The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-03-15
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA, THURSDAY MARCH IS
TIE GRAsSHOPPERS.

TIE GRAsSHOPPERS.
We are apt to deceive ourselves into
believing what We want to believe; and
hence we must accept statements in ref
erence to the grasshoppers' eggs with
good deal of ofcaution.
Many have regarded our unusual Feb.
ruary weather as prnvidential inter-
vention for the destruction Of the great
has ever been known before in the mem.
orv Of the Oldest white man or Indian.
It it results in the disappearance Of the
destroying insects even the skepticall
will begin to believe in the visible hand
'ot God. But if the 'hopperss survive,in
undiminished numbers, the conclusion
on all hands will be that it was merely .
freak OF climate "a breathing Of warm
Pacific winds, from the gulf.stream Of
that ocean, over the tops Of the Rocky
Mountains.
There is a great lack of positive
knowledge upon almost every point
connected with the grasshoppers -
I. Were young grasshoppers found
alive during the warm February wealth
er?
II. Were they hatched cut at that
time or had they been hatchad out last
fall AMI lain dormant for months under
the snow?
III. Do the 'hoppers come out OF the
eggs before the grass and the wheat has
started to growp
w. Does freezing kill the young
0nes |? 8s
v. If the eggs reach a certain point OF
development will cold kill the life. germ
in them?
Upon all these points we have the
most contradictory statements.
| On the whole however the evidence is
encouraging. Capt. Reaney Of St. Paul
experimental recently upon quantity
OF eggs sent to him from the Minncsota
Valley, and after submitting them to
heat for ten days not an egg hatched.
Our friend, Jerry Mccarthy, of West
st. Paul, has opened large farm near
Morris, Stevens county. lie visited il a
few days ago. He could find no eggs
upon his 6OO acres of breaking where they
were numerous last fall and of those he
he did find. on the banks OF the Pomme
de Terre river, not one out ot 200 would
hatch. The rest Of the eggs seemed L
have dried uD.
We received similar statements from
Senator |. p. Durfee, Of the 38th Sen
atorial District, in south h-western Mime
sofa. His constituents wrote him tina
the eggs taken from the open prairie
where the earth had been for weeks sub
jected to the action of the sun and wind
were shrivelled and dead; while thos
taken from under snow drifts were per
feet and would hatch readily.
II the unusual weather we enjoyed i
February killed the eggs in Minnesota
it must have produced the same result
in the states south of US, having warm
er climate. It il generally concede
that no considerable deposits of grass
!: hopper eggs are to be found in the re
! gions north and west OF US; and if thos
: south Of us are destroyed we will hag
no further trouble fron the pest Tor year
, to come. God grant that it may be 80
P. S.-Since writing the above W
have paid visit to Meeker county, an
we are glad to find that tho people ar
sanguine that they will have no troubl
with the grasshopper eggs laid ia tha
!. region last fall. We talked with thos
who had made personal investigat on.
J They said that they had carefully exam
Z Z ined pieces Of breaking which were whi
with eggs last fall, and thatsnow not a
!. egg could be found there. Where egg
were found but few Of them will hatcl
the rest seem to be dried up.
! This cheerfal view is confirmed by til
!. following from the Elk River News:
Parties At Dayton who have made tho
!, ough test Of grasshopper eggs before the q
and in the sun, report no success in the hatcl
9 lug business. It results in nothing except,
It in some cases reported, in haichlng out . CRU
. or worm. but no hopper. We trust al eggs
), this section will respond in the same manne
!. II these anticipations are realized v
= will all feel that Divine Providence b,
\ inberfered to save millions Of peop
!, from an incalculable calamity.