The Western advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1872-1874, 1874-08-08

ocSAA "A OASCPeAoi!. oHsA1 speak Oh IL
at greater length at another time
After they developed their wings, The
locusts generally began to fly each day.
between 10 O'Clock III the afternoon.
If they alighted in 4 wheat or oat field
they were generally so thick that there
were from three to ten grasshoppers on
they actually covered the corn that was
three or four feet high, and in many
cases bent it down to the ground with
their weight. Neither flax, potatoes.
garden vegetables nor any other crop
escaped.
ROPING IN THE GnASSHOPPERS.
The people in the counties which I
have visited north and east Of here
made little effort to drive the grasshop-
pers away, but the farmers of this Col
ony gave them no rest from the time
they discovered them upon their fields
until they took their flight, and the re-
suit is the prospect of saving ut least
four times us much grain as they other
wise would have gathered. One of
the most effeCtual means employed was
to ''rope" the fields-that is, to hitch
each end Of rope to a horse and drag
it over the grain. This disturbed the
''hoppers'' and brushed many of them
off Of the heads of the grain upon the
ground, where they would remain I'M
til the swarm got ready to fly and do
ing little damage. Others would return
to their work OF destruction, but would
be allowed to remain but few minutes
before they were again disturbed. This
''roping' was continued until the To-
Gusts became disgusted and flew away.
[ saw to-day two fields of wheat with
only Il ten-foot road between them.-
Before the grasshoppers came one
promised equally as well rs the other.
The pests alighted on both fields at the
same time, and one was ''roped" while
the the other was not. The former
will yet yield from 10 to Is bushels to
the acre the latter is not worth har-
vesting. Some farmers found smoking
very etfectual. When the graSShopperS
were flying, they placed damp prairie
grass on the windward side of their
fields and set fire to it. The grasslloD-
pers either did not alight, or if they
did, did not stay long. But this was
not always successful. A farmer in
the county east of here who tried it
told me that ut first lie thought the
>'hoppers' were about to leave; he went
away for 4 fresh load of grass, and
when lie came back he ''fourd the ras-
calls roosling on the fence and warming
their feet by his tires.'' After that, the
hotter he made the fires and the denser
the smoke the better they seemed to
like it.
The l0custs have now nearly disap-
peared from this entire region. and
have gone without laying their eggs.-
LII one field Of flax which | visited ii.
Watonwan County on Sunday, I saw
them in great numbers and they were
breeding but had as yet deposited 10
eggs.
EFFECT OF THIS YEARS RAID.
This years grasshopper raid has ex-
tended over about 4 dozen counties in
the southwest corner Of Minnesota,
and Il section somewhat smaller in
northwestern Iowa. The devastation
Of this regiCn was due principally to
locl,sts that were Matched here, EXCEPT
that accomplished by the immense
swarm which, coming from the north.
arrived here on Friday last, and left
again Oh Sunday. What the aggregate
amount Of damage done is, it is diff
cult to say. In this county, taken to-
gether. should think that nearly one
half the crops of all kinds should he
saved. In three townships in this
county everything is com pletely de-
Stroycd. Some Of the adjoining cosn-
ties have been injured more than this,
some less.
The entire section devastated in Min
nesota would have produced about one
twelfth of the wheat crop of the State
had the gr:lsSllopperS let it alone, and a
proportiosl.te quantity Of the other
crops. think it is none too liberal an
estimate to say that one-half q crop
will lie saved. The suffering in inli-
vidual cases will, of course, be far
greater than this estimate would indi-
cate. In this county, where half Il
crop will lie gathered, there are one
hundred and fifty families who have
nothing and will have to I've cared for
and furnished with seed for next sea-
son. Two hundred dollars would be a
small sum to keep one Of these families
a year. SO that at least $50, 900 will be
needed in this county, and | suppose
not less than $:5O0.0oO will I've needed in
the entire section. The most of this
aid must come from outside the devas-
tated region. This country has only
been settled from one to five years. and
the majority of the people have vet to
raise their first paying crop. Nearly
all the farms i'll this section are mort
gagged, us we'll as the stock, farming
implements, and in some cases the
crops. The local merchants have given
all the credit they have been able to,
and must now have their pay from
those who save anything from this
years ruin. The State, either by an
act Of the Legislature, or by a well or
ganiZed system Of contributions, ought
to help these people, for they are gen.
orally temperate, frugal, Industrious
class, who, if carried over this winter
and given any chance in the future,
will, i'll Il few years, add more than ten
fold to the future wealth Of the State.
Coy. Davis appeal and Representative
Dunnell's promise to obtain from the
General Government aid for these reo-
pie, was, think, ill-adyised. But they
must live during the coming season,
and will yet develop from this WONDER
full soil one of the richest agricultural
sections on the continent.
a total estimate for the damage in
flicted that appears to be approximate
~ correct is, for value Of crops destry-
ell in Minnesota, So. 1000. 600; in Iowa,
$4,000. 900. About 1900 persons in
both States will require help to the to-
TIL extent of about $500, 900.
The total valuation of property at
Mortified is S7s7 1853.
The Winona Republican says that
owing to the low water the steamboats,
have begun to transfer at the rapids.