The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-07-10
The Insect War on the Western
Crops.

The recent reports of vast swarms of
grasshoppers in the grain growing
states of the northwest are of alarming
interest, and the inquiry comes. Is
there no remedy? The eminent Amer
lean astronomer, DIR. B. A. Gonld
writing from his observatory at Cor.
doVa In the Argentine Confederation.
last fall, reported enormous numbers of
grasshoppers then frequenting that
part of South Americ,. One train of
them he computed to be five miles in
width, literally darkening the sun, and
borne northward in a dense band NOT
less than two thousand feet thick. They
were evidently drifted in a strong trade
wind blowing along the Andean Sierras.
and appeared to be entirely at the mer-
cy OF the wind. Is it possible that as
the winter of the southern hemisphere
closed, these rowing clouds of grain
destroying insects have migrated. with
the spring, across the equator and en-
tered the western states The question.
however preposterous it may be at first
sound, 1t is not SO easy to dispose of.
Whatever answer we may give, the OBJ
servatlons of DIR. Gould show. at anv
rate, congeniality of the soil and eli
mate occupied by these dangerous in.
sects IN both hemispheres. The Aroen-
tine republic, lying under the shadow
OF the Andes, with its undulating. tree
less pampas, swept by the bowling pam
peros OF westerly mountain winds, cor
responds precis ly with the geograpb.
zeal prairie belt III the United States.
swept by the Rocky mountain winds
and subjected to great themometric
extremes. This striking fact may prove
suggestive of the conditions under
winch these insect armies breed, and.
II the h1nt is pursued by the sagacious
ana scientific agriculturist, NAV lead
to some method of predicting OF pre- |
venting their ruinous invasions.
The habits and haunts of such in
scots are of national importance to de-
termlne and make known, for they Of |
ten threaten national famine. The Col
1rado beetle, whose true domicile is the
ROCKY Mountains, where it feeds on a
species OF wild potato, had, in 1859.
advanced eastward only as far as Omaha
leaving behind it furnishing colonies.
I entered Iowa in 1861, and crossed
he Mississippi into Illinois in 1865.
eachlng Canada and New England bv
low marches in 1870. 1t is said that
Is passage across the Atlantic is a mere
question of time, if it has not ALREADY
'een effected. 1t it enters Europe a, d
nds there congenial home the potato
roP and garden crops generally must
utter immense depredations. But we
efer to the subject of these insect raw
ges on grain and garden crops TO show
ne necessity for some corrective. 1t is
lcredlole that well directed and patient
lvestigation of agricultural scientists !
an supply no remedial agent, or de-
Use no method of destroyingthe Young
lille in the ground. The, invasion of j
leh, swarms of grasshoppers as DIR.
'ou1d Ie1surefy observed for two DAYS
yer the arid plains of La Plata it NAV 6
Deyound human power TO deal with. t
ut not so the ordinary bands which
le Ill the soil in the Western winter
al terminate witheethe warmth of c
,rlng. Cannot some relief measure c
provided by the original investioa- t
RS of agricultural science? = NeslO e
oTk Herald. " t