Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-06-10
The Russian Grasshopper War.


The Russian Grasshopper War.
The following account, from the New
York Sun, OF the method used in extermi.
mating the grasshoppers in Russia viii
be OF interest at this time in view of the
prevalence and ravages of the pests in
this country:
"The newspapers of the past years re.
ported repeatedly about the ravages in
Southern Russia and the province of Bees.
sarabia, caused by the immense armies
of locusts emerging from Turkey and the
neighboring provinces. In Bessarabia
alone, in the year 1859, these insects Gov
cred with their eggs an area of at least
$4,000 acres, and in the department Of
Taurian and Cherson double this area
was covered. No work was neglected
nothing was left untried in Bessarabia
and especially inIthe district of Chotin, to-
annihilate this devastation Threatening
breed. The inhabitants plowed the
ground, gathered, burned, buried the
eggs, led horses and oxen into the newly.
plowed land, in order that they might
tread the ground into compact mass.
and by this means destroy the evil.
threading eggs; but all in vain. The
mass was too immense; on an area of
about 5000 acres, near Chotin, not less
than 4, 425 bushels of grasshopper eggs
were gathered. In spite of these seem.
ingly useless efforts to exterminate this
depredating pest, and the hopeless condi.
ton OF things, arrangements were made
everywhere. AS toward the close of
May the breed gradually developed,
large rollers, and also drags, or harrows'
simply constructed from the brush or
young trees, were used with consiG cradle
effect.
Already the danger was believed to
be overcome, when suddenly the rumor
arrived that countless hordes of grass
hoppers were invading from the direc.
tion of the province of Cherson. In the
latter part of June these monsters actu-
ally crossed the Dneister, below Bender.
At breadth of eight miles, and in a
layer measuring eight inches through. 1t
actually took them two days to swim the
river from which the reader may form
an idea of the immense numbers), after
which they scattered into the swamps,
situated along the right bank of the river.
Here, then, had the advancing enemy to
be opposed, and here was fought battle
hotter and more murderous than the an
nails OF natural history have ever re.
corded. Germans, Bulgarians, Media.
vians, Jews, major and minor Russians
fastened to the field of action-each one
had his own hearth to defendant in an
incredibly short time there stood an army
Of more than IA 900 men, well armed, on
the battlefield. In the meantime the
grasshoppers had taken possession of the
entire swamps, and had covered an area
OF four square miles. In order to pre-
vent them from reaching the adjoining
fields deep bitches were dug for dis
lance of one mile, which were garrlsoned
by men whose dutyit was to destroy the
insects as they rushed in: The remaining
army, which were stationed at all imagi
nable points by hundreds and thousands
fought, armed with brush and bTooms,
the hated enemy, which constantly and
necessarily emerged in immense mum.
bers from the brush and tall grass.
Where the open space. permitted it herds
of horses and cattle mashed the enemy
beneath their hoofs, and sentinels on
horseback watched the movements of
their opponents so that troops could be
hastily ordered to points where their
ranks were in danger of being broken.
Eight entire days this battle lasted;
three-fourths Of the whole mass of grass
hoppers was destroyed. Now the re-
mainder had completed its last trans.
formation and was in full possession OF
its wings. On the 9th day of July the
first swarms of grasshoppers arose and
departed in different directions. AS
further skirmish would now have been
useless the troops were discharged. But
the battle was not fought in vain. While
nearly all of the harvest was destroyed in
the neighboring department of Cherson,
Bessarabia suffered but little. The wet
and cool autumn of the year 1866 killed
many of the insects before they had laid
their eggs, and the severe winter entirely
destroyed the eggs, which were laid I'M
usually high up north. The year 1861
brought no repetition of such tremen-
dous depredations. If the lazy inhabit.
ants of Turkey would resolve to wage an
equally decisive war against the grass
hoppers as did the brave and determined
inhabitants of Bessarabia, this plague
might be forever averted."