Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-05-27
THE GRAsAHOPPER A BURDEN.
DeyastatIons In Missouri and Kansas.

DeyastatIons In Missouri and Kansas.
Dispatches from Western Missouri
and Eastern Kansas, particularly the
former, give discouraging accounts of
ravages by the grasshoppers, especial
ly in the former region, where the
devastation wrought is attracting the
attention of the whole State. We
take the following from dispatches
"Governor Hardin, of Missouri, has
issued a proclamation, calling on the
people of the state to observe Thurs
day, June 3, as day of humiliation,
fasting and prayer, in view of the
crasshopper plague. Information
comes to him from all sources that
the state is threatened a grasshopper
pestilence, TO be followed by failure
of crops, great distress and posi-
BILE famine. Nothing but the inter
position of Providence can save
Missouri from the pest, and the Gov
ernor recommends that the suppllca-
tons of the people be raised for
Divine relief and protection
The western tier of counties are
over-run with the pests, and they ap
pear to be eating their way eastward
Everything in some of the counties,
from which advices are at hand, has
been destroyed, and the farmers have
been obliged to drive their stock into
Arkansas for pasturage. Prof Riley,
the state entomologist, says that the
ravages in western Missouri are in
deed alarming He explains that the
young hoppers will not be ready to
take the wing until the 18th of June.
For whole month the farmers of
Missouri will have to stand the
scourges. The only approximate re.
lief that can be gained is through a
war of determination, and farmers all
over the state are called on to fight
them with rollers, ditching, burning,
drowning and continual faying. The
Professor recommends to the state
authorities to offer rewards for the de-
structlon Of the grasshoppers by the
swarm"
We take the following in regard to
the destruction in different localities,
from dispatches to the Chicago Times:
"INDEPENDENCE.--The grasshopper
scourge forms the all absorbing topic
Of conversation. No one who has
not experienced it can form any con
ccption OF til If ravages. In many
I iaao1;,:ac H. ,ooo1o NO vphaa+ cots
and clover fields, which few days
since presented fine appearance, to
day are as barren as the travelled
highway. Cornfelds share the same
fate. AS fast as the corn makes its
appearance above the ground, il is
cut down. Farmers have abandoned
their work and flock into town, to
talk over the matter and consult as to
the best course to pursue. Many at
tempt to destroy them III various
ways, and, after succeeding in de-
stroying bushels and bushels, finally
give up in despair, saying that they
can hardly miss them. The stock is
absolutely starving, and in some 10
calities they are cutting down trees
for them to subsist on, while many
others are moving their stock out of
the country. The extent of this
scourge, from the best information,
covers an area of about $50 miles in
breadth and 800 in length.
"ST. JosEPH.-The grasshopper
depredations in this section extend
over district about 5G miles in
width by nearly 200 in length, taking
St. Joseph as the center of the line
north and south. The extreme hot
weather we have had the past weak
has had the effect of Matching them
out BY millions, and in places they
cover the ground to the depth of half
an inch or more. On their first APP
pearance they are about the size of
an ordinary grain of wheat, and with
in "a hours they attain size sufficient to
enable them to commence operations.
Everything green that comes in their
way is utterly destroyed. Wheat,
oats and corn fields, and eaven mead
ows, are entirely stripped of heritage,
leaving them as bare as floor.
Thousands Of acres in this section
have been stripped clean, and if they
do not take to themselves wings and
fly away soon, there will be no crops
raised here.
"WEsToN. ALL the highlands in
Platte county are literally covered
with grasshoppers. They deyour
oats, corn and potatoes as fast as they
appear above the earth, and are also
doing great damage to wheat, es-
pecially where it is light. Pasturage
is nearly ruined. The bottom lands
have escaped, in measure, much Of
the wheat being SO far advanced it
will not be very much injured.
"KANsAs CRY. - Grasshoppers are
found in the western counties of Mis-
souri,, and the eastern counties of
Kansas, where they were caught by
the cold weather last year. There they
deposited eggs, aud now they are
Matching. They are found in millions
in the southern part of Jackson coun-
ty, and of all sizes from that Of gnat
to a large fly. Since the heavy rains
of Saturday thousands are dying.
They are found in small patches of
ground two and three inches deep,
where they are prepared for death.
1t seems as fast as they arrive at a
certain age they die. A farmer from
Hickman's mill, in this county, said
they have literally eaten up all of the
pasture, so that cattle were driven to
the woods for their food. and they