The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1877-04-26

Glo cIItCCCy VI prayer. fillU dlIuOuSH
every grasshopper egg in Minnesota
should perish to-day, the League would
not believe that prayer had anything
to do with it. It would not believe
:" though one rose from the dead"
THE PRAIRIE BURNING Law
We have before said that we consider
this law a blunder. Experience has
shown every year since we have had a
grasshopper hatch that merely burning
the prairie grass destroys but Il small
portion of the hatch. The effective
burning done in this county was in
laying winrows of straw or hay along
the sides of the fields and burning in
the evening when the young 'hoppers
would take to the winrows to roost
And this had to be persisted in day af-
ter day to accomplish much.
The chief objection raised to the late
and simultaneous burning is that it
will destroy the eggs of the birds. The
grasshopper is not the only insect which
the farmer has to contend with and the
birds, the world over, are recognized as
the farmers best friends. The Legis-
lature passes bill tor the protection
of birds and then turns about and pass
es another one compelling the farmers
to destroy all the birds eggs. The old
law is sufficient. Each farmer should
choose for himself when to burn, sub
::ject always to the penalty for letting the
fire get beyond his own farm.
The Fort Dodge (Iowa) Gazette, con-
.cludes sensible article on this subject
as follows:
The red pail linnct, nuthatches, mead
low lark, black bird, various varieties
sof the snipe, multitudes of sparrows,
ployer, swallow, prairie chickens.
quail, etc., with their young broods will
destroy millions of grasshoppers daily.
The burning of the prairies after May
1st will destroy their eggs and nests,
and also drive all tile migratory birds
away. Late burns are very destructive
to prairie grass upon which farmers
mainly depend for hay and grazing of
stock, and such burns injure grass for
all time to come. Therefore, is it sound
policy to try the experiment? We think
by it more will he lost than gained.
THE GRASsH0PPER BOUNTY Law:
The Jackson Republic last week con
tanned a sensible article on this law il
which it says we understand that the
: Governor is seriously considering thu
propriety of refusing to appoint tin
measures as provided in the law ant
make it Imperative" and that" dele
gates from several counties have al
ready visited the Governor and we un
derstand that If respectable portion
of the people interested petition hin
not to appoint the necessary parties re
quired to enforce the law or make it OF
crative, then he will comply with thei
request.''
If this lie so, we hope the petition
will be sent in. The appropriation j
not sufficient to make the enforcement
of the law of any real benefit to tn
thirty and odd counties, and the res
would be saddled upon the already owe,
burdened settlers. AS we have ofte
said, it is not the hatch, or the youn
'hoppers, which we have to fear. Tn
flight or the invasion is what make
havoc with the crops. We can stan
the hatch and still save from half t
two-thirds Of crop. The only re;
benefit we should derive from the Ell
forcement of the law would be the lii
tie that settlers would make III the wa
of bounty, and the counties would ult
mately have to foot the bills.
The provision requiring citizens t
labor five days in destroying grassho|
pers is probably the most defecti,
provision. We have frequently inqui
ed rs to the duties Of residents of cite
and villages, but can get no light O
the subject. For example, shall res
dents of Worthington marshal undt
the Street Commissioner and fgl
grasshoppers within the corporate lin
its of the village? Or has the Stree
Commissioner power to order us out O
the prairie, and. if so, in what tow
ship shall we labor?
We have several times suggested |
Captain Miner that lie order us all OF
with tin pans, horse tiddles, drum
etc., and that we parade our streets in
call it a days work. If this don
!: brighten The grasshoppers out Of the
wits and thus do good service, we {
not see what can he DONE. >.
We haye no. doubt the legislatu
. meant we'll in giving us this law, b,
it is impractical and defective and wi
injure US immensely in the end. l.
us another year send to the Legis|atu
from the grasshopper district 1T Leaf
one man who understands our wan
and can present them in such q lgl
4; to secure practical legislation.