﻿154 SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT 



The young from the 1873 invasion destroyed most of the small 

 grain and acquired wings, and began to leave the country in June- 

 During the month of July, and more particularly during the first half, 

 new clouds came from Dakota and British America and swept over 

 very much the same counties overrun the previous year, reaching a 

 little farther east. The clouds which came in 1874 are described as 

 reaching 100 miles east and west and 200 miles north and south. 



The Commissioner of Statistics, in his report for 1874, says that 

 the locusts destroyed more than 50 per cent, of the crops that year in 

 the counties of Brown, Clay, Cottonwood, Jackson, Lacquiparle, 

 Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Murray, Nobles, Redwood, Renville, Rock,. 

 Watonwan and Yellow Medicine ; and a smaller percentage in Blue 

 Earth, Chippewa, Faribault, Grant, Nicollet, Otter Tail, Sibley, Ste- 

 vens, Swift and Wilkins. 



Gov. C. K. Davis wrote to the Secretary of the War Department, 

 about the middle of July, as follows : 



The locusts have devoured eveiy kind of crop in the northwestern part of Minne- 

 sota. (They did the same thino^ last year in the same area). Many thousands are now 

 sufferino^ for food, and I am using every public and private source to send immediate 

 supplies of food. This State is entitled to two years quota of arms, estimated at $S,1G0. 

 I respectfully request to turn over to me, instead of arms, a quantity of rations, equiv- 

 alent in value. 



CoLOKADO — The whole of Colorado east of the mountains was 

 more or less overrun by this insect in 1874, and great damage was re- 

 ported from Conejos, El Paso, Larimer, Weld, Cache a la Poudre, from 

 Denver to Middle Park, and in the Ralston and Clear Creek regions. 

 In the Platte Valley they did less harm. Mr. J. D. Putnam, one of 

 my correspondents, wrote : 



The grasshoppers {Caloptenus spretus) have been quite destructive in this territory 

 this year. They put in their first appearance at Valmont, Boulder county, on July 11, 

 though 1 saw them on Gold Hill (in the Mts.) on July 8. The first lot remained several 

 days and went ofiF, but it was soon followed by another lot, and so they seemed to keep 

 oncoming. The wheat was nearly ready for harvest when they first came, conse- 

 quently there is not the destitution among the farmers that there is in Nebraska. 



Mr. O. A. Whittemore, Secretary of the Colorado Industrial Asso- 

 ciation, wrote : 



Our visitation this year came from the North and West. The first invasion crossed 

 the mountains much to the north of us and coming down along the base of the moun- 

 tains, and after doing much damage, leaving for the South. A late swarm came 

 across the mountains directly west of us, and when leaving, seemed to be going South. 



As this insect breeds in most of the western, mountainous part of 

 Colorado, this State sufi"ers more or less from its injuries every year. 

 The insect is, in fact, the greatest pest to Colorado agriculture. Yet 

 it is only when fresh swarms sweep through the mountain passes and 

 canyons in darkening clouds, or when they bear down in multitudes. 



