The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1874-07-13
AiPlasue Of GrasshopperS.


During several weeks past that yora-
eious insect, the grasshopper, has been
eating the wheat, oats, and corn in
Iowa and other Western States, by
wholesale. In some counties, scarcely
field has escaped lis favages. The
patches in which the eggs have been
most numerously deposited have been
cleared OF every Tesigo Of vegetation,
and the young grasshoppers, as they
pass through their several lmoultings
and increase in size, hop about in pur-
suit Of food in far too lyelya manner,
They come from the eggs without
wings, and continue TO grow and de.
your until fully matured. After o few
weeks Of song and reproduction, the
body begins 10 shrivsl, the legs wither,
the appetite ceases, and death speedily
follows. The largest yet found are not
more than two.thirds grown, so II will
take some time before any OF them are
ready to move elsewhere. A resident Of
Humboldt county, writing to o Chicago
paper says: "This section is stocked
with grusshoppers, They are NO. big
enough TO fly, and thus far have only
committed depredationR in the places
where their eggs were laid. In ten OF
dozen counties west OF Humboldt,
and up the West Branch Of the Dea
Moines river, the country is full Of
them. They have already eaten the
growing crop on the ground and left
the fields barren rs a board" In Sac
county they have made such havoc that
n correspondent thinks the land IN cul.
tivation twill be nothing but barren
waste" From present appearances he
firmly believes that there will not be
fifty bushels OF wheat, oats, and corn
raised this year. ~ - ~
In fact, the outlook is so unpromis.
ing that many ofthe settlers have de.
cided to leave the State until they can
recover sufficiently to enable them to
resume possession Of their homesteads,
and begin the battle of'life over again.
In order that they may not forfeit their
rights by absence, bill was recently
passed by Congress giving them the
pAANACBu W AGluhlu hhul lpE leuEs
These settlers have suffered q great
deal in their eirsrts to establish pros
porous colonies. Last winter, thou.
sands OF them were often without the
means Of supporting life. Through q
lack Of experience their first crops fail.
ed, and owing to the fact that the coun-
ties in which they settled most largely
had previously lad few inhabitants,
they were compelled to pail along as
best they could, without advice from
any quarter. "a e--g e q, 4. 70. q. 9
4 Correspondent who has witnessed
the work Of the grasshoppers in several
counties is bitter in his denunciation OIL
those landowners who try to prevent
the true state of'tle facts from being
made public, lest 1t may have tho effect
OF preventing immigration. Recently,
he says, he heard the largest land
owner in Sac county offer to sell foul
hundred acres OF wheat for what the
seed cost him. IT wo hours subsequently
an immigrant called upon the Same mar
to buy some land, While walking about
the farm, the Immigrant noticeda STRIP
ofbarc earth across a wheat field, and
having inquired about II, was coolly
informed that 1t had been kept in such
condition 80 that the herilers could bet
ter protect the wheat from the cattle.
These" adds 1.-THE correspondent, care
the men who induce newspaper EDITOR
10 say, no grasshoppers in this county.
Under existing circumstances emigra'
ton toward the grasshepper county il
not likely to be very brisk. l'l - "