The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-07-11
GRASSROPPERS.

KANSAS CITY, No. July 10.-The grass
hopper plague in New Mexico is a source
of much talk among Western cattle men
now in the city. The plague, they say ex-
tends somewhat to Colorado, Wyoming
and over the Nebraska line into Cheyenne
county As a rule they do not think Kan
sas is in any danger or that crops will suf-
fer much from the grasshopper this year.
A reporter had an interesting interview on
the question last evening with Mr.. Henry
Smith, an Arizona and New Mexico cattle
raiser, whose home Is in Apache county,
Arizona. Mr.. Smith was seen at the Mid
land where he is stopping for few days.
He talked Of the peculiarities of the grass
hopper. the present condition of the plague
in the West and the chances for 1t extend
ing to Kansas. He thinks that the Sun
flower state is in imminent danger of being
ravaged by the grasshopper tribe next
year.
kansas is not bothered but little, if
any, with grasshopers this year" he said,
You would hear about it day and night if
there were any symptoms OF plague.
Kansas is more afraid of grasshoppers
than any place on earth. 1t has the best
possible reason 10 be, for, as everyone
knows the state has suffered much from
them time and again. They ate up every
thing in the state. They crossed into Mis-
souri, at that time and destroyed every
IuiIR III bu4S SNNLlCI LCg hcfO oA1oO Dc-
come plaques III Kansas several times
since then. 1t is only ten years ago since
they did much damage there"
What makes you think Kansas will be
in - much danger next year"
''New Mex co Is at present overrun with
the insects. am informed that they are
also to be found in Colorado and Wyom-
ing. They will soon be able to fly and
will then move east. They do rot live
very long after flying from the scenes in
which they were Matched. When they
will fly they will come east. Western
Kansas will catch billions of them. They
will lay their eggs there and next season
the quantity of them will be three times
greater than the number that come into
the state this year. There is where the
danger to Kansas comes in."
r. Are the grasshoppers doing much dam
age to crops in the west this year?"
NO, they are not. You see they are
nearly all in the grazing country. They
have not reached the crop regions When
they do they will not do much damage.
Wheat is now so far advanced that they
can not harm it and corn is about out of
danger A little earlier in the season
they could ruin both crops. They are
damaging the grazing lands considerably.
Bunchos of them four and five miles wide
can be seen in the country tributary 60
Springer, n. N. They eat the grass
and 90 not leave OlRQe stand
in their course They leave the ground
red wherever they so. They eat their way
'Blong for weeks before they can fly. Two
weeks ago the court house yard in
Springer was green and attractive. Be
fore l had left home grasshoppers had
eaten every blade of grass in the yard
They had also eaten the grass in the yards
OF private houses and could be seen in
punches of millions in the town. The in
sects keep so close together that in
lunches miles wide you couldn't push
your thumb to the ground except through
one of them. They are now so bad as TO
interfere with grazing between Springer
and CimarrOn."
Are they interfering with railroad
traffic in that viCinity?'
Yes, l saw two freight trains at
Springer stopped by them. The idea that
the trains are stopped by running into
piles of the grasshoppers is wrong. They
just cover the tracks and the passing
trains kill them. The oil from them
greaSes the rails and wheels so that the
latter slip instead of revolving; therefore
the stoppage of trains. The hoppers get
SO thick sometimes that they have to be
brushed off the tracks Sand is also
spread along the tracks to keep them
rough and prevent the trains from slipping
from Crasshopper oil, 1t is nothing re-
markable that the oil from them should
stop trains. 4 little grease rubbed on the
tracks or wheels OF locomotive will have
the same effect >