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then they have spread, and apple, pear, and plum trees appear bare. Through 
their work corn is ruined and much damage is done. 
The foremost forces have gone south, but we are still having fresh recruits 
from the north. I hear that they have most all left the northern counties of 
this Territory and are coming south. The vanguard is at Farmington, about 
eighteen miles north of here, so if they will hurry along we shall be able to bid 
them good bye, I hope, before they want to leave their eggs with us. 
With all the drawbacks of a late spring and the grasshoppers, we shall raise 
sufficient breadstuffs and a little to spare, and a goodly quantity of potatoes. 
Page county, Iowa—The grasshoppers have just made their appearance here, 
and are very numerous ; no damage has been done by them yet. Their pres- 
ence will deter me from sowing fall wheat. This is much to be regretted, as I 
have imported the first grain drill into this part of the country, and desired to 
test its superiorty over the broadcast method. If drilled wheat would stand 
our winters, it would be the greatest improvement we could adopt. 
Adams county, Iowa.—We are now suffering from grasshoppers. They ap- 
peared August 27, in clouds, and settled all over this part of the country. 
They are destroying buckwheat, turnips, potatoes, corn, &c. They will pro- 
bably kill all the crops named except corn, and may do much damage to that, 
particularly the late fields. 
Cherokee county, lowa.—The grasshoppers appeared in great numbers Au- 
gust 28th and 29th. They have eaten up the buckwheat and injured the corn, 
devouring the leaves and eating into the ends of the ears. 
POTATO BUG, 
Jefferson county, West Virginia —What is known here as the “potato bug’’ 
has appeared in some parts of our county, but not in as large numbers as I have 
seen them. They have been eating the tops of beets in our garden as greedily 
as they eat the potatoes. We have kept them off pretty well by dusting the 
vines with unleached wood ashes, applying it as often as the bugs made their 
appearance. We dusted the ashes on the vines and over the bugs, and they 
would soon leave. Whenever they reappeared we repeated the dose. 
De Kalb county, Ilinois.—The potato crop has been somewhat injured from 
the invasion of the potato bug. Early varieties are extremely fine; and while 
I write a heavy rain is falling, which will stay the ravages of the bug on the 
later varieties. These bugs are highly poisonous ; the common barn-yard fowls 
will not eat them; it has been said by many that they would, but it is a mis- 
take. The grouse or prairie chickens have been found dead with the bugs in 
their crops, which is evidence that they were killed by them. Sportsmen will 
have need to examine into the matter, as the flesh, if eaten, would poison in re- 
turn. 
Putnam county, Iilinois—The potato bug is making fearful ravages with 
the potato crop here. Many fields are entirely destroyed. 
Webster county, Iowa.—The potato bug has made its appearance for the 
third time this year on some fields, and unless attended to promises to do great 
damage before potatoes mature. My experience is that they can be suc- 
cessfully guarded against by destroying them in their first attacks on the pota- 
toes, but it frequently requires time and perseverance. 
SILK CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 
The following extracts from a recent letter written by L. Prevost, esq., of 
San José, California, to this department, will show something of the extent of 
the silk interest in that State : 
