'616 REPORT UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



We quote also from the Monthly Weather Eeview : 



Near Dodge City, April 30, the ground was thickly coverod with the young. August 

 22 to 31, Dodge City, numerous and very destructive, causing entire loss of crops in 

 many sections ; 24th, Ellenwood, came from north and northeast; 29th, southwest ; 

 31st, northeast and west. Fort Wallace, flying southwest 19th, north 23d, settling 

 24th ; 31st, Atlanta, came in large numbers, injured fall-wheat, late corn, and gardens; 

 also flying southeast. In September, Dodge City, abundant, flying north 2d and 4th, 

 east 8th and 9th ; less abundant Gth and 7th. In October tlioy were reported " nu- 

 merous and destructive at times during the month at Le Roy and Baxter Springs ; 

 reported nearly all gone at Creswell, 19th, and Council Grove Slst. In November 

 grasshoppers were killed on the 14th by the snow-fall. Brown : The grasshoppers 

 have destroyed about all the wheat, rye, and timothy that have come up, and will 

 doubtless destroy all that has been sowed. The farmers have stopped sowing, owing 

 to their presence. Sedgwick : The grasshoppers alighted on the Ist of September, not 

 in such numbers as two years ago, but enough to eat all the young wheat and rye as 

 fast as it appears. Many of the farmers -are still sowing wheat. Bourbon : The gi-ass- 

 hoppers appeared on the 28th of September, and are eating the wheat clean as they go. 

 Cowlerj : The grasshoppers have taken all the early-sown wheat and rye, and they are 

 still with us. They keep us from sowing wheat. Douglas: Owing to the prospect of 

 another grasshopper raid but little wheat was sown until within two weeks. The 

 early-sown looks flue, Woodson : Grasshoppers came on the 9th of September by the 

 million, and have destroyed all the early-sown grain. Chase : The grasshoppers came 

 September 9, and the wheat that had been sown is all destroyed. Lyon : The fall sow- 

 ing of wheat and rye has all been devoured bj' the grasshoppers. Osage : On the 9th, 

 10th, and 11th of September the wind from the northwest brought billions of grass- 

 hoppers, and consequently all the small grain is a total loss. Eeno : The farmers are 

 still busy in sowing wheat; some ground is being jdanted for the third time; only 

 about half the area will be sown that would have been if the grasshoppers had not 

 come ; all the early-sown was entirely killed. Shatvnee: The grasshoppers have eaten 

 about half of the wheat and rye sown ; the farmers are sowing their grains over again. 

 TVashingion : The farmers are now busy in sowing fall-graiu ; we do not fear the grass- 

 hoppers in the spring, for the farmers will plow all they can this fall and winter, with 

 the expectation of killing the grasshoppers in the egg. Saline : All wheat sown before 

 the grasshoppers came has been destroyed by them. Some farmers have lost 200 acres, 

 and one has lost 1,200. Mitchell: Came from the north, the wind being from that 

 direction, August 23. Began to come down at 9 in the morning, and by night the 

 ground was literally covered with them. They commence to go into the crops as soon 

 as the sun goes down, on the south and west sides of the field. They are eating the 

 blades off" the corn, which is loaded with them, and the leaves oft' the trees. Early 

 corn is now quite hard and will not be seriously injured. Pawnee : Made their appear- 

 ance August 24, coming from the northwest. Most of them passed over, but a few 

 alighted, owing to the changing of the wind to the south. Corn is too far advanced 

 to be injured, and they are not doing much harm except to gardens. Washington : 

 Visited us August 24, at 11 o'clock in the morning, coming from the northwest. So 

 far they have alighted on about half of the couuty. They are stripping the blades 

 from the corn, but appear to i)ay more attention to the process of incubation than to 

 feeding. The prevalence of a south wind has kept them here until to-day (August 31). 

 The north wind is now blowing, and they are filling the air by the million, passing 

 rapidly to the northwest. They have deposited no eggs, and done little damage. 

 J!!llis: A visitation from grasshoppers last week ruined the late corn, and injured all 

 somewhat. Eeno : Commenced to alight August 31, at 11 in the morning, and are 

 eating everything green. At 2 p. m. to-day, September 1, many of them flew away. 

 They have almost ruined the late crops, especially corn. Norton : Have ruined the 

 corn-crops. Barton : Appeared August 24 from the north in vast swarms, and have 

 destroyed all late corn and potatoes, beans, turnips, &c., and the wheat that was up. 

 To-day, August 31, with a strong north wind, they are going south. They have made 

 no deposit of eggs. Graham: Descended in clouds and remained five days, destroying 

 our corn, buckwheat, turnips, and gardens. liice : Have returned for the last week 

 in as great numbers as two years ago. The corn, except the late-sod corn, which 

 they have riddled, was out of their way. They have mostly left. Eepuilic: Filled 

 the air August 24, when corn-fields were ravaged and gardens disappeared in an after- 

 noon. We have the assurance that we shall raise our own grasshoppers next year, for 

 initiatory steps are being taken to give us a large supply. Butler : Ou the last day of 

 August I was in Wichita, Sedgwick County. About 4 o'clock p. m., a very large col- 

 umn of grasshoppers passed over. In their flight they made a noise like the rattling 

 of a train of cars. I do not know how far the column extended west, but it extended 

 more than twelve miles east of Wichita. Their flight was toward the south. Although 

 the main part passed over, enough stragglers were left in the valley of the Arkansas 

 to eat every vestige of green wheat as fast as it came out of the ground. Some few 

 appeared as far east as El Dorado, but no damage worthy of mention has yet been 

 4one in Butler County.— (Monthly Agricultural Report.) 



