The New York herald., 1874-07-18
THE GRASSHOPPER PLAGUE.
Is 1t a Plague Simply a stock
Jobbing story:-A Strange History from

Mtnno3Ot0s
From the st. Paul Press.l
The impression Sc ms to have gone abroad that
the ,rhole State or Minnesota has been r0raged bv
locAsts, ana Ut Uas doubtless in consequence OF
this impression that the stocks or the Northwestern
and MA,cduEee ana 81. PdM roads, already seyt-
ouslv depressed IN consequence Of the raid or TIE
'g7'angers'' on the railroads, received a severe
shock the other day In Val street, arhen the tele-
gram OF Governor Ddrts. asking Me War Depart
nlent Jor the communication or O,tr quota OF arms
to food rGtiOns communicated to the associated
Press val street seems to haze at once Jumped to
the absurd conclusion not because ne grosshof-
pers had been doing great dea, or damage IN Min
nesota, the greater part or the Uheat crop had been
sDtl)t d,cdy. one eject or this absurd ntsinterpre
tatiOn OF the GOuernOr'S despdtCh ,cds the dbruD &
termination Of neg0tat Uhtch had j1tst been IN
JoypsatW consummated tcuh Neac York cap
itdtists Jor p'octng a., a large =, amount or
could only have arisen rom the assumption
that q large proportion of the agricultural areas
OF the State was invoived in the calamiJy. 1t is
proper to correct an impression SO ridlculOusy
wide Of The truth. AS matter OF TACT the ravages
OF grasshoppers have been thus lar confined TO a
group OF newly settled counties In SOuthwes tern
minnesota about % miles square, or 1900 square
miles III all. This Is much less than one-nlnth
OF the area OF Minnesota. Moreover, most OF
these counties are very sparsely peOpled, having
only been opened TO productive settlement within
the past Two OF thrce years, Win Tue extension OF
the Sioux city and st. faul and NinOna and ST.
Peter railroads. They include one tier OF counties
on their eastern fahk IN winch settlement Is or
several years date, and consequently cultivation
Is considerably more advanced
There has been great increase Of tillage and a
corresponding increase Uf the wheat breadth in
nearly all tis group of countess except IN Cotton
wood, jackson, NObies, Watonwan and Rock,
where their progress was checked by the grass
hooper raids of asst summer. IL Is s0Je To estimate
the tdued in the rdr0ged district at 275, 900
acres dtd Or TIE area in sche0t in that district at
2UO 900 acres. or this area probably not less than
10000 6a es hare been destroyed. This represents
not less than 500 900 bushels or rhedt derOured IN
the germ or MIX bp grdSshOppers or about one
tcc!Jth Of The Dhedt crop OF Ue STATE. Add TO this
4O,O acres Of oats at Mijtp-three bushels per
acre, 1920, 600 bushels in all, or one
t,re,fh or the Odt crop or the state;
20, 600 acres OF corn at 30 bushels per acre. or
340 600 bushels, Or One-twefth o the corn crop OF
the State, and perhaps 10000 acres more In rye.
buckwheat, barley, potatoes and other crops and
tue full extent OF the grasshopper havoc can he
readily estimated.
n we may roughly estimate the value Of the
wheat standing on the ground III those distant
frontier counties at So cents per bushe, for corn
and oats ut 40 cents, VIC snail nave as the total
money loss OF the principal crops:-
wheat 100000 Corn .............. 25G0OO
oats .......... @isVO Other crops. $50 0n