The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-07-28
TIE GRAssHoPPER PLAGUE.
THE EXTENT OF RAyAGEs.


THE EXTENT OF RAVAGES.
THE REPORTS OF DEVASTATION ExAGGERA-
TED-THE CROP OF NO COUNTY ENTIRELY
DESrRoYED-THE METHOD OF FEEDING.
A special correspondent of the New York
Tribune writing from st. James, Watonwau,
Mimi. on the 10th instant, gives careful
resume of the extent and character Of the IN
sect ravages in that State: '"The cows have
long horns great way of, is homely
New England proverb, as true on the Min
nesota frontier on Yankee farm. 1.-THE
wheat crop of Minnesota has been destroyed
by grasshoppers" was the doleful story that
II heard in Washington, to justify the prayer
of Gov. Davis for aid from the United States
government to save the people Of this strick-
en- region from starvation. "Haif the State
is oyerrun," said the Chicago and Milwau-
kee wheat-traders. but whether they be-
lieved IL or were attempting to "bulI' the
market did not ascertain. "One-twelfth OF
the wheat crop is gone" says the st. Paul
Press, desiring to remove misapprehen-
sion and to correct exaggerated reports.
The actual fact is that in no one of
the dozen counties invaded by lOcusts has
the crop been entirely destroyed. In some
townships two-thirds of n crop of wheat,
max aud corn will be gathered, in others
half. in some enough for bread and seed
while upon few farms everything is abso-
lutely destroy ed. But the whole crop of
this region is not one-twentieth Of that in
the State, and the present promise is that
Afinnessta will have as much wheat
to sell this year as she did
last. when the surplus crop. after saving
enough to feed her own people and for seed,
was about 2, 600, 900 bushels. The region OF
the State visited by the grasshoppers this
year comprises about dozen counties in
the southwestern corner of Minnesota, lying
almost entirely west Of the Minnesota
and Blue Earth Rivers, and penetrated
by the st. Paul & Sioux City and
Winona Il st. Peter Railroads. 1t Is
RICH, ROLLING PRAIRIE,
trayersed by frequent streams and dotted
here and there with beautiful clear water
lakes, but Is entirely destitute of timber ex-
ceps in the river bottoms and on the borders
OF the lakes. -Four years ago there was no
settlers here except few hardy pioneers
who pushed out from the frontier the year
before and preempted land under the pro-
visions of our homestead laws, and even
they were so widely scattered that from the
little hills on which they generally built they
were rarely able to see the shantv of their
nearest neigh bors. Even the land held by
actual settlers is probably not one-fourth
vet broken up. Such is the character of the
country in Minnesota which the lOcusts
have this year invaded country which
despite the length and severity of its win
ters will eventually yield the palm TO none
I'm the production of wheat and fax, and is
sure, within a few years, TO be converted
into valuable farms. But like other new
countries, Southwestern Minnesota has met
with great calamities. Two years ago crops
were full of promise, when terrific hail
storm passed over these counties and de-
stroyed them IN an hour. Enough grain
was saved for bread and seed. but very few
OF the farmers had much to sell. Many of
them mortgaged their places and began
again. Last year the locusts came down
upon the fields and stripped many of them
clean, and laid the eggs from which this
years pests have been Matched. Those who
still saved enough for bread and seed, or
whose means were not exhausted, prepared
their ground for another crop, and by the
strictest economy lived through the winter
others were dependent upon charity for
food and seed. and many who could not get
wheat borrowed haxseed from the Mankato
Oil Company. st. James is a village not
quite tour years old. just halt way between
st. Paul and Sioux City. and at the point
where the two divisions OF the st. Paul &
Sioux City Railroad come together. IL is
about 20 miles south of the northern limit
of the grasshopper invasion, and is the best
point in This section from which to
OBSERVE THEIR RAvAaEs
and study their habits. 1 arrived here CT
Saturday, and In the afternoon drove out
upon the prairie about eight or ten miles In
= southeasterly direction from the railroad
passed through in that distance about {
dozsn farms, all of which had been attacked
hv the locusts. The first field [ visited con
tanned about 1870 acres of wheat. The crop
on this field had been partially destroyed
last year, and the .Ocnsts then deposited
some of their eggs upon it. The grain came
up his year very thick and thrifty, and
although the young locusts stripped of
nearly all of the tender leaves from The
stalks, th5y did not attack the heads of the
wheat until the berry was we'll formed
Then they came in cloud and covered the
field, and in few days had entirely des
troyed it. Looking over the field from
the road it appeared as though Ugh
crop of grain might be gathered from it bu
on walking into the lot and examining th'
heads of the wheat found that there was M
grain there. When the locusts attacked thi:
field they came in such great numbers tina
from three TO five, and in some cases six o.
seven, akghted on each stalk. If there wer'
any green leaves left they ate those first anC
then attacked the head. The lower grain
ofthe heads, which are the largest and ar
y0ured husk and all. AS they worked III
and their hunger became satisfied the,
seemed TO penetrate the husk and take on
the berry, very rarely leaving single grail
of wheat in the head. This field, the owne
assured me, had the choppers" let
alone, would have yielded more than al
average crop. don't think there Is left
bushel of wheat to the acre. The owne
will not cut 1t at all. On the same farm
there had been planted a few acres of corr
and potatoes. or the former the locusts ha,
destroyed about one-half, and from the lat
ter they had eaten q portion of the leaves
which had, however, since they left, begun
Tn ~ q w
secured. Garden vegetables of every kin,
were utterly destroyed. The next farm
visited was about two miles further from St
James, contained several hundred acres, an
was very well subdued when we conside
that it has been broken uponly three or fou
years. On this farm / saw th
hrss field Of wheat that mad bee