The War on the Puyallup Hop Louse
Puyallup farmers share hard-earned lessons on crop protection, revealing the tension between 'muscle' and 'brains' in early industrial agriculture.
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Farmers around Puyallup are reporting a mixed season in the battle against the hop louse. C. W. Stewart, who attempted to cut costs by doing the work himself with 'more muscle than brains,' saw his yields plummet; he notes that if hops are worth cultivating, they are worth cultivating well. E. Bartlett, who saved his crop with quassia chips while kerosene sprays failed, emphasizes the importance of pruning leaves infested by the vermin. Bartlett claims that even yards separated by a fence or unplowed ground act as a single unit for the migration of lice, contradicting earlier academic theories about their travel distance. As warm weather sets in, the vines have gained three feet in the past week, and growers are rushing to implement these new techniques to salvage their harvests.
“Those who work upon this plan is a detriment to the hop interest in Washington in more ways than one.”
The Puyallup Valley was once one of the world's premier hop-growing regions. This story highlights the transition to scientific, labor-intensive pest management that defined early Washington agriculture and the constant battle to maintain market quality.
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