Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1874-08-01
WHAT GRASSHOPPERS LIKE.
An Interesting Description of the West
ern Pest and its PeeulIarities.

An Interesting Description of the West
ern Pest and its PesuIIartties.
One of the settlers who has been
driven away from Southwestern Min
nesota by the ravages of the grasshop-
pers, has given the Minneapolis IFi-
bune some account of their troubles.
He says: "There are just four of us,
three boys and our mother. Our names
are Lars, Andrew, and Genner Larsen.
We have lived in Watonwan county for
eight years, and have been fighting
against fate for nearly all that time.
Two years ago the violent hail-storm
destroyed our crops, while the merci-
less grasshoppers devoured our subsist-
ence last year. We planted our fields
again this year, but the fearful pests
have again attacked us, and we have
been obliged to flee for our lives. Our
entire crop has been destroyed, and our
whole farm laid waste. We were
obliged to leave or starve to death. The
grasshoppers are about an inch and a
quarter in length when full grown, of a
dusky grayish color, the heads being of
reddish color, and the under wings
when spread exhibiting yellowish or
copper color. The eggs of the insect
are ovate in form, of grayish color,
and about the size of wheat-corn.
They are deposited in the ground and
under the grass andstubble in clusters.
They are generally laid about the last
of July or 1st of August, and hatch out
in June, according to the weather.
When first Matched they resemble little
living insects, but they soon develop
into full-fedged grasshoppers. AS soon
as they are Matched they commence to
feed until they begin to swarm or form
into focks, when they rise and visit
other feeding grounds. They fly in
the air in vast clouds, almost entirely
obliterating the sun. While in the air
at distance they strongly resemble an
immense snow cloud. In their flight
the lower ones are about forty feet
above the ground, while they extend
upward beyond human sight. They
settle upon field of waving grain gilt.
tering in the sun, with the heads OF
wheat nodding in the breeze, and
alighting cover the stalk of each spear
of grain from the root to the head. In
an incredibly short time the entire field
is destroyed, and the ravenous destroy.
ers leave only a barren waste behind
them. While at work upon the grain
a field looks fairly brown with them.
They do not eat the grain, but bite into
the tender stock and juicy kernel, and
suck the vital sap from the young
plant. When they rise the entire field
is dead, and in few days dried up
When young grain is attacked before il
is headed out the entire spear is eater
off, leaving only field of stubble. Ii
some cases the trees and every greer
thing are attacked, but their voracious
appetites are principally appeased with
grain and garden stuff. There seems tc
be no remedy. If, however, the grass
was burned over in the spring, I think
many of the eggs would be destroyed
The fall fires do not seem to do any
good. Water and frost seem wholly
inadequate to destroy them. The only
enemy they have is little red parasite
that gets under their wings. These Lit
tie worms eat their way into the vital
of the insect and destroy its life. TIL,
dead grassheppers seem covered will
these little worms" ...