﻿194 SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT 



seems of great importance to the people of the West and the whole country that wo 

 should get all possible information respecting them, and the best means tor destroying- 

 them or preventing their ravages, I am looking the matter up, and any further infor- 

 mation that you may desire will be cheerfully given, so far as possible. 



I am told that some fields of corn have been saved bj' building fires so that the 

 smoke would pass over the field, and the gz'asshoppers would get up and leave on short 

 notice. 



Letter from Mr. E. Snyder, Nurseryman of large Experience at Highla7id, Ka7isas, written- 



January 11, 1S75. 



The first appearance of the Rocky Mountain Locust, more commonly known here 

 as Eed-legged or Army Grasshopper, in this section of countr3% was about the 10th of 

 September, 186G. 



People M'ho have lived here forty j'ears, say this was the first time these grasshop- 

 pers made their appearance to their knowledge. 



At our place they commenced coming down about 1 o'clock in the afternoon, at 

 first only one at a time, here and there, looking a little like fiakes of snow, but acting- 

 more like the advance skirmishers of an advancing array ; soon they commenced com- 

 ing thicker and faster, and they again were followed by vast columns, or bodies looking 

 almost like clouds in the atmosphere. They came rattling and pattering on the houses, 

 and against the windows, falling in the fields, on the prairies and in the waters— every- 

 where and on everything. 



By about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, every tree and bush, buildings, fences, fields, 

 roads, and everything, except animated beings, was completely covered with grasshop- 

 pers. "When they first alighted, they seemed exhausted, but it did not require much time 

 for them to recover and become familiar with their new surroundings ; they almost 

 immediately commenced devouring and destroying plants with a voraciousness and 

 rapidity truly astonishing to one not acquainted with them. 



After about 4 o'clock few could be seen fiying, except when disturbed, or making 

 short trips probably in quest of food. Tliey seemed to be inclined towards dry, warm 

 places for the night, and all such jilaces were packed and crowded by the time the sun. 

 went down. 



They commenced depositing eggs almost as soon as thej' arrived, and the earth in;, 

 many places presented the appearance of honey-comb, being caused by the boring or 

 perforating process of these insects, preparatory. to the depositing of the eggs. In this 

 they showed a decided preference for hard, warm, dry places, such as roads, new break- 

 ing of prairie sod, etc., often selecting places so hard that it was difficult to penetrate 

 the ground with a spade or sharp pointed stick ; shady, moist places were partially 

 avoided, although almost every spot of ground secured some. 



The grasshoppers remained, and continued depositing eggs until after hard frosts, 

 but became less abundant, and of less vitality, as cool weather and frosty nights ap- 

 proached. . There was considerable rain during the Fall, and the hopes and predictions 

 were that the wet weather would destroy the vitality of the egg$, and many thought 

 their coming a mere accident, the first time they were ever here, and thej^ would not 

 trouble us any more 



As cold weather came on, they collected more toward warm spots ; wagon roads 

 and railroad tracks, being warmed up during the day by the heat of the sun, were com- 

 pletely covered, and as they seldom move at night, the morning after found them stiff 

 and numb, especially on the iron rails, from which they could not move until the sun 

 warmed them up again, and railroad trains often had difficulty in getting up the grades 

 on account of the wheels and track getting slippery, which gave rise to the story that 

 '• grasshoppers were so thick they stopped the cars." 



Whatever our calculations may be, natin-e works according to laws we cannot 



