The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-06-28


in color and very tender. and in the beginning OF
spring the cool nights often destroy many or
them.
THEIR ROOD.
TO begin with, they eat nearly everything that
can be eaten and rarely ever leave until the
supply IS exhausted. They have their prefer
ences however, aud delight in anything acid or
sour, and even hot and bitter substances, rs
tobacco, pepper, &c, are much to their taste. The
tender vegetation Is always destroyed tirst but it
is little singular that sweet substances. as green
corn, sorghum and the like are not attacked until
the Others are consumed. Riley says, Vegetables
and cereals are their main stay: turnips, carrots,
cabbage ana radishes are all devoured with
avidity beets and potatoes with less relish though
sometimes the tubers in the ground no not escape.
onions they are very partial TO; or eguninous
plants the pods are preferred to the leaves, and
cucurbtaceous plants also suffer most In the fruit
OF the cereals corn is their favorite and II young
aud tender ID devoured the around. they are
fond OF Duckwheat and AJAX, but seldom touch cas-
tor beans. Next 10 vegetables and cereals they
relish the leaves Of fruit trees. Those of the
peach are generally left untouched, though the
1rult is eaten 10 the stone" Nor do they cease
when the supply OF green TODD Is exhausted, as
they are known TO eat the dry BARK or trees. the
dry lint from a well seasoned fence plank, dry
leaves and paper, cotton and woolleR faorcs and
they have been seen even upon the backs OF Il
flock or sneep devourlng the WOOL Dead animals
are sometimes food Tor them, and II one OF their
own number becomes disabled 1t Is soon finished
by us hungry brethren. They snow a marked
preference Tor wilted unhealthy plants.
OTHER SPECIES
In the East we have little grasshopper quite
common to our fields. called the 'red-legged
locuslr tCulopCenus Jenlur-,-u0runD, which at
tfnna IN mi u
so as our Western species and it is not migratory.
This species so closely resembles our Western
pest that unknowing persons would call them
the same; indeed, the principal difference Is In
the length of wing of the latter, winch, after all.
Is quite difference where extended flight Is to
DC kept up.
AcYtditsa Anaesicdntena, another Eastern species,
was last year SO numerous in Suffolk county,
Virginia, that the farmers in the neighborhood
feared the Western species was upon them. IL
only proved destructive for short time, how
ever, and tnen seemed to disappear.
In California 0sdtpoda atror Is sometimes quite
destructive to vegetation, and the Utah cricket
(A,aorus stnlpler) sometimes does great damage
in that Territory.
INSECT ENEMIES
There are several insects that attack grass
hoppers and serve to materially lessen their num-
beers. The eggs are devoured by mite, Tronabidiun
se71ceual, which crawls into the holes where the
eggs have been deposited ana devours them In
wholesale manner. It's OF a pale red color and
about as large as q small grain or wheat. Another
matte, AstoBld 07-yLlario. lives upon the insects
themselves In great numbers, fastening into them
with their jaws, eventually causing the destruc-
tlon OF the victim. 1t Is much smaller than the
preceding, but from Its bright req or scarlet color
Is readily seen, generally fastened to the grass.
hopper near the base Of the wings. The grassnop-
per Ia also attacked by two species OF parasite
fiies, 7dclsina GnorVnla and Sarcophd0d carndr1d,
which deposit their eggs upon different parts OF
the body not accessible TO the jaws OF the insect
These eggs soon hatch. and the young maggots
eat into the body OF the insect and there feed upon
the fatty parts finally killing the infested hopper,
though not until IL has lett iis BODY and
bur owed into the ground. They then change TO
pupe, from which In time the mature dies appear.
As large percentage OF the grasshoppers, when
examined are found TO contain the living loot
less maggots OF one or the other OF these species
IL is readily seen that they must do incalculable
good.
WHAT HUMAN AGENCY CAN ACCOMPLISH.
AT first thought we might be inclined 10 say,
Nothing TO speak OF, where the insects come in
such countless myriads, even darkentnR the sun;
but after ALL wnere there Is O VIII there Ia q way
and every little VIII help. First OF all, man can
accomplish something By destroying the eggs,
which Is done by finding the holes, where they
have been laid Dy the parent insect, and digging
them out. For example, II q bounty mad been
offered Tor the eggs AZ 50 much n pound last fall.
after the invasion from the Tar West, men. women
aud cnIldren would have gone to work IN earnest
and much good would have been done Riley also
suggests deep poughing, which would cover the
eggs too deeply In the ground for the insects
ever TO appear from them. This has been used In
Texas with advantage By O correspondent OF the
Department or Agriculture.
In India, syria and South Africa the natives en-
ploy smoke TO oppose the invading host. which u
produced from burning tine dung OF their ANIMALS
mixed with chopped grass, straw or roots. as
sach fuel as wood or peat IL NOT TO be obtained
The smoke is said to be dense and sliding, but OF
course. It is only employed to keep OF an invad-
ing army, and is lighted before the insects appear
The prairies are sometimes fred in this country
Tor the same purpose though the best use OF
prairie lres in The spring. when the insects are
young and have not yet acquired their wings.
Fires lighted In circles at this time will do much
good, az the young insects are burned up.
ANOTHER PLAN
is to rope the neids which IL done by hitching q
morse at each emo OF rope 200 feet long, and
dragging IL over the Geld, the hoppers are brushed
to the ground, ano, though they return TO their
work, after lew such brushings they become
disguised and leave. Fields thus ''ropedn have
yielded ten to 1fteen bushels per acre, while
other fields beside them were destroyed.
Another method IL 10 attach together two
Sheets forming q sort OF bag TO which Is fastened
a cross pole, the two ends oil which are taken By
q couple OF operatives ana the whole IL drawn
rapidly over the grain. or course the insects viii
have 10 be destrol ed By scalding or other means
alter theJ are captured. Alter all, this 10 bus one
oil many devices whica can be made 10 catch the
insects; and IL matters little whether We use
simple c0ntnyances or machinery, so they ale
caught
In Colorado a IRE machine is reported as quite
successful. II Ia maze OF sheet iron. contains q
bed OF Goals or burning wo0J and carries devices
for sweeping wide swath OF locasts directly
upon the danes. AS many acres can BIO cleared
per day as machine reaper can 20 over.
That catcning Is the most available remedy was
illustrated recently In the State or Minnesota,
wkara a nuuabor IN oauntlea nHarad hountfna f4r