The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-05-07
GheGptelIiastrfer
The Frost aud the GrasshOppers.


As our readers are aware the States OF
Kansas and NsBiaskah suffered very much
from grasshOppers last year. But for the
liberality displayed by other States in
helping themIto get through the winter,
and to prepare to meet this foe, n very
extensive migration would probably have
occurred. Supplied with food and other
neccssaries, however, theirspirits revived
We are not informed of the means they
have employed for destroying the eggs Of
the grasshoppers, but We have no doubt
they have availcd themselves OF every
thing in their power. The fact OEtheir
not being entirely successful We have
learned from the telegraphic reports
Of the last few days, II Is said
that the iEosts and cold rains have killed
the young grasshOppers aS fast MS they
have been hatehed, and, better still, that
the crops have remained uninjured. The
cntomologists OF the United States and
Canada have been busy with the grass
hopper and locust for some time past,
and We hoped they had found means for
putting an end to this plague for n time
at least The last chronological report
of the Province Of Ontario includes h
paper by tlie President, Reverend G.
Bclhune, which gives an interesting ac-
count of the different means employed to
remove these inseels. II opens with
short extract from an article in the
Amcricaa MIlumli%, advising the use Of
grusshoppcrs as an article Of diet The
editor procured number Of the largest
specimens, and had them Scalded to death
in boiling water, when he put them in .
pan and fried them in butter, We have
no doubt the dish spread before him was
one very tempIingto al epicnre. Mr.,
Bcthuno gives hearty support to the ed.
itor of the NaiuraliSI by quoting the late
Dr.. Livingstone, who mentions in one Of
his books the fact Of the locusts makinga
very agreeable dish. We fear that
nothing short Of starvation would in
duce the people Of Kansas md Nevada
to adopt this peculiar diet to any great
extent. Mr., Bethune found transla.
ton Of paper written on the locust in
Russia in Smithsonian Institute Report,
and selected the parts applicable to North
America, One plan suggested is "that
the bare spots shall be plowed over two
or three times late In the Autumn, so that
the eggs may beexposed to all the changes
Of the weather." The Introduction Of
domestic fowls Ia also suggested rs a val
liable means of destroying tie eggs Of the
insect. Ills thought that the only prohlIs'
ing plan among the number Is the one
which requires deep ploughing late in the
Autumn. 1t would be impossible for
so small number Of people to collect
the eggs spread over 40 vast an extent oil
country, hence the plowing System Is no
doubt the more practicable, and IT is to be
hoped that It will bO universally en-.
ployed. 1t could scarcely be expected
that all the eggs could be DESTROYED that
lay in the ground last year, or that the
recent frosts coultl complete the work OF
the plows. We hope however that the
entomologists will soon be able TO point
out some way by which the swqrms Of
.grasShoPpsrs oyer the county may be
dealt with so etleCtually as to entirely re-
move them. In the meantime we hope
the sufferers will not relax their efforts III
having them destroyed.