Year: 1877

when they are in east numbers; the
damage they accomplish is not as
great as one would expect; we speak
now of the flying swarms. We have
seen fields red with them, and day
or two after their departure it was
difficult to find any traces Of their
ravages.


III. We had supposed that when
the flying swarms lit down on Il field
they stayed there until the last morsel
of vegetation was gone. This is not
so. They seem to be subject to some
laws apart from the qualification OF |
their appetites. They will, as rule,
rise from ten o'clock in the morning |
until noon, and go off; others probably |
dropping down about O'Clock p. IN.


". We have seen no signs Of their i
contending with the winds and
persistently advancing in one particu-
lar direction. On the contrary they
seem to go "wherever the wind lis
teth, to-day north. tomorrow
south.


V. We have no faith i'll the theory
of their destruction, to any great
extent, by red bugs or white grubs Or
anything of that kind. Where there
are billions in region of course some
perish; it would be marvellous if they
did not; but the swarms we saw were
composed of the most vigorous and
healthful set of rascals we ever laid
our eyes on--and we have been in
congress! A life-insurance association
would not be of the slightest use to
them.


vi. One thing is certain:--they are
always found far from the ocean, in
the hearts of continents, where the
air is dry and the rain fall slight.
From this we may deduce the theory
| that damp climate does not agree
with their cOnstitutiOns--bre
tubercular trouble probably;--anb
that they advance to or recede from
the ocean precisely as the seasons are
wet or dry. This having been a very
wet season they have now receded to
the interior. A succession of several


very dry years would probably bring
them over the Alleghanies.


VII. They can de fought and over.


come. There is nothing intelligent


men cannot overC ONE. But inasmuch


as the inhabitants Of the afflicted


regions are usually poor pioneers, the


general and state governments should


both offer bounties for the destruction


of these pests so that whenever ant


wherever they appear there will be al


Immediately incentive to attack them


VIII. The most efficient means O.


contending with the Matching hopper
are ditching; deep-ploughing, harrow


ing in the fall and tar-dozers


Where a whole community worl


together with these instrumentalitie
they will certainly exterminate them


TX. We are now inclined to tn
belief that when making their grea
flights they travel night and day
We are told that last summer hOte
was burned in NewUlm, and whel
the flames lit up the midnight SIX


the grasshopper could be plainly see
flying over in great swarms. W
. observed this year that late in tn
: day as we could see them in the sky
they continued their flight and di
not settle down. Moreover the grea
: swarms which flew southwark on Tuesda,
the 10th inst, have not yet been heard from
n They must not only have gone outside th
S state, but they went so far as to be beyond IL
: reach ofthe telegraph. They few very hig
= and probably were caught in some current
3 the upper regions of the atmosphere an


driven far into the interior.


X. We have every reason to believe th'
a Minnesota is practically, clear of them, an


will escape their visitations for years to com


It is claimed that they did not trouble Il


Mississippi valley, prior to 1856 for thirty fl


years Five years of undisturbed progre


will convert the western half of Minnesota il
n to one of the grandest and richest agricultur
= regions ON the face ofthe earth, inhabited
: wealthy people capable Of fighting the
should they again make their appearance


XI. Let one Of our Congressmen introduce


bill at the next session Offering $25 900 rewa
to the discovere1 of a cheap and eficie1
IS poison that will attract and destroy them.
le France an insect threatened the destructi
A. of all the vineyards of that country wor
- billions of dollars; the farmers were unable


contend with them; whereupon the COVER
~ ment offered ; large reward and sciend


man soon discovered remedy f
at thousand frances saved in this way immeI
Ve amounts Of property.