The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-06-17
What Grasshopper Sufferers Shall Do.

The practical question occurs-what is
to be done in the regions devastated by
this locust-scourge now for the second
year? If they get wings and fly any time
in June, plant corn.
In 1869, in Central Illinois-the season
when that country was deluged with rain
up to nearly the LIST of July, and when
many Of the farmers did not make corn
enough to feed their teams--we replanted
$50 acres early in July, and, the au-
tumn being late, were enabled to cut the
crop in season, so the corn was fairly
saved, and yielded an average of thirty.
five bushels per acre.
Sow corn for fodder at the rate of
three bushels per acre upon freshly
plowed ground; or in drills thirty inches
apart, at the rate of five pecks per acre.
On clean ground, rolled, SOW broadcast
three bushels per acre and pillow lightly
in. 1t may be cut with strong moving
machine, and good tedder will assist
greatly in making it into fodder. Put it
into good sized cocks from the rain, and
spread occasionally until dry, and then
stack in narrow, ventilated ricks. At all
events do not allow your land to grow
up to weeds. If you keep the land
clean, the fallow will at least assist you
next year to make up the losses of this.
Before the locusts get wings they may
be killed in variety of ways; but il
takes work, and the trapping and killing
must be entered into systematically and
by communities. When they cover a
county in the winged state their reduc-
ton by human agency is altogether i'm
practical; but, even then, gardens and
orchards may be sometimes saved by per.
sistent and well-organized labor.
They may he driven from orchard trees
by holding damp, smoking straw where
the fumes will reach them. Vast guam
titles may be caught by bag nets of
strong linen lace, or even millinet; the
bag two and one-half to three feet long,
put on q strong hoop three feet in diam
eter. They may be driven from fields
by continual roping; that is, drawing a
long rope with horse at each end, pull
ing SO it will be kept taut. Many will
remember when this plan was practiced
against rust in wheat. Before they are
winged, they may be killed with heavy
rollers; or by being driven upon strip
of land containing straw, and then set
ting it on fire. Nets may be spread con-
verging to given points, and thus the in
sects may be driven into trenches be-
tween the wings and destroyed.
Indeed, there are many ways which
will be suggested to the practical man
in their immediate vicinity. But it will
be labor-hard labor-and yet it may
well repay the cost, when the only al
tentative may be, perhaps, starvation.
r For garden crops, beets, parsnips, car
rots and rutabagas may be sown as late
as the LIST ct July in the latitude of Mis-
souri, and Kansas and even north, and
produce fair crops if there are seasonable
rains. Beets and carrots will even make
fair crops for feeding stock; but, if this
is intended, SOW mangel-wurzel and the
large Belgian carrot. Early Rose or
other early varieties of potatoes may be
planted as late as the 4th of July and
make fair crops; indeed, better than if
planted June 1; for they will blossom
and attain . fair size after the heat of
the summer is over.
Thus, in these sorely-devastated re-
gions, with care the farmer may perhaps
assist himself to exc out something for
the winter.-Fasm and Garden, in CAt-
cago Tribune.