The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-07-15

HOYT & CO., Proprietor
i. From the Spartan6urg Herald.
The Grass. Hopper Plague viyidly Described.
KANSAS Cry, No, June 2, 1875.
DEAR HERALD :"Our immediate section just
now presents curious spectacle. Hundreds
and thousands of acres of as rich prairie lands
SO can be found in the United States are, on
the End day of June, as bare of vegetation as
If it were January. This section is occasion
ally ravaged by insects. The potato bug, the
chinch bug and the grass-hopper occasionally
Law waste whole counties of our richest and best
lands. We are at this time suffering from one
of these plaques. There are about 20 counties
in Missouri and probably as many more IN the
State of Kansas, where there has been literally
nothing left in the shape of corn, wheat, oats
or grass all having been devoured by these
fi6rrid insects. In most of these counties the
whole face of the earth is now as barren of
corn wheat cats, vegetables as it was any day
in the past winter. And since destroying all
the vegetation on the ground, they have begun
on the foliage of the trees. Our only hope is,
that when the insects get little older, and
their wings deyelope, they will fly away. This
County lJackson) is one Of the wealthiest as
we'll as most fertile of soil in the State, and
vet there is not one-tenth Of the tillable land
of the county that has stalk Of corn or
head of wheat or oats, all that was growing
having been devoured by the grass-hoppers.
Public meetings are being held in the afflicted
counties, and the absorbing topic is, how to
procure the means to make another crop, q: e.
seed corn and corn enough to feed horses du-
ring ploughing season. You will not infer
from this that the grass-hoppers have destroyed
sIIs 3I, hp hut
in this county, or any of those now infected
with grass-hoppers, have had any corn in their
cribs worth mentioning for more than two
years. The past two years have been marked
by absolute failures of the crops on account OF
drouth. In this county, since have been
here corn has been delivered at the railroad
depots for Is cents per bushel-and in some OF
the counties of this State and also in Kansas,
corn has been so abundant as to be burned for
fuel, And now the financial ability of the
whole farming portion of this and many neigh
boring counties is puzzled how to raise the
Che money needed to buy seed corn aud keep
the plough horses up through ploughing sea-
son. And from what ! can learn that is always
the way with farming in this country. If crops
chit" so much is made that it does not bring
ANYTHING scarcely, and if they do not chit"
starvation stares everybody full in the face.
The grass hopper of which | write are classed
by scientific men as species of locust. 1t is
about two inches in length-not of green color,
but of nearly every other color. Its legs are
red, and it's body variety of colors. 1t comes
from small eggs laid in the autumn under the
surface of the soil, and hatched out in spring.
When first hatched, they resemble heas In
everything but color; when grown, they have
wings like horse-dy. They came here last
autumn from Colorado, and laid their eggs,
destroyed late fruits and vegetables and grass,
and were killed out by the cold rains. They
travel when full grown by flying They appear
to be able to fly miles at time. They travel
in swarms of millions, filling the whole atmos-
phere like swarm of bees. They some times
attack large wheat and oat fields in the milk
state" and in few hours have it as though
thousand starving army horses had been pas
tured on it for week. They have so entirely
consumed everything green that farmers in
timbered regions have cut down forest trees to
keep their cattle alive. In several instances
they have stopped the railroad trains: On the
railroad between here and st. Louis, which
uses the largest locomotives, the grass-hoPpers
have on two different occasions stopped the
passenger trains so often and long as to throw
the trains more than two hours behind schedule
time. Perhaps I had better explain. In the
evening they always pitch their tents, and seek
for the most dry and elevated spots, and some
times climb on each other tor loot deep:
This is the case on the iron and cross ties OF
the railroad track-being so thick and being
mashed up for awhile, soon greases the wheels
of the locomotive so that there is not enough
friction to move the train. In some places the
grass -hoppers have eaten clothing, carpets and
such things Fortunately they do not bite or
sting, for they will come into our houses ana
get on our persons; even in church IN almost
any direction you can see one or more OF these
familiar visitors crouch down on some lady's
collar or other part of her apparel that has
starch, busily munching at it. Those acqualn-
ted with the habits of these insects say that
when they have cleaned out vegetation, they
deyour each other, unless their wings are suttl-
ciently developed to fly away to other pas
lures green"
Not only have the farmers here to suffer this
plague, but there are great fears that the chlncn
bug will also destroy even such corn as the
wished for departure of the grass-hoppers may
allow to be planted. This insect is much
more frequent visitor than the grass-hoPper,
and though they do not so much resemble an
army in occupation as the grass-hoppers, they
are much dreaded and very injurious raiders.
have been thus extended in my account OF
the erass-hoppers and the ruin they work TOR
the information of the farmers of Spartanburg.
They may have thin lands, but they do not
have grass-hoppers and chinch bugs. They
have climate unsurpassed anywhere, and
soil, which, if not rich by nature, is susceptible
of high cultivation. 7 was called on week ago
by q gentleman from South Carolina in search
of land in which to invest, and I advised him
to 90 into the upper portions of South Carroll
ma. He looked at me with astonishment and
in few hours went "West!" If he lives
twenty years he will acknowledge the sound
ness Of my advice.
Only let a stable and efficient State govern
rnent be known abroad as having been firmly
established, no matter whether it be Democrat
ic or Republican, and every portion of South
Carolina would grow marvelously in population
and wealth.