Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1875-02-19
The GrassllOpper---Ilis History
and Peculiar Habits.

were happy.
The Grasshopper---His History
and Peculiar Habits.
NV position IN charge of the Immigra-
ton Bureau Of Nebraska one of the States
ravaged by the gras>h"ppers, has led me
to inquire into the history and peculiar
habits Of these destructive insects l have
consulted many persons who have given
the subjec, much attention for many years.
The statements and OPINIONS Of these nu-
merou> persons do not harmOnize, but
they agree substantially in the most i'm
portant respects
The abiding home Of the grasshorpcr is
found on lie high. dry pla'caus Of New
McKee, and Arizona and the southern foo.
hills Of he Rocky Mountains They are
there ways, fur il is their cengenial home.
In some seasons. especially adapted 10 this
end. they mulilp Y with astonishing rap
tfity, and b-co.s.- so-s numerous 20 suO-
sSt.
Then, like bees, they swarm and migrate
to other countries They follow y" rule
nf emigration. but 60 with the wind :.
They fly until they become weary and
hungry, ard then drop down and rest and
eat. They do MOI all go at once nor 10
one place They necome widely SCI arX' cd
and much divided after starting. but al
mes, in case. whether the grand armv or
some principal detachment, they are Is
the sands of the sea, myrlads Of millions.
Coming in the distance they look like q
ligat cloud rapidly riding on the wind
and under the blazing noon dny sun they
glitter ike snow flakes, extending from
u. or The ground to the height Of half II
mile, bu, ca~, gloomy shadow on the
Garth. When they drop down TO feed,
every green and gay thing is covered in n
moment, and The earth is gray and dismal.
Only few things do they disrelish-as
sorghum. broomcorn and the peach -
Wn.a, and oats, when the straw or grain
is green, are dcyoured in few hours.
When the straw or grain is sOuIewha,
dry ard tough. they eat of the stem just
below the head, and the grain falls to the
ground.
Corn is their staple; they 60 for the tas-
sci and silk Gf these are out, then the ten
der grain, scramhling and crowdlng each
other like hungry pigs. rhey are very
fond Of potatoes, beans and cabbage: but
onions are their most delicious morscl-
they will dig in the ground for the last
particle.
Usually they remain not more than "a
to 48 hours in a place, if the weather is
warm and the sky clear; but sometimes q
we.k if the air is chilly and very damp,
and The sky CLOUDY. After leaving their
naive home they have never been known
TO propagate in their colon es more than
three years. . d that but twice in the his
tory Of the United States. Somewhat
more frequently they have been known TO
hatch durlng the second year. But out of
twenty swarms this has happened only
three times. In other cases they have
ended their existence and tbeii race, iu
any given time. IN one year.
Of those which invaded Nebra ka this
ye,r. 1874. the fist swarms laid eggs in
sevcra! counties. but the long, dry fall
hntchcd them out, ard thus stopped fur
ther production.
The swarms that came last seemed to
have been hatched too Tar north and too
late in the season TO come to maturity, and
consequently they laid no eggs. All these
pei ishei in the first frosts.
It will he several years he fore their ma
tive land will bs ovcrcrowied. aud when
they rise up to migrate they will be as
likely 10 60 in one direction as another.
From extensive correspondence in Ne
brs~ka. Kansas. Iowa and Minnesota, it is
that no eggs have been la:3
that will hatch next spring, except in q
part If one county in Kansas.
Ever since the year 1S40, the Plains
have been Travelled over constantly, aud
the movements of this Desert Locust. rs it
should be called. have not been noted In
all this time there has been no such de-
as this year. nor is il likely that
there will be- recurrence Of this calamity
for many sear~. and let us hop, never
Maria Monks daughter (slis. st. John
z. krl) makes the following c0nf. ss.ou As
10 how she cured her pug nose: AT
nirht l WOilli TAXI. long garter snt1 t#s- |