The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1874-10-15

of the grain was too far advanced to
be injured, and they only ate off the
blades so that when cut the stalks
were slippery. Late wheat was badly
injured, and oats were in many places
destroyed. They visited the whole Of
Colorado at the same time, but only
in groups, though in larger ones close
to the mountains, and they attacked
the oats at such critical time as to
make the crop everywhere short and
good seed scarce next Spring. Of all
the crops there is none which the
grasshoppers love better than oats,
unless it be onions. In about week
they all left, when the wheat was har-
vested and hopes were high, but in
less than ten days another gang came,
and they undertook to finish the oats.
Machines were put in Immediately,
when they attacked the corn, of which
we had a large breadth exceedingly
promising. After working at it a
few days they seemed to have received
orders to start ON their travels, and
they all took wing, and everybody re-
joiced again. But about noon one
day the light began to fade little,
and on looking up the grasshoppers
were seen some 500 feet high, millions
and millions and millions, going
southeast, which made us pity those
whom they would visit; but soon a
small portion came down, and in a
twinkling they covered gardens and
fields, though they were not what we
called thick, The next day as many
more came, and we had them good,
if that is the word, or bad, if one likes
it better. They were tired and in
need of rest, which they took; but
next morning bright and early, not
withstanding it was Sunday, they
went to work in earnest. I thought
l had seen them thick before, and
that I knew something about them,
but they were new revelation this
time. They worked expeditiouslv
all through the valley, and those who
had cabbage patches of a few hundred
heads at breakfast, had none when the
bell rang for church; celery disap-
peared, and the currant and goose
berry bushes looked as though there
had been heavy frost. Before night
much of the sweet corn was gone and
the whole stock of the women's flow
ers, verbenas, gladiolas, pinks, and
the like were wiped away. Still some
things they did not touch, and among
these were roses and phlox. Beets IN
the field were riddled, and pie-plant
was eaten in part by the acre, howev-
er poisonous Scion Robinson's oxolic
acid in it may be. By Tuesday they
had made such Roadway in cornfelds
that all who could cut it and put it
in stocks, and even then they kept
chewing so badlyth one man hauled
his into the barn. Twenty or thirty
grasshoppers, or as many as could
get around, would attack an ear and
gnaw deep among the husks. If the
corn had been planted by the middle
of May it was we'll glazed and they
could do little more damage than eat
off the blades if in the milk they
ate it as readily as COWS would. The
leaves Of apple and pear trees disap-
peared, but those of cherries, plums,
and peaches they did not touch, nor
did they interfere with Strawberries
or blackberries, but raspberry bushes
were made desolate. Meanwhile they
were delighted to get into the house,
especially into the parlor, and took
fancy to lace curtains. When night
came, all who could, got into the
trees to roost. I have cottonwood,
ash, maple and other trees, from 10
to 20 feet high, with limbs from an
inch to two inches in diameter, in all
over 100 around the house, and so
many grasshoppers were on these
trees that the branches bent down
from ten to fifteen inches. Of course,
the prospects were dark, for we ex-
pected them to stay and lay eggs
which would hatch next Spring.
However, it was noticed on Wednes-
day that they were not quite so thick !;
on Thursday there were certainly
fewer, and they continued to leave
gradually. I have stated what they
would eat and what they would not,
but our experience in former vista
ton was to the effect that if they STAY
few weeks there is nothing green
they will not devour. They will
even get into ripe Hubbard squashes
and into watermelons and DESTROY
them.
We are beginning to have little
grasshopper knowledge, and the more
we know the less we fear; but what
we do fear is enough. If they come
before the middle Of September they
are not likely to stay, nor to lay eggs.
They seem to lay their eggs where
they die, which they do late in No.
vembcr. If they are on their travels
they do not reach us until early
wheat and corn are so far advanced
"a to he bevond their ahi1;tv tn do