Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-06-22

EDEN PRAIRIE, MINI, June II, 1877.
Edition. Vcy,,o,f Ubopufr

EDEN PRAIRIE, MINI, June II, 1877.
Editor Vermont Ph9nin:
DEAR SIR: For the last three months /
have been receiving letters from parties ex-
tending from Massachusetts TO northern
Vermont inquiring with regard TO this
climate, the average productions in wheat,
corn, potatoes, oats, etc These communi-
cations are quite too numerous for me to
answer separately, and therefore conclude
that IL will be the most direct way TO have
these lines inserted In the columns of your
paper.
To these friends l would say, therefore,
that my experience of four years in Mime
sofa has convinced me that the climate is
very healthy; the atmosphere is drier and
puror than in some other localities, and
do most assuredly advise invalids, and os-
pecially consumptives, TO come to this eli
mate. My positive experience is that five
will recuperate, aud entirely recover, here,
where one will do so who goes TO Florida,
or any where in the Southern States. SO
far as the productiveness of the soil is con-
cerned, II has become a settled fact that
there is no Slate in the Union that pro-
duces so much, and so fine a quality of
wheat as Minnesota. Three years ago there
were thirty million bushels Of wheat raised
here. Other crops are raised in proportion.
But let me say, here and now, l do not adj
wise you TO come, for as they had in olden
times, so we have some of the accursed
things TO contend with. The principle one
is II very tOp curse-the locust. Last fall
they deposited their eggs over about one
half the area of this State. And now there
are millions upon millions of these young
hoppers all over this section of the State.
For the last ten days l have been out on
tho prairie investigating this great evil,
and 10 assist in devising ways and means
to exterminate 1t. The facilities for catch
| ing them are sheet iron and coal tar, and
bag stretched over hoop. These ma
chimes are called hopperdozers amer the
Southern bull. dozers. II you have heard
of this hopper dozer, aud it still remains a
mystery how we catch the hoppers, would
say the method is simply this: Take a
piece OF sheet iron eight feet long and two
wide, turn up the edge at an angle of about
| As degrees, smear it with coal tar, draw il
along on the ground, aud by the time you
have gone twenty rods you have caught
half peck of tiny hoppers that if fully
| grown would make five bushels, or enough
10 eat up len acres of wheat. The bag-dozer
is gotten up very cheaply and boys len
years old can use it. Ii has a handle about
four feet long, and by this we scoop them
into the bag they fall down into the bot
tom of the bag in heap, and do not seem
to try 10 get away. Amer catching half a
| peck or 50, the bag is emptied, the hoppers
buried, and the doing goes on. These two
machines have become a 81 eat success. The
slaughter is kept up from day to day, the
crops are all saved up 10 this time, and are
looking finely. Never were there stronger
indications of an abundant harvest. If this
pest can only be suGdued, all will be well.
Now, then, if any of you say I have
changed my views with regard TO natural
causes, would refer you to the Stoics and
Epicureans of old-Acls l7:2l.
Respectfully yours, d. J. KNAPP.