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

future with gloomy forebodings or ruin and DESC
latlon and would again put their hands to the
plough, and. with renewed courage, make up Tor
the past.
DEPARTURE or THE INVADING ARMY.
Less than two months ago reports began 70
come IN from Kansas. Nebraska and the adjacent
States that the grasshopper eggs deposited last
year were Matching out by the thousands or
Millions" and since that time they have been
maturing. and at last the remainder or the horde
that were not destroyed Ia the leld by parasitic
enemies captured ana slaughtered BY the
farmers, have folded their tents and taken up
their line or march toward The land OF their
fathers In the Northwest
CHARLES r. DODGE
Assistant EnIomolgist United States Department
OF Agriculture.
HOW THE GIAssHoPPERs CAN BIZ UTILIZED.
WASHINGTON, June II, 1875.
10 TIE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
In your issue Of June II, you ask II grasshoppers
cannot be utilized 1t Is my conviction that they
can. All animal matter whea 1t can be cneapy
procured and In sufficient quantity can De utilized
with u Paying profit. AS the grassnopper ques-
uon is by no means solved II would be well FOR
those immediately interested IN their destruction
10 call the attention OF inventors to Inc SUBJECT
and oner prizes III money lor the most improved
machines or metnous Of securing and utilizing
IL
/ proposed TO conyert them into fertilizer naseu
on my experiments made with The common grass
hopper, WnlchI found 10 be rich In oil and nitro.
genous matter. PERSONS who are not accustomed
10 The general means OF utilizing waste aud seem
lngly worthless natural products nave no concep-
lion oil the means ut present employed In convert
ing the most dlsagreea9e and apparently useless
substances INTO very valuable products. Many
or the sweetest doors used IN periumery are
made rom The most obnoxious acids by oistlll-
ing them with alcohol, forming others. The
manufacturing chemist can easily convert
pound oil cotton rags into pound OF crane sugar
bY means OF sulphunc acid. Indeed IL Is WITHIN
the bounds OF possibility 10 convert your waste
towelling ana Old paper into golden syrup and
may here add that the syrup OF commerce Is
manufactured in this way from corn starch.
believe that the western grasshoppers can be
MADE into
VALUABLE ARTICLE OF COMMERCE
by converting them into animal CHARCOAL. As the
western exchanges Inform rs that the prasshop-
pers are now caught In thousands OF bushels,
would recommend that they be converted when
caught III quantity into animal charcoal by any
OF the well known processes. rhe difficulties at
tending the storage OF decomposlng animal mat
coal Is always In demand. 1t is used IN comblna-
tion with oil for printers INK and AS pigment.
AS deodorIZer, fertilizer clari1er OF syrups and
Dieacher oil oils ana many other SUBS taAces, and
Us pollsher Of horn II is not cxceled.
been constructed TO condense smoke IRON facto-
ries for commercial purposes Il smoke Is worth
saving why are not grassnoppers ?
TIE MoDUS oPERANDI.
The conversion OF grasshopperS into charcoal Is
an easy matter Amy old iron pot or tin pail may
be used on small scale. Pack the vessel with
hoppers 10 Within an inch OF the top; place over
them and In con tact an iron cover or piece OF
slate; keep IRE underneath the vessel long as
any smoke is seen 10 issue from it: allow the con-
tents to cool before uncovering. AN Important
fact to be observed IN the manufacture or the
animal black is the exclusion OF atmospheric air.
On a large scale the hoppers may be burned in
heaps aiLer the manner oil making wood charcoal.
l am not surprised that some or the country
editors are disposed TO frown down any attempt
to utilize these troublesome insects. little over
thirtynve years ago the editor OF the London
Mechanics Magazine, writing OF iodine, said -
''Wel. IL Is undoubtedly O new element; but OF
what use Is IL ~ Ii would be difflcult nowadays
TO say how the world could get along without it.
Ii Is the 1uty OF every man TO endeavor 10 ind
some means OF utilizing the western grasshop-
pers. Ii II can be done 1t will be blessing to tie
States and Territories 50 terribly scourgeG, ana a
generous public VIII forgive all VINO may fail In the
laudable endeavor
tbs my conviction that the Colorado beetle can
not be collected In SUFFICIENT quantity to be uLil-
ized. lt has been stated by some OF the Wese rn
papers that have recommended the grasshoppers
not be guilty OF making sucn recommendation
even 10 unclvllzed people. not to speak OF the en-
llghtened condition oil the western farmers.
That TIE grassnopper Is not one oil the seven
plaques In the nineteenth century IL Il my inten-
ton 10 demonstrate 0y the exhibition or actual
| cominI Centennial | snail prepare samples on o
sufficiently large scale 10 exhibit, printers Ink
| Chinese INK, charcoal Tor purifying purposes,
charcoal as q fertilizer and bleacher as well as a
| deodoTlZer and pollsner. II the agricultural IN
| terests or The country are to be inLerfered Win
has but 10 resort 10 easy modes 0l collecting them.
and IN quantity. they eau, as have ABOVE sug-
Rested, be reduced 10 animal charcoal, Tor which
there Is always = market. THOMAS TAYLOR.