New-York tribune., 1874-07-24
THE GRAssHOPPER PEST.
REPORTS OF THE DEVASTATION GREATLY
EXAGGERATED.


.s EXAGGERATED.
TIE CROP IN NO COUNTY OF MINNESOTA ENTIRELY
DESTROYED PROBABILITY THAT THERE WILL
BE AS MUCH WHEAT TO SELL THIS YEAR As LAST
THE REGION VISITED BY THE LoCUsTS-How
THE "HOPPRRsp y Go ABOUT THEIR woRK-RAV-
AGES IN THE FLAX FIELDS.
IFRoM TIE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT oP THE TRIBUsR.l
ST. JAMES Watonwau Co., Minn.. July - Inc
cows have long horns great way of" is hoineV
New England proverb. as true on the Minnesota
frontier as on Yankee farm. " The wheat crop Oh
Minnesota has been DESTROYED by grasshoppers" was
tho doleful story that heard in Washington, to
Justify the prayer of Gov. Davis for AID from the
United States Government to save the people OF TINS
stricken region from starvation. Hall the
State is oyerruu," said the Chicago and
Milwaukee wheat t-traders, but whether they be-
lieved it or were attempting to Duli" the
market did not ascertain. "One-twehth OF the
wheat crop is gone" says The 81. Paul Press, desr-
ing to remove misapprehension and TO correct eX-
acgerated reports. The actual fact IS That In no
one Of the dozen counties invaded by locusts has
the crop been entirely destroyed. In some town.
ships twothirds of a crop of wheat. flax, and corn
will be gathered, in others half, in some enough
for bread and seed; while upon few farms every
thing in absolutely destroyed. But the whole crop
of this region is not One-twentieth OF that In the
State, and the present promise is that Minnesota
will have as much wheat to sell this year as she did
last when the surplus crop, after saving enough 10
feed her own people aud for seed, was about
25,0O0,0O0 bushels
THE REGION RAvAGED
The region of the State visited by the grasshop-
pers this year comprises about a dozen counties IN
the southwestern of Minnesota, lying almost
entirely west of the Minnesota and Blue Earth
Rivers, and penetrated by the st. Paul and Sioux
City and Winona and st. Peter Railroads. 1t is
rich rolling prairie traversed by frequent streams
and dotted here and there with beautiful clear water
lakes but is entirely destitute of timber except I'D
the river bottoms and the borders of the lakes.
-Four years ago there no settlers here except
few hardy pioneers who pushed out from the from
tier the year before and preGmped lands under the
provisions of our Homestead laws, and even they
were so widely scattered that from the little hills on
which they generally built they rarely able to
see the sbanty of their nearest nelghbors. With the
completion of the railroads a tide of immigration
set in from Sweden and Norway and from the Older
States to the East aud now all the land within the
railroad limit and granted to those corporations
has been absorbed although very small part of it
is as yet under cultivation. Large tracts of the
prairie are held by spectators who have either
proved up on an eighty" and then gone elsewhere
to repeat the operation, or have bought out the
rights of the original precmptors, and are now max
ing no improvements. Even the land held by actual
settlers is probably not one-fOurth yet broken up.
Such is the character of the country IN Minnesota
which the locuss have this year invaded-a country
which despite the length and severity Of liz Winters
will eventually yield the palm to none in the pro-
ducion of wheat and flax, and is sure within few
years, to be converted into valuable farms. But like
other new countries, Southwestern Minnesota has
met with great calamites. Two years ago the crops
were full of PROMISE when terrific hail-storm
passed these counties and destroyed them in an
hour. Enough grain was saved for bread ana seed,
but very few of the farmers had much to sell Many
of them mOrtgaged their places and began again.
PRIvATIoNs OF THE FARMERS.
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 hatched.
Those who still saved enough for bread and seed, or
whose means were not exhausted, prepared their
ground for another crop and by the stricest economy
lived through the Winter; Others were dependent
upon charity for food and seed and many who could
not get wheat borrowed faxseed from the Mankato
Oil Company. In the fields that were devastated
last year the "hoppers" hatched out this Spring by
the millions and destroyed the young grain before
they developed their wings, and before the wheat
was foot high then, having grown fat and strong
on the tender crops they mounted in the air in
clouds and have since settled upon and greatly in
ured or destroyed nearly every field that was before
untouched.
ST. James is village not quite four years DID, just
half way between ST. Paul and Sioux City, and at
the point where the two divisions Of the st. Paul
and Sioux CITY Railroad come together 1t is about
20 miles south of the northern limit of the grasshop
per invasion and is the best point In this section
from which to observe their rayages and study their
habits. / arrived here on Saturday, and in the af-
ternoon drove out upon the prairie about eight or
ten miles in a south easterly direction from the
railroad. Ipassed through in that distance about
dozen farms all OF which had been attacked by the
lOcusts.
TACTICS OF TIE LOCUsTs.
The first field visited contained about l30 acres of
wheat. The crop OH this field had been partially
DESTROYED last year, and the locusts then deposited
some of their eggs upon it. The grain came up this
year very thick and thrifty and although the young
ocuss stripped off nearly all of the tender leaves
from the stalks they did not attack the heads of the
wheat until the berry well formed. Then they
came in a cloud and covered the field, and in a few
days had entirely destroyed it. Looking over the
field from the road it appeared as though light
crop of grain might be gathered from it; but on
walking into the lot and examining the heads of the
wheat found that there was no grain there. When
the locusts attacked this field they in such great
numbers that from three to five, and in some cases
six OF seven, alighted each stalk If there were
any green leaves left they ate those first and then
attacked the head. The lower grains of the heads,
which are the largest and the best of the wheat,
they generally devoured husk and all. As they
worked up and their hunger became satisfied they
seemed to penetrate the husk land take ont the
berry, very rarely leaving single grain of wheat in
the head. This field, the owner assured me, had the
"hoppers" let it alone would have yielded more
4I.., fhiulc 10 LIZ