The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1876-09-21
fnr the farmer.
DEATH TO GRAssHOPPERs.

The following extract from the st. Paul Pioneer
Press, will be read with interest by every west
ern farmer If the red louse mentioned viii de-
stroy the 'hoppers' eggs, they are indeed o1u
send. The bug or louise is of deep red coior'
about the size Of the ordinary louse WHICH - 20
sembles in shape and movement. 49,
stephen Miller has investigated them, anu "i''o'
as follows:
Cast eye,i,, -,vbap We reached Worthington,
from Lake Sbetek there as quite an excitenent
in WOrthiDgton owing to the tact ina. '1e ~.
zens were Generally convinced that req para,
site was destroying the grasshoPPeI ressJ l.,
examined the matter eareIuIy ny m - H. sggs
came convinced that the destruction OF the eess
in that immediate vicinity was well assureu
but Determined not to write you anu eAcite
any hone until a further and more complete e1-
animation could be had. we therefore iuInlsh
al orr bohemian friends with bottle OF the
eogs and their pests, and the commission left in
higb shirts We postponed further inyestiga-
tion until this morning, when LEFT and prose-
cuted the examination with vigOr. The farmers
in the vicinity knew nothing of these signs of
deJ;veranee. until the visitors from WOrthingtOn
reached them, and / feel safe in saying to you
that in a circle of ten miles from Worthington
there will scarcely be an egg by to-morrow night.
l send you q bottle herewith, containing the
cones and the parasites. We could scarcely find
a cone, or q sack, except as they were indicated
BY the parasite on the surface; and each cone
which was not entirely destroyed, had from five
to fifty of the red laborers at work upon the
eggs. We found scores OF cells with no eggs left
except the shells. As fast as the bug finishes
one cone, It starts upon an expedition for new
worlds TO conquer, and it instinctively finds and
conquers the new world. /, of course, informed
our station agents and others at Hersey and
Heron Lake of this discovery, and they also
promised to make thorough investigation, as
will do here and the results will be reported
forthwith. If the matter is general, deliverance
is nigh. stopped for fifteen minutes one
and half miles west of Wilder, where Section
Foreman Smith took me to that part of his farm
where eggs were deposited. We could find none
by general digging, but wherever we found, as
frequently did, the red parasite on the surface,
we found the cone beneath, with the parasite at
work, consuming the eggs. l am aware
that two years ago this parasite was found work
ing upon the eggs at Madeira and other places,
but here we have the remedy almost as soon as
the eggs are laid, while in the former instances
the parasite was only discovered in the spring"
Since the letter from which the foregoing is an
extract was written, Governor Miller has receiv-
ed dispatch from gentleman at Heron Lake,
in which the latter says: 81 find that parties
were in town this morning, talking about the
red insect which is efiectually destroying the
grasshopper eggs. They were found three miles
east of here, and also four miles southwest, and
all engaged in eating the eggs. ] will at once
have further examinations made in other diree-
tiOns, and report tomorrow"