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neously termed '' locust," has inflicted terrible ravages in theNortliv/est, 

 of which the following specimen is presented in the language of our 

 correspondent : 



Doniphan, Kansai^. — The late summer aud fall crops have heoii almost entirely de- 

 stroyed by grasshoppers. The common j nmpiug grasshopper did much damage through 

 the early part of the season, but about the middle of August clouds of the flying ones 

 made their appearance over the county, devouring and destroying vast quantities of 

 vegetation. Gardens were quickly eaten up, corn-iields were stripped of leaves, and in 

 many cases the corn was entirely eaten oft"; fruit-trees are left with naked branches, and 

 in many cases the half-ripened fruit is left banging on the trees, presenting a sicken- 

 ing sight of death and destruction. 



lu addition to the actual loss by devastation, the loss caused by discouragement will 

 be greater. Years of patient waiting, hard work, and self-sacrifice have been destroyed 

 in a few days, with no known remedy for protection— just as the fruits of labor were 

 beginning to be realized, destruction came — and the question with many is, " Is it of 

 any use to try again f 



Here is a field for the Department of Agriculture. Some method of protection or 

 relief must be had against the destruction of this insect, or an immense tract of mag- 

 nificent country will never be what it would without this curse. I am one of those who 

 believe all such things may be controlled by some iiractical method ; it only requires 

 study, enterprise, and means to learn how. This county (Doniphan) could well aft'ord 

 to pay $100,000 for a guarantee that no grasshoppers should ever trouble it again. I 

 have learned that vegetation highly cultivated and growing vigorously is less liable to 

 be destroyed than when on the decline or growing feebly. Thiis it is we often see a 

 single tree in an orchard eaten even to the bark, while others of the same variety are 

 not damaged so much ; and upon examination it will be invariably found that those 

 mostly eaten were diseased, or had their vitality in some way impaired. This thing 

 was noticeable when the same kind of insects were here six or seven years ago. Of 

 all fruit-trees, apple and pear trees sufter the most, while peaches, plums, and cher- 

 ries sufter the least. Thej' eat the leaves otf the apples and leave most of the apples 

 on, but the peaches they will eat the fruit and leave the foliage ; but, in many instances, 

 when vegetation is not plenty, I understand they clean all as they go, and I have seen 

 instances of this kind. The damage to vineyards in this county is not so great. They 

 do not seem to relish grapes, and are satisfied by eating oft' the stems and leaving the 

 bunches fall to the ground. There will not bo enough corn in this county to feed what 

 stock there is in the county as it should be fed. 



This plague is reported in Brown and Broome, Wisconsin ; liI"icollet, 

 Sibley, Blue Earth, Faribault, Jackson, Douglas, and Wright, Minne- 

 sota ; Sioux, Emmett, Harrison, Calhoun, and Woodbury, Iowa ; Platte, 

 Shelby, Daviess, and DeKalb, Missouri ; Jeft'ersou, Morris, Cherokee, 

 Franklin, Xemaha, Mitchell, Montgomery, Allen, Smith, Bourbon, 

 Douglas, Leavenworth, Cowley, Labette, Osage, Eice, xTeosho, Graham, 

 Cloud, Crawford, Ellsworth, Greenwood, Jackson, Butler, Miami, Linn, 

 Pawnee, Chase, Sedgwick, and Shawnee, Kansas ; Pawnee, Cass, 

 ]^uckolls, Furness, Dawson, Madison, and Gage, Nebraska. In some 

 localities the hot winds, so destructive to vegetation, with the parched 

 earth, addled their eggs. The wide-spread destruction which they have 

 caused in the iS^orthwest has not been adequately described. In many 

 places large masses of people will probably suffer during the coming 

 winter for the necessities of life, their crops having been swept by 

 this remorseless enemy. 



Miscellaneous. — Cut-worms {Agrotis sp.,) injured corn and cotton 

 in Franklin, Louisiana. Fruit-caterpillars (CUsio campa) infested three- 

 fourths of the apple-orchards of Oxford, Maine, and were seen in Clay, 

 Indiana. Coddling-moths {Cavpocapsa pomonella^) injured apples in 

 Moultrie, Illinois. Horn-worms {Macrosila Carolina,) were destructive of 

 tobacco in Halifax, Virginia, and Pope, Illinois. A species of ApJi is de- 

 stroyed buckwlieat in Luzerne, Pennsylvania. Grub-worms {Lachnos- 

 ierna sp.) infested corn-crops in Huntington, Indiana, and in Mont- 

 gomery, Missouri. May beetles (Lachnostenia sp.) were found in corn- 

 fields in DesMoines, Iowa. In Whiteside, Illinois, a new beetle, uude- 

 scribed, was observed destroying the larvai of the Colorado beetle, thrust- 

 ing it through the body with its beak, and killing it instantly. The 



