers 

 in the vicinity of Fellsmere, Fla., to make careful observations during 

 the following two or three days, and report results. As reported to 

 him, this bait not only attracted the grasshoppers, but killed at least 

 50 per cent within twelve hours, while these farmers, by placing the 

 grasshoppers in confinement after their having fed on the poison, 

 found that all died within 48 hours. The result of the experiment 

 among the farmers was that, as expressed by one of them: ''We now 



