The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-10-10

Dangers from the GraSshOpper.

! Dangers from the GraSshOpper.
am not scientist, nor the son or father
of one; am mnch less prophet; yet
! have some predictions TO make, based on
certain conditions | have no microscope
or instruments Of any kind. | have moth.
ing but pair of very poor eyes before a
very little common horse sense. ! have
been observing some few characteristics Of
some of our most common insects and
about them | am going to write my first
article on science, or on the science of entO-
mology, ! expect soon to be a Fellow of
the Royal Society, and shall be ready as
soon as | am sent for,
The grasshopper, which for the past sea
son has done 50 much damage to our oat
crop, is called by scientific men ColeopteruS
Femur-rubrum. | should call it Red Leg
ged Grasshopper, | find by careful refer
ence that it is OF the same species AS that
which devastated and deyoured the grain
fields of Nebraska, Iowa and Southern
Minnesota in 1874 and -. 1t is fact
that this insect has been unusually numcr-
Gus in this vicinity during the past year,
and predict that if We have Il favorable
winter and sprir 9 for the preservation and
Matching Of their eggs that next year our
small grain will entirely be destroyed, if
not our corn crop also
For the past two weeks | have taken a
great deal Of interest in watching the le.
male deposit her eggs. Though having no
Oyipositor, she sOmeway digs "A hole in the
ground the length of her abdomen and de
posts from 80 to 100 eggs in the form of a
small grub. These eggs are closely stuck
to each other by a sort Of mucilaginOuS
substance secreted by the insect, | have
drawn several of these insects from their
place Of deposit of eggs, and find that they
adhere to the sides of the hole with great
deal of tenacity, almost separating the alb
domen from the thoraX before they let 90
their hold. They seem very much deter
mined to bless us another year with their
numerous families or progeny.
The severest cold weather does not seem
to affect or injure the vitality of their eggs,
as last winter wa, very severe winter, the
coolest for many years, yet we find the hop
per most numerous. 1t is said, however,
by some authorities that an open winter
will do more to destroy their eggs than the
intensest cold, espeC tally where there is a
great deal of freezing and thawing; it
seems to break up the clusters of eggs, and
when they become isolated once they be
come scattered and absorb more or less
moisture, and thereby seem to lose their
vitality. But where their eggs are once
deposited they are pretty sure to hatch, as
was shown in their ravages of Southern
Minnesota from n to 70, They deposited
their eggs for three successive seasons, and
they remained till one summer day they
rose and made their way to the Northwest,
and since then Southern Minnesota has
been free from their annOyanceS.
Grasshoppers are a very rlyenous and
noNious insect, which has been q pest 10
nearly All 'Lie n''louS W" 'He lace o. 'l'e
Siooe some uihe Ill Ihelf history ihey
nave oeeh 'le plague "l Egypt IN Oh ah
infinite army of them invaded and raraged
ltaly, ana, ny the Wlha' being swept mo
the sea ana 'heh thrown On 'ahu' drowned
10 Such uep'h lna' from 'helr N'eh'h pes
thence AROSE. which '''I'eo on more llan
'"ilIioh oetS'' au" "ni'l'a''' III - 'h'F'H
Thousand ehl'i"nS uleu oI I"I'''he on ac
count OF THESE terrible scooiSeS. In iooo
CLOUDS 'afhehlnS 'he sun passed over 'us-
''a' t"iaiiu "h" LI'Au"I'a' III some pla'es