The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1877-04-19
cRAssH0PPERs.
Geneaal Prospect Of a Crop Through
out the Northwest.
Hopes and Fears of Minnesota, Ne.
bfaska, Iowa, Missouri and
Kansas.

X
all parts Of the states that we're visited BY
The pests last fall, and in which their eggs
were deposited. We infer from these re-
ports, which are doubtless reliable, that
there is not likely to be such general devas-
ta,ion throughout the northwest this year,
as had been feared. A good many Of the
eggs seem to have been destroyed by unfav-
cradle weather during the winter, and
many OF the young 'hoppers have pe.ished
The Times article in relation 10
the ravages Of the pests in years past is in
and we copy as follows:
The common red-legged, oqioptenus tenaur-
rribr1l,n, is moderately abundant through
out the northern states, from the Atlantic
even 90 far west as the Rocky mountains.
Ii is about an inch long, with brown body
and wing covers, Transparent wings, with
the inner surfaces of the thighs yellow, the
lower edge of the thighs ard the shanks
red. The wings extend very slightly be-
yond the tip OF the abdomen. Every har-
yest-field is lively with these red-iegged
jumpers, yet il IL doubtful if they have ev-
er appeared in such numbers as TO cause
serious damage to the farmer. Harris men,
lions that in Maine, between ll43 and
l756, they were four times very numerous
that they covered the whole country, and
threatened to devour everything green, Iu
Vermont, in 1871 and 1898, they are said
to have come in clouds, flying high in the
air. In 1874 great numbers appeared
in Maine, and were seen at great attitudes
in swarms, like SO many thisile-bloSs"
borne along TO sea before the wind.
The shortness Of the wing OF the red leg
eed locust seems to make them incapable
Of flight so prolonged, and their irruptions
are now usually credited TO another species
of the sme genus, cdloptenus atlanis, the cas-.
tern migratory locust. In the year 1919,
vast swarms of grasshoppers appeared in
Minnesota, and in 1920 the western coun-
ties of Missouri were visited by the same
plague. "They came in autumn by mil
lions, devouring every green tn ng, but toe
late to do much harm. They filled the
earth with their eggs then died. Mex
spring the eggs Matched, but the young hop
for parts unknown"
In 1915 and 1919, there were accounts oil
swarming grashoppers in Texas.
In 1855 these,insects covered greater e1'
tent of territory than had ever before been
observed, reaching from the Pacific ial
east OF the Rocky mountains, and from
Washington territory to Central America
more than thirty eight degrees of latitude
and, in the broadest part, more than elsh-
tern degrees of longitude. Throughout this
broad tract they lett scarcely green thing
In 1856 they re-appeared in much OF this
territory, and were severely destructive In
Minnesota and western Iowa.
In 1857 there were devastations along
the Colorado and San Antonio rivers.
The next serious invasion was in 1865
great damage occurring in lows, Kansas, Ne
braska and Texas; they were so thick
that trains were delayed by numbers crush.
ed upon the rails. A fresh inroad followed
in the next year, intensifying the horrors
of the wear before. In 1868 and 1869 some
trouble followed, but the numbers dimin.
ished as their enemies increased, until in
1870 these Irruptions had nearl vanished
In 1873 the county from northern Col
orado and southern Wyoming to western
Minnesota and Iowa was again ravaged (;
the Young Of this army Matched the next
year were reinforced by fresh detachment,
from the mountain region, SO that 1874 be
came fearfully notable gras.hopper year
The territory visited included the states Of
Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas, parts Of
Wyoming, Dakota, Minne-ota, Iowa, Mis-,
souri,, New Mexico, the Indian territory
and Texas. Riley estimates that the DANA
ges inflicted in this, although 4 sparsely
settled territory, did not fail short OF fifty
millions Of dollars.
The next season in this apparently doom
ed region opened por;entiously. The ground
was LITERAL alive with the Matching hop.
per, the progeny of the doubly destructive
army of the preceding year. BY the end OF
Nav the prairie lands in western Missouri
were bare as winter, with here and there q
branch of amaranth or milk-weed. In
June the insecis began to leave, and farm
ers bsgan replanting BY July the country
was green again. When the grasehopper.
were iledged, and as their food had vanish.
ed, they began TO rise and fy,-their flight
beginning IN the southern part OF Kansas
about the end of Nav, and extending north
wardly, SO that by the middle Of June al
we're gone as far north as Leavenworth
Their flight was usually in northwest.
erly direction. and it was noted that thoss
rising in Kansas rarely descended again
within the borders of that state, but CON
tinued their course until they came te
earth and food again in the country ives; Of
Central Minnesota. In this respect, Min.
neso:a seems TO have been peculiarly IN
fortunate, as receiving the attack not mere
" of the importing swarms from the noun.
tains, but securing the return stroke from
southern neighbors.
The early months OF 1876 furnished bu,
brief accounts Of grasshopper mischief. 10
the latter part of August, the swarms again
fell upon the unhappy counties of western
Minnesota and Iowa. They ravaged the
fields and filled the soil with their eggs.
The insect whose depredstions have been
thus rapidly sketched, is known to entomol.
ogists as caloptenus sPretus, Of Uhler, the
hateful locust, or the Rocky mountain locust
of Riley. Its general appearance is much
like that OF its congener, the hopper Of the
red-legs. The most notable difference il
that the wing and covers extend beyond the
abdomen, about one-third Of their length,
while those of femur-rubrum barely reach
the tip Of the body. The head and wing
cases are dark reddish brown, with lighter
spots the wings are pelluced; seen against
the sky they look like large snowf axes.
The body Is rather more than an inch long
from The front of the fan to the end of the
closed wings is about one inch and one fifth.
The eggs are laid BY preference in dry, san
dy soil. Grass stubble abounds with them.
Newly broken or ploughed ground is not
liked, and moist or wet ground ia always
hard roadsides, but they usually contain
no eggs. Nevertheless the instinct Of mater
nifty is imperative; the eggs must be laid
if in good ground, we'll, if not poorer must
serve.
A box Of earth from Storm Lake, Iowa,
before the writer, shows in every clOd a
large as butternut, bundles Of eggs. They
are from fifteen to twenty -hundredths of an
inch long, one-fourth as wide. little
curved, pale sulphur yellow, taperipg lit
tie at the posterior end, and with a surface
curiously shagreened.
As the egg approaches maturity the dark
eyes of the embryo are visible through the
now transparent shell. When emerged
from the shrll the infant 'hopp;st Is pale; it
is covered With . white pellicle which must
be cast off before the insect can move freely.
Its color soon becomes spotted with brown,
and, save wings its form is already that OF
its more adult stages. 1t is said to molt
four times. During the FIRST three the wing
cases, mere pads behind the thorax, gradu-
ally grow the perfect wings come with the
last molt, when it changes from the pupa