Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-07-08
L0CusIs RAvAGE FIELDS
Western iowa> Lands Being Stripped
Of Crops Of Corn and oats-Further
Ravases Feared.

Council Bluffs, July S.-The ravages
of grasshoppers are causing the utmost
CONSERVATION among the farmers in the
vicinity of Council Bluffs and the as
sertion is freely made that unless rain
intervenes that the greater portion of
green crops will be destroyed by the
thousands Of insects now in the fields.
Alfalfa, corn, oats. and in fact almost
every product raised by the farmer are
the objects Of attacks and the condi-
ton is growing worse daily.
The species proving destructive is
the biblical locust, or yellow grasshop-
per, while numbers Of true grasshop-
pers, the small variety, have been aid
ing much in the preliminary devasta-
ton. Further damage in the vicinity
seems sure to follow. No steps have
yet been taken to stop the progress OF
tho destructicve insects.
Alderman J. L. Ellsworth. who farms
several hundred acres of land in the
southern part Of the city, states that
his entire crop is endangered.
ElIsworth Tells Of Conditions.
II saw one stalk of corn six feet
high Friday" said Mr.. Ellsworth. "that
was literally covered with the grass
hoppers. They commence at the bot
tom Of the stalk and clean up every
thing but the stems. have fifteen acres
of sweet corn that has been attacked
and will have to cut 1t and shock II
for fodder to save any Of 1t. My aNalfa
III -
there is nothing left but the stems,
the grasshoppers having eaten all the
leaves. I have 200 acres Of corn which
it looks like they will get. never saw
so many grasshoppers before:
Attack Upon oat Fields.
The only thing that will do any good
is rain. That little shower iuesoay
drove them of the plants. and they DO
NOT trouble them when the dew Is on
the leaves.
'"They cut the grains Of oats from the
stems right at the stem and the grain
drops on the ground. I cut one field
Friday. where there was fifteen bushels
of oats to the acre lying on the ground
afterward."
Russell Smith, a farmer living IN
Hardin township, reports that the
erasshoppers are bad in his section OF
the county and that he has had to cut
his oats to save them.
cornfields Arc Stripped.
John Mcdonald, owning only small
two-acre patch of corn just north OF
the Illinois Central roundhouse ana
south Of Big lake, ten days ago noticed
an unusual number of what he thought
were grasshoppers in the field. TWO
days passed before the ravages OF the
insects became noticeable. Only few
days were required until practically
every stalk in the field was stripped OF
its leaves, many were bitten half way
off and the entire field presented a
stripped and barren aspect. Four days
ago, n. E. Finch, who cultivates a
seven-acre field of corn just north OF
that belonging to Mcdonald. noticed
leaves stripped on rows of stalks along
the outer edge Of the field. Since that
time the pests have advanced until
much of the crop has been ruined.
Other owners Of fields Of corn in the
vicinity are daily expecting to see evil
dences of the insects at work on their
crops. Harry Snider owns large fled
of corn just south of Finch and Nc
Donald and noticed several stripped
stalks when he visited 1t Friday morn
ing. Anther field Of corn belonging to
Thomas McDermeit has not yet been
n a r,o God