46 



age Creek, which had been saved by spreading a swathe of straw across the middle of the 

 field ; then the whole family armed themselves with boughs, and forming line drove the 

 grasshoppers before them into the straw. When evening came a match was applied, and 

 in five minutes nothing was left of the invaders but their horny coverings, which, at the 

 time of my visit in August, still littered the ground in millions." 



THE LOCUSTS IN THE WESTERN STATES. 



Throughout the Western States that lie beyond the Mississippi River, where last 

 year fully one hundred thousand people were estimated to have been seriously affected 

 by the plague of locusts — many being reduced to poverty and starvation — this year the 

 actual suffering has been comparatively slight. From the official reports of the Department 

 of Agriculture at Washington, we gather that the dreaded locust " seems to be perishing 

 from the assaults of parasites ; its demonstrations of destructive power were far less 

 formidable than last year." In the early part of the season very serious apprehensions 

 were felt as to the safety of the crops in many localities, but as the summer advanced it 

 was found that though much injury was inflicted in particular i)laces, there was no such 

 wide-spread havoc as in the preceding year. 



In the "Monthly Report " for May and June, for instance, it is stated that " The 

 destructive locust, Caloptenus sjirehis, has recommenced its depredations west of the line of 

 the Missouri, and in some counties to the east of that river. It was reported that they 

 were hatching in immense numbers in five of the counties of Minnesota. In some cases 

 they were burned in great immbers in piles of straw. In Missouri they were very des- 

 tructive in the north-western part of Vernon County ; in Platte the)' swept all the grain 

 auil grass crops ; they were also a terrible scourge in five other counties. (All of these 

 suffered severely last year — they lie along the western boundary of the State.) In Kansas 

 they had eaten all the stacked tame-grass hay and all the old meadows, twenty-five per 

 cent, of the wheat, and most of the growing corn-plants ; in Marshall County they des- 

 troyed wheat, oats and gardens ; Leavenworth records the most terrible visitation yst 

 known — the popular dismay is indescribable. Similar reports come from seventeen other 

 counties. In some villages the streets are covered with these insects. Fruit-trees have 

 in many cases failed to bear, from the fact that they were last year deprived of all their 

 foliage and young-wood growth by these pests. From some counties come bitter complaints 

 of the falsehoods of newspaper writers and others, palliating or den)'ing the real extent 

 of the disasters. These false representations are made in the interest of speculative pro- 

 perty-holders, who fear a depreciation of their investments. In a few counties the injuries 

 have as yet been small, but all such places are yet liable to destructive visitation. The 

 cotton-plant was especially relished by these insects. In Nebraska they had destroyed 

 twenty per cent, of the small grain, and were still at work. In Colorado they were nume- 

 rous and destructive in three counties." 



In the Prairie Farmer of the 29th of May it is stated that " the reports from the 

 grasshopper regions of Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska are somewhat conflicting, yet on 

 the whole a little more cheerful from man)' localities than they were last week. From 

 Sedalia, Missouri, comes an account of three deaths from starvation. At a meeting held 

 at Jefterson City, it was stated that suffering in many parts of the State was imminent, 

 and it was resolved that the Governor should appoint commissioners in ever)' county of 

 the State to solicit relief, and that collections for the sufferers should be taken up in all 

 the churches on the Fast Day, June 3rd." This ' Fast Day' was appointed by proclamation 

 of the Governor of the State of Missouri, as a day of fasting and prayer to Almighty 

 God for deliverance from the plague of locusts, and was, on the whole, very religiously 

 observed throughout the State. 



The same paper quoted above relates further that the ravages still continue in the 

 neighbourhood of St. Joseph. " The feeling regarding them varies with localities ; some 

 are despondent, while others think the damage will be light. The peojde of Nebraska 

 generally are reported to be very hopeful ; they believe that the entire corn crop at least 

 will be saved. They have developed in patches, but are doing less harm than was an- 

 ticipated." 



