Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-07-23

the State They alighted upon one
wheat fell of 500 acres, and left hard
" stalk. 1t IS supposed that Cover
nor Davis will convene the Minnesota
Legislature in order to give relief to
the destitute. Already 5000 people
are reported to be without subsistence.
If the grasshoppers should clean out
the vegetation from belt of country
sixty miles in width and four hundr ID
miles in length, it would be an area of
nearly $4,000 square miles, or more
than one-third of the whole State. Of
course there will be large sections in
this belt which will not be eaten over,
for the grasshoppers, when dying, pass
over many farms before they alight
again; but where they do alight, every
thing is devoured.
SUNsTRoKE Upon TREEs.-The
Chicago Journal gives a remarkable
case Of some cherry trees belonging to
Mr.. Adolph Vieser, of Lake View,
which seemed actually to have be&
sunstruck. Two Of his largest and
best trees stood near a high board
fence, whore they were exposed to the
full force of the suns rays Both
were very thrifty and bore bountiful
crop of cherries, nearly ripe. The
journal says:
On Sunday afternoon, when the
heat was very intense, Mr.. Vieser was
standing for moment near those trees
when suddenly he heard a strange
noise, as if cansed by the splitting of
wood or bark above his head. Look
ing upward he witnessed the most as
tonishing freak Of nature he had ever
met with. The bark covering those
trees began to peel off at the tops,
curling down along the trunk and
limbs, until it reached the ground, and
leaving the tIees as naked and barren
as though they had been riven by the
lightning's bolt. Bark, leaves and
cherries were all stripped off, and laid
a promiscuous mass of ruins upon the
parched earth surrounding the desOlate
trunks. The process occupied but
three or four seconds, and as soon as
he could recover from his astonishment,
Mr.. Vieser made a thorough examina-
tionsof the trees. The ruin was com
plete. He found the trunks, limbs,
twIgs, leaves and fruit perfectly dead.
They had literally died Of sunstroke
THE CLOSE Of the fiscal year brings
with it a July &c statement auspic.-
Gus enough to add not a little to the
enthusiasm Of those patriots who will,
to-day crate in the cities Of the T. S.
upor A eri, an Independence, and the
material progress Of the American
Union. Ten months ago, when the
country was in the throes Of panic, it
was freely predicted that the receipts
Of the government would fall far short
Of its expenditures; that dropping bust
mes would be oppressed by still further
taxation; and that the close of the ifs
cal year would exhibit a condition of
the national finances at once deplora-
BILE and disheartening. Instead of all
this, the national balance sheet, on
July LIST, shows an excess of receipts
over expenditures, Of 81. $40, 600 du-
ring the year. The refunding OF 6 per
cent. bonds has amounted to $1.158, :
coo. There seems every reason to be-
heve that the remaining 5 per cent.
bonds can all be proftabIy negotiated
! during the com ng fiscal year We are
glad to notice that Secretary B.i5tow,
thus early in his management Of the
Treasury, has requested bids of the
prominent bankers Of the country for
the negotiation OF these new fves. The
circumstances oil seem favorable. The
credit of the Mnited States is as firm
as ever in foreign markets where money
is constantly seeking just such invest
ments as the 5 per cent. bonds offer
In view Of the business depression that
marked the beginning of the year and
the long uncertainty as to the action
of congress upon the finances, we
could hardly have hoped for more
suspicious commencement of the new
fiscal year than that which is indicated
above. The coming year promises to
make still better showing. The Gus
toms returns indicate a healthy increase
Of imports over last year. Congress
has reduced the expenditures Of the
coming year $27.00O,000 below those
of the year inst closed. In the GER
taimty that the revenues of the present
wear will exceed teose of the last fiscal
year, this S27, 900, 000lmay be regarded
! as so much assured reduction of the
national debt, or as so much toward a
gold basis upon which to begin specie
+ payments. Utica IN. y Herald
THE New YORK Ledger comes to
the rescue of old maids as follows ::
..Shriveled and withered you say they
are /! Men and women grow old and
grow gray, whether married or single; ;
but many an old maid fingers to-day
on this mundane sphere who would
/ boro d;ad Iono 400. an unhaDpy but