The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-03-15
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 ofcaution.
Many have regarded our unusual Feb.
ruary weather as prnvidential inter-
vention for the destruction of the great
pest. Certain it is that no such weather
has ever been known before in the mem.
orv Of the Oldest white man or Indian.
If it results in the disappearance of the
destroying insects even the skeptical,
will begin to believe in the visible hand
OF God. But if the 'hopperss survive,in
undiminished numbers, the conclusion
on all hands will be that it was merely a
freak OF climate "a breathing Of warm
Pacific winds, from the gultstream Of
that ocean, over the tops of the Rocky
Mountains.
There is great lack of positive
knowledge upon almost every point
connected with the grasshoppers =
/. Were young grasshoppers found
alive during the warm February wealth.
er?
II. Were they Matched cut at that
time OF had they been hatched out last
tall 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 grow?
". Does freezing kill the young
ones +?
V. If the eggs reach 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 Minnesota
Valley, and after submitting them to
heat tor ten days not an egg Matched.
Our friend, Jerry Mccarthy, of West
,St. Paul, has opened a large farm near
Morris, Stevens county. lie visited it Il
few days ago. He could find no eggs
upon his 6OO acres of breaking where they
were numerous last fall and of those hi
he did find, on the banks OF the Pommt
6 de Ierre river, not one out OF 200 would
!, hatch. The rest Of the eggs seemed t
have dried up.
We received similar statements iron
. Senator |. ?. Durfee, of the 3Sth Sen
atorial District, in southwestern Mime
sofa. His constituents wrote him tina
the eggs taken from the open prairie
where the earth had been for weeks sui
iected to the action of the sun and wine
Il were shrivelled and dead; while thos
p taken from under snow drifts were pei
I feet and would hatch readily.
\ II the unusual weather we enjoyed
e February killed the eggs in Minnesot,
= It must have producedt the same result
Y in the states south of US, having a warn
8 er climate. Il is generally concede
Il that no considerable deposits of grass
!: hopper eggs are to be found in the r,
l gions north and west OF us and if thos
l. south of us are destroyed we will has
J no further trouble tron the pest Tor yea
!, to come. God grant that it may be 81
= p. S.-Since writing the above "
have paid q visit to Meeker county, an
" we are glad to find that the people al
sanguine that they will have no troub
!, with the grasshopper eggs laid ia tn;
= region last fall We talked with tho.
= VINO had made personal investigat on
:. Q They said that they had car. fully exam
% med pieces Of breaking which were WIFI
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 Il
!. following from the Elk River News:
:. Parties at Dayton who have made tho
:. ough test of grasshopper eggs before the q
III and in the sun, report no success in the hate
lg lug business. 1t results in nothing except,
at in some cases reported, in haiching out grt
re or worm. but no hopper. We trust all eggs
- this section will respond in the same mann'
q. 1t these anticipations are realized v
nr will all feel that Divine Providence b
m inberfered to save millions Of peop
> from an incalculable Calamity.