The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-05-18
DiILI NTELLIGE\(ER.
Friday. May Is, 1877.

GaAs~noP#ER~ --Fcon -at!cmsn
wbo recently arrived here :r9n thc
northwestern portion f lowa, NC gct
some interesting iuforfa alton coi.ceru-
ing the .xteht AID nature q. the gra~s-
hopper plague. which IS rapidly degas-
,1;ing ani laying IL waste rnauy ~ the
grea, districts II The Land II tie say
ting -ua. The frat known of the
gr.sshopper plague in the Wes;. a.
least since the wntte fn,a t5o& up his
alb sie tbere WAS ~ the year l3,3 Dur
ing the FLOWING year they cam il
great numbers. and PROVED more ,.--
siructive. But during 1870 the gca,s-
hoppers did bat lit,lc damage. 81 Least
as far a. the section ot country from
which our inf;rtn.n. came Is concerned
II 1876 they came IA greater numbers
than ever before aad proved more DE-
s.ructive. A. far a. can b. determined
from present indications. the extent ari
des,ructibi!Ity Of the plague ;hI, year
viii be wholly unparaiIele IN the his
tory of the country. The eggs. oar in
- tuant states. have itrea tbICGiy de-
posted over strip FROM lis, HUNDRED
10 one thousand lnle- wife. extending
from the head of Lake Superior Jn tae
north, 10 the Rio Grande Oh the south,
embracing large portions OF Texas,
New Mexico aud nearly tie whole Of
Nebraska. Kansas, Dakota Western
Iowa, Michigan aud Minn~sata Tho
egg are deposited far niore extensively
this year than ever bfora The grss-
hoppers swept over ouc tnifd 4 the
State Of Iowa last gear. and spread de-
s.rictlon aud devastation IN ihelr
c,nrse. depositlng thelr egg, through
the wiio. Of the districts over which
t.ey passed. ia small coc0nns. "A some
localities, II ., estimated that the cggs
are deposited at ,lIt rate Of Il thpu.and
T. square inch They came pouring
into the state from the vast and north
west. ri-iug like thunder clouds on he
horizon. and darsenIGg the heavens In
some sections the day you'd be bcauti-
full aud clear, the fields # cereals
nnl vegetables looking green, rank AID
beautiful nil Of .uid.n dark clouds
Of gra.h .pp.rs would form on the
western horizon. mounting skyward.
like u, htly clnui r,fjs. ttry would
sweep Oh like "A torrent, and finally tail
like fakes Of driven suow over tnc
green fields auI thriving crop, soon
Transforming the veriaut landscape INTO
a barren aud wither,d waste They
generally remain ia ona locality from
three IN six days aud then rise IN dark
eatng masses again aud pass away y
c,rn field. after they hal le't 1t, would
look like field of bean poles ihey
bite the heads oil oi whra. and leave
this talks standing. They viii BOT.
however. attack broom corn or peas.
and these are the only crops they leave
untouched. Our Informant. WHO J. a
gentleman If more than ordinary intel
iigence. gives it as his opinion that no
means Of annihil.ting them nr mitigat-
ing the plague will ever lac devised
He says that the legislatures might is
well attempt - lcgislat,' against
thunder storms or tornado = a. against
them. They viii continue 10 dvVas-
tate the country. he say. until th"y are
DESTROYED by some nltartl causes, Ah'i
he believes unless the cause or con
tlii.on be kius Ia operate against ta"tn
soon. thy will spread aver the whole
great ba.in OF the M,s,i.sippi, from the
Gulf Of Mexico to tAe frost bound
regions of the north. aud eventually,
perhaps, become national plagnc.
Tac immigration from the plague
stricken section of the west 10 'hts Ter
ritory. AMI ospcnally "a the etS''tn
portion of II. the coming s,aeou. hc
states. vii arc immense