Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1877-01-11
THE GRAssHOPPERs.
War on the Pestiferous Insects Invoking
the Aid OF Consress-Prof. Rhey's sug-
gestions.

War on the Pestiferous Inse ects- Invoking
tn. Aid OF Consress-Prof. RiIey's sug
gestions.
A document signed by the Governors
of Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas,
Minnesota and Dakota Territory has
been presented to Congress, asking for
q commission to examine into the
grasshopper plague, and report upon
the best methods for guarding against
its annual return to the districts
devastated during the past few years.
Individuals have been able to do little
toward the successful opposition of
grasshopper ravages, and States have
only partially checked the curse; but it
Is hoped and believed that q combined
effort will In, time do much in the direc-
ton of the annihilation of the insect
pests. '-
In aid of the proposed national work,
the State Entomologist of Missouri, Prof.
Charles v. Riley, contributes sugges-
tions. to be followed out by all con-
cerned, as follows
Protect your fields and prairies, as far as
possible. from burning this fall Ask your
railroad managers to cooperate by burning
coal during the dry weather, and by instruct
ing their section masters to have q few hum
dred feet carefully burned each side OF their
track Then set all these fields on fire next
spring after the new hatch and before they
commence to travel. Save all straw, old hay.
and other cheap combustible material that
can be got to use in the spring in burning the
young. Harrow and drag wherever YOU can
This Is the best work that can be done in the
fall. A revolving harrow will more than pay
for itself on newly turned ground, and q sharp
toothed harrow can be used to good advantage
on the bare and uncuitivsted plzces and along
roadsidos where the eggs are known TO be laid.
Ditch Commence at once to surround your
field or garden with a ditch as here recon-
mended. Employ the first two weeks that
would otherwise be devoted to planting next
spring either to ditching CT making pits, or TO
plowing or deep narrowing. Don't plant I'M
til, by burning, crushing and trapping or
starving. you have got hid of the bulk Of the
pests. Sow your grain in ''lands, or stripe
fifty to 100 feet wide, to permit of ditcling
between them. and those OF you who have fab
wheat up and doing well, where the eggs are
thickly laid, should make bitches at Intervals
through the field to facilitate the saving Of il
in the spring.
Organize, so as to insure intelligent and con-
csrted action. Demand of your Legislature
that it enact bounty law which viii render
the labor bestowed ON the destruction of the
eggs not only valuable as preventing injury
to yourselves, but doubly remunerAtive to thoee
who take the trouble 10 collect them.
Make provisions for procuring as large cup
ply Of hogs, aud OF Matching as large num-
ber Of chickens, turkeys and ducks, next
spring, ss possible.
These suggestions are, in the main, |
sensible and practical and the RENE
dies offered are much more to be relied
L. II. - n
or premature Matching to destroy the
eggs and young locusts. 49,. "A
1t is useless to stand idly by and see
crops destroyed. There must be action,
and by the concerted efforts OF farmers, !
scientists and legislators the onward
march of the all-consuming insects may
De broken, and the myrisds successfully
driven into their ''last dis,h.''-