114 



pressing on due East, depositing their eggs in the ground and literally 

 filling the whole surface of the earth with them/' — Private letter from 

 A. Kilgore, obligingly sent to me by Mr. S. S. Rathvon, of Pennsyl- 

 vania. 



With the exception of Jackson and Cass counties, which lie on 

 the middle of the extreme western border of Missouri, all the other 

 districts referred to above lie in the north-west corner of tlie State, 

 St. Joseph, Buchanan county, which will be subsequently referred to 

 as a point where grasshopper-eggs hatched out in the spring of 1867, 

 also lies in the north-west corner of the State. Kansas City and 

 Oregon, which are referred to in the same series of extracts, lie re- 

 spectively in Jackson Co. and Andrew Co. The whole of these dis- 

 tricts, therefore, are separated, by a very wide interval, from Illinois. 



WHAT THE HATEFUL GRASSHOPPER DID, WHEN IT HATCHED 



OUT, IN THE SPRING OF 1867, IN THE LOWLANDS 



OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 



I have inserted here all the facts that I could find bearing upon 

 the above subject, omitting, for the most part, what is evidently mere 

 speculation and opinion. Some few of the following reports are 

 plainly colored by the same local feeling, that prompts almost every 

 Western man to deny that there is any fever and ague, or any mos- 

 quitoes of any consequence, in his own settlement; although "in 

 such a place," as he will invariably tell you, "the people are shaking 

 the teeth out of their heads ; and as to the mosquitoes there, they will 

 absolutely eat a fellow up alive." So far as possible, I have reduced 

 these extracts to their proper chronological order. 



"Texas, about May 6, 1867. — A cold snap has killed off all the 

 grasshoppers that threatened to overrun Texas." — N. Y. Sem. Tnb- 

 une. May 14, 1867. 



"Padonia, Kansas, May 13, 1867. — Farmers are through sowing 

 their wheat, but, to judge from the look of things, tlie Grasshoppers 

 will harvest it for us. They are hatching daily, and cabbage, lettuce 

 and onions are being devoured by them." — "J. F." in Prairie Farmer, 

 May 25, 1867. 



"Nebrasl-a, May 14, 1867. — Wheat, oats, etc., are coming up and 

 are looking quite fresh and green, but the Grasshoppers hatched out 

 from the eggs deposited last autumn have already commenced feast- 

 ing on the green grain." — S. C. Maxima, in Roch Island (III.) Union. 



"Omaha, Nebraska, May 18, 1867. — The eggs of the Grasshop- 

 pers are now hatching by the million. They are deposited over thi 

 Avhole face of the country, from the lower part of Cass county, clear 



