The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1876-09-07
Should our worst fears be realized,
and eggs laid to any considerable numb

CuOu1O OuI WOISt tears NC Itd1lLcu,
and eggs laid to any considerable numb
er, the first duty Of our people is to
hunt out the places and by blowing and
narrowing the ground the eggs may be
largely destroyed. The road sides are
a favorite place of deposit, and if we
mistake not, there is a law Of the State
which allows poll and road taxes to be
expendedin the destruction of the pests,
which can be done this fall by blowing,
as we suggest. In all reasonable prob
abilities bounty will be provided by
the legislature this winter. If it is it
will be moderately remunerative. At
the first preceptible Matching, modes of
destruction should be resorted to, such
as burning with straw, ditching, catch
ing, sc. One man equipped with a
horse and net, can in months time
protect from seventy-fve to hundred
acres, if the farmers Of the whole neigh
borhood will act in concert The boun-
ty will at least pay the expense and the
crop will be saved. Last spring, some
farmers were successful in saving crops
by leaving rod or more in width of
broken land between their fences and
crops. Still others were remarkably
successful by placing deep bitches be-
tween the Matching grounds and their
fields, while an equally effective meth
cd is to substitute a line of boards, plac-
ed In the form of worm fence, with a
deep pit at the end where the boards
come together. But there are plenty
of methods Of protection which will be
developed and made known at the prop
er time What is now wanted is for
the farmers to accept the situation.
prosecute their farm labors as usual
this fall, shaping all their operations
with a view to an active, energetic and
successful war Of determination The
determination to do this one formed is
half the victory. Withp experience
we feel that the pest is not so much tt
be dreaded as when the habits ant
characteristics We're wholly unknown.
Another important consideration is tt
see that meu are sent to the Legislature
this winter capable of graphing will
the subjcct--men of prudence. good Judge
ment and intelligence, who, while the,
they will extend every REASONABLE
and practicable aid to the exterminatio
Of the grasshoppers, will at the sam
time husband the public resources an
make the burdens of taxation res
upon the people of the State as light
as possible.
We heartilysecond this latter sugge
} ton. The people should not send me
to the legislature simply because the
, are servile tools of this or that politician
| but because of their ability to serve thel
intelligently in the grave crisis no
$ upon them.
AS showing how much can be etfecte
by Il vigorous effort to exterminate til
, hoppers, the Review gives this illu
| tratlon of the experience Of two tow
!. ships III its own county =
t 1t lisa notable fact, worthy of men
| ton, III this connection, that the grass
i hoppers were very bad i'll the Rapidan
$ but under the vigorous fight instigate
n by the county and local bonus, the 10.
y was comparatively light-only 6,57
t buhels, and the average yield of tn
e town, not including this loss, was abo,
i l6 bushels to the acre. The town
+ Lyra was much less affected by gras
!, hoppers, vet its loss is nearly 2,5(
bushels in excess of Rapidan, a su
Il more than sufficient to pay the loo
$ bounty of the latter town"