The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1875-06-17
fur the farmer.
ABOUT THE GRAssHOPPERs.

The grasshopper plague is attracting the at
tention of the whole country. The Chicago, st.
from wide region of country. These returns
indicate that the most destructive visitation OF
the pest is in Western Missouri.
The papers are also full of methods of killing
the grasshOppers, predictions to their probable
leaving when their wings are grown, &c, &c
In the New York Farmers Club at a recent meet
ing the following suggestions, presented by Dr'
Wellington and Mr.. Wolf were read and order-
ed published:
PLANT PoTAToEs.-The club has taken espe-
cial pains to get all possible information from eS
perienced naturalists and persons who nave stuu,
led the grasshopper's habits in former years, and
we desire to get more facts. But we wish now
III an especial manner to urge farmers III states
where they have Matched this Spring TO remem
Der that in three weeks their wings VIII be de
welcomed. and they will certainly leave. few
will begin to fly about nearly week before the
main body fly, and seeds planted then Will be al
most sure to produce a crop. Potatoes planted
deep will be safe now. And we cannot urge this
matter too much, for other localities will be more
devasted, and Kansas, Missouri, and Minnesota
may possibly have late crops entirely uniniured
We hope Western papers will copy this, and pub
lish the date the grasshoppers leave or attack.
A SPECULATION PRoPosED.-The Chicago Trib
aRe says:
If our friends i'm Kansas and Nebraska had on
ly thought of it before they might have made a
fortune, instead of coming to grief, on the grass
hopper invasion. The department of agriculture
announces that it is now prepared for the beast
1t will lay for him with high trenches, will
catch him by the million, will squeeze oil out OF
him equal to the best fish oil, will purge bis
crushed and mutilated body and sell it for food,
and the rest will be made into fertilizer and
spread thickly over the soil. IL the grasshOppeT
crop this year is as good as it was last season,
there will be millions in it. As Oliver Wendell
Holmes said aft the whole world were burned
up, fortunes would be made from the trade in
potash"
FLAX AND THE GRAssHoPPERs.-The Decatur
Qll.) Republican makes the following statement
1t is strange, yet true, that while the grass
hOppers are appearing in countless thousands in
Kansas, and are devouTing almost everything OF
vegetable nature, they never touch flax. A
letter recently received by the Sawyer Bros,
from their agent in Kansas, says that the two
carloads of seed they sent to the sufferers had
been planted, and the crop was in every way a
promising one, also that while the 'hOppers de-
stroyed nearly all vegetation they never touched
the fax.
If the Messrs. Sawyer Brothers will visit this
part of the country we will shoY them field after
field of fax that has been completely eaten off
by the grasshoppers Indeed, young hax seems
to be one of their favorite articles OF det. Ihey
go for it with decided relish. If there is any
thing they will not eat have not yet heard
the name of the article.
How TO SAVE FRUIT.-Mr. =. Y. Thomas writes
to the Parsons Eclipse as follows: Wrap the
body of the tree, in the first place. with paper,
commencing a few inches from the ground, a
space of twelve inches more; then the
paper wrap a smooth surfaced cloth, securing the
whole with a small Irvine cord; then take the tar,
Gf too thick to spread easily with a wooden pad
die, thin with turpentine), and put thick coat
ing of it on the upper part of the wrapping, eX-
tending downwards four to six inches. This we
have found q sure preventive against these pests
climbing our trees. We have also tried the mode
of withdrawing, a thick coat of which is a great
preventive, but not so good the tar process
Tariff permitted to touch the bark, is injurious to
the tree and should be avoided, hence the neces-
sity of the paper and wrapping extending below
the tar belt Whitewash is great advantage to
the trees, consequently We Recommend both
Whitewash the tree first, high up among the
limbs, with a common preparation of whtewash
then wrap and tar the wrapping, and the trees
will be both benefited and protected.
We have seen the whitewash tried thoroughly
j. does some good while fresh, but after two oil
tIfee days time the grasshOppers pay no atten
ton to it. The tar business if followed up, we
think would answer a good purpose. The best
remedy undoubtedly is to persistently fight
the pests, by ditching them and driving them in
to the holes. If whole communities would take
hold of the matter vigorously and follow up the
fight for few days, the rayages of the insect
hordes would be largely diminished.
EXPERIENCE WITH THEM IN IowA-Algona
Iowa, May 21.-Noticing in the Times accounts OF
the devastations of the grasshOppers in Western
red that perhaps few suggestions, and little
accurate data, from one who has graduated in
the school of experience, might be of interest tC
your readers living in the section of country
temporarily cursed by their presence.
The srasshoppeTs reached this (kOssuth) Coun
ty the 10th day of June, 1873, and commenced
deposting their eggs Immediately. They were
natives of New Mexico or Western Texas, and
made afghtofl ,2OOmiles. Intercourse was traced
over Kansas, Nebraska, Southern Dakota and as
far East as the Des MOines river, in Iowa, and
Blue Earth in Minnesota. A south-westerly
wind that prevailed for several weeks brought
them to us. About one-half of our crops were
DESTROYED in 1873, although some sections OF
country, southwest of here, over which they
passed, were scarcely injured by them. In 1874
the eggs commenced Matching out in exposed 10
calities on the 9th of May, and continued tC
hatch for three weeks. Just 40 days after they
commenced matching the first 'hoppers were seen
with fully developed wings. The embryo wings
seen on their backs are shed with the skin two
or three times during their growth, the last time
their bulk is usually doubled, and their wings
appear full size, two hours after which they are
able to fly. Having heard that they seldom in
jured the crops where they Matched out, but got
their wings and left Immediately, we sOwed
largely of wheat, oats, and flax, and lost our
whole crop. When about half grown the hon
pers are constantly on the move from one field to
another, and readily cross streams if in their way.
They are not easily drowned, but will float for a
long time without suffering any Inconvenience.
From the time Iney are hall grown until IneN get
their wings, they are easily crushed, aud cannot
make more than eight or ten hops before they
tire out. believe at this stage of their growth
they might be easily killed, in country where
the land is all under cultivation, by rolling in
the night when they are not disposed to move.
The red insect seen on them is a parasite pecu-
liar to the grasshOpper, and will not kill them in
any great numbers. The knit is left at the
mouth of the hole where the egg is deposited,
and'hatches out simultaneously with the grass
I IL hall lafa hair
course of flight, but are foated with the wind.
And if your meteorological tables tell you that
your prevailing winds are from the southwest in
June, your Illonois farmers may expect to make
their ACQUAINTANCE this Summer The theory of
the Kansas City naturalist, that they will not
breed the second season in northern lati-
tudes, is doubtless incorrect, unless, indeed,
they should reach a latitude so far north that
the season would be too short for their maturity
and CESSATION. The same gospel was preached
by wise men here last Summer, but the progeny
of our 'hoppers seem to thrive in the latitude of
Minnesota this season.