The Hop Lice Menace on the Snoqualmie
As harvest approaches, farmers in the Snoqualmie Valley organize to battle an infestation threatening the region’s vital hop crop.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Tolt, June 19. The troublesome louse has made its appearance in the hop fields along the Snoqualmie River, and growers are beginning to prepare for spraying. J. Prescott has noticed some lice for several days and believes that early spraying before the vines get heavy will be the best method for checking their spread. H. Sargent reports large numbers in his field and will also begin the work of spraying in a few days. Joseph Essercy reports that as yet there are very few in his field, but that should they increase he will at once begin to spray. By early spraying, the growers believe they can stay the spread of the insect, if not squelch them altogether, before the vines get heavy.
“By early spraying the growers believe they can stay the spread of the insect, if not squelch them altogether.”
Hop farming remains a quintessential Washington industry, though today's growers face different challenges—like climate-driven water scarcity and labor shortages—rather than the persistent 'louse' that plagued the 1894 harvest. The Snoqualmie Valley still hosts productive agricultural land, continuing the century-old struggle of balancing crop viability against natural pests.
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