Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1875-06-10
Good News from, the Scat OF tho Grass
hopper War.

Ifanybody has doubted the efficacy of
the bouaty-system for the destruction Of
grasshoppers, that doubt will be dissipat-
cd by the specials to the Pioncer-Press
this morning from the infested district.
Under the stimulus of bounties ranging
from 81 to 81 per bushel the farmers and
the unemployed men and boys Of the
towns and villages have turned out in
large numbers, and are rapidly extermi-
mating the grasshoppers in Blue Earth,
Nicollet, LIE Sucur and Brown counties.
Our Mankato correspondent estimates
that by last night 1900 bushels Of hop
pars were received in six invested towns
Of Blue Earth county-and the insects
are now growing so scarce that some of
the boys arc retiring from the business.
At St. Peter on Saturday and Monday
$50 bushels were caught and destroyed.
In three towns in Lie Sueur county
about 800 bushels Of these trophies of the
combat have been received by the authori-
ties. AS the result of few days work
over $500 bushels Of these destructive
pests have been delivered over to au,hori-
ties and the flames. At Mr.. Green's csti-
mate, 500, 900 per bushel, here is all aggrc-
gate of 7'5O,0O0,O0O locusts destroyed by
this means alone, to say nothing Of the
multitudcs destroyed by other means.
Here was enough, if they had lived, to cat
up the state of Minnesota.
They seem 10 be doing nothing in the
western point Of Nicollct or Sibley county
where they are thichcst. But they will
probably get to work now under the in.
element of the bounty system, and Of the
marked success which has attended it.
Brown county, too, has gone into the
business with an offer Of two dollars per
bushcl. In Meekcr county the hoppcrs
seem to be very scarce, only Ga bushels
having been delivered under an induce
ment of IS per bushel. But the work is
now progressing finely all along the line
and if Siblcy and Mcleod counties will
close up the gap and send their batallions
of infantry into the field the grasshoppcrs
will be pretty we'll stamped out before the
week is over.
This bounty system is exactly the meth
cd which has been for ages successfully
resorted to in China, except that there the
work of discriminating them is compulsory
The government pays for dead grasshop
pcrs by the bushel, but it makes the al
thorities Of the infested districts response
bic for their determination under sever,
penalties if they fail to destroy them.
is a pity the towns which fail to co-opc
rate with their ncighbors in destroying
the hoppers in this state cannot he reached
by compulsory methods when the argu
ment of self.intercst and the instinct O
selfpreservation is of no avail to arous,
them. The state will REIMBURSE them TO-
any reasonable expenditures-they neet
not fear that. But the exigency demand
that prompt, energetic and universal actio,
be taken all along the linc Nor need an,
one fear that swarms of flying locusts vii
return to undo their labors. In every in
stance when the hoppcrs have taken fligh
they have flown westward, and have keep
on flying till they reached their natlv
deserts. This has been the case in Mis-
souri, and Kansas recently. 1t has bee,
the case in all past experience here. I
The farmers protect their crops before tn
hoppcrs get wings they need, therefore
be in no fear of them afterward.-Pionccl
Press.