The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-08-24
Riverside Aug. 2lst 1876.

Ed. Redwood Gazette. I have been
watching these grassboppers with
painful interess for the last four years,
and it is my opinion that should they
continue to Increase iu numbers a
fspidly. for the next four years -
they bave in the past four. our beau
tiful land will be reduced almost to
desert, with scarcely rprig Of green
vegetation Of any sort for man or
beast. But is it not..possible to pre-
vsnt:.the rapid increase Of hoppers and
their consequent destruction? Are We
TO sit With folded hands and see this
land 20 rich in native production and
wealth utterly destroyed and rendered
sninhabitabls without making some
grand united effort to extermiuats
this terrible enemy? I am aware that
the greatest difficulty exists in dec,d-
ing upon some practical measure
which will, if adopted aud carried out
b ultimately sueses.faL l believe it
has been demonstrated 70 the satisfao.
ton Of nearly every ous that the
young hoppsrs can be caught and sue
esssfally destroyed on the cultivated
fields. But this is useless so long =,
the unbroten prairies futnisbl unlim.
tied quantities to replace those caught.
l also believe it to be generally con.
ceded that if the grass oa the prairies
could be reserved to the proper time
nearly all the young hoppers could bs
destroyed by fire. The Dolly: method
Of preserving the grass which 1 could
offer would be for each county to pro.
vide mea enough as soon Il the grass
is dry enough ia the fall, to burn .
strip say ten rods wide, around each
township. This would cou6ue the
fires to narrow limits iu case . fro
should occasionally get out and an
occasional township being burned
would not materially change the gen.
eral result. Let the general gover.
ment aud perhaps the several states
and territories themselves take hold
Of this measure and let every six
miles square Of this plague infested
country be gird!ed with . broad belt
Of burnt ground and the grass will bs
saved. Then when the eggs are
hstched and the hoppsrs are still
unable to fly burn the grass and you
have them destroyed This would
seem to me to be very far from .
hopeless undertaking. It would Of
course have to be carried out with
something OF military exactness and
diciplioe' Suppose a company Of
men arranged for this purpose be divi.
ded into squads Of perhaps four men,
each squad having a team loaded with
water, let these men be paid either by
the day or mile with the understand.
ing that should any squad permit tho
fire to get away from them . certain
deduction should be made from their
wages and let suitable rewards bs
offered those who should burn tho
must miles in the least time. Such
Mr.. Editor is 4 crude, and brief syn.
opsis Of q plan, which in my opinion,
could it be taken hold Of with the
cha. .cteEistic energy Of the American
people, would not fail to produce
grand results. It may look At first
sight ~ though it would take quite an
army to carry out this plan, but ouly
imigine for one moment an army Of
foreign men trespassiug our domain
with equal destruction Of property and
think how quickly We would raise au
army thriee the size needed for the
campaia hersin proposed. Doubtless
this plan is more or less imperfect
but feeling the necessity for immediate
action of some sort, and believing
this would be . step in the right direo.
tion. submit it for the perusal Of
the readers Of your valuable paper.
Resp, 10.