PACKABD.] THE LOCUST IN IOWA AND MINNESOTA IN 1876. 617 



THE LOCUST IN IOWA IN 1876. 



In Iowa, Governor Kirkwood states that " the eggs have been laid in 

 large quantities this season in a wide area of the western portion of the 

 State, and the fear was expressed that they might come another season 

 in swarms. In Northwestern Iowa the people are very careful to pre- 

 serve the prairies from burning this fall, so that they may destroy the 

 young in the spring." (Proceedings conference of governors, etc.) 

 Concerning the grasshopper invasion of 1876, I extract the following 

 data from the Monthly Weather Eeview, August 6 : "Appeared at Storm 

 Lake, Cherokee, and Sioux City, column extending to Lower Dakota and 

 Lamai-'s, Mo. ; at Fonda, Pocahontas County, damage slight ; 25th 

 at Unionville, Appanoose County, flying in large clouds at a high eleva- 

 tion, and Des Moines, Polk County, uying toward the Missouri in im- 

 mense numbers. None have yet alighted in Central Iowa." Crawford : 

 Injured corn 33 per cent. Glay: Have nearly ruined our crops. Har- 

 rison: Made their appearance on the 17th of August ; reduced an extra 

 corn-crop to an average ; destroyed buckwheat and gardens ; are injurr 

 ing fruit and depositing their eggs over the whole country. Humboldt: 

 Have injured corn and nearly ruined buckwheat and beans. Calhoun: 

 Have trimmed around corn-fields and so injured buckwheat that it will 

 not be cut. CheroJcee: Came with a north wind, on the 6th of August ; 

 staid two weeks, and have deposited eggs to some extent ; they damaged 

 wheat slightly and a very heavy corn-crop at least 25 per cent. Sioux: 

 Eeduced corn to 40, wheat and barley to 70, oats to 80, and potatoes to 

 10. Greene; Swarm of grasshoppers are destroying the country. Mont- 

 gomery: Came August 25 ; have done no injury as yet, except in a few 

 gardens. They seem uneasy, as if they desired to leave. The wind has 

 only been favorable for them one day since their arrival. Auduhon: 

 Came in clouds on the 24th of August; are doing some damage on the 

 corn and filling the ground with eggs. Guthrie: Coming on us during 

 the last week by millions; looks as if they intended to stay with us, and 

 if they do, our crops will suffer greatly. Pottaicattamie: Made their ap- 

 pearance in strong force on the 23d of August; have done considerable 

 damage, and are laying eggs in large quantities. Pocahontas: Have 

 come and gone again without doing much damage, except to gardens. 

 Sac: The red-legged grasshoppers came about the 15th of August in such 

 numbers as to materially injure our growing crops. — (Monthly Agricul- 

 tural Eeport, August and September. 1876.) 



" The Hamilton (Iowa) Freeman states that a gentleman, on examin- 

 ing the ground on which the insects had deposited their eggs, found 52 

 deposits in 4 square inches, or 13 per inch. The eggs in each deposit 

 varied between 17 and 34, averaging about 25 to the cocoon. If these 

 all hatched there would be 325 grasshoppers on each square inch. But 

 most of the eggs were addled by the warm weather subsequent to their 

 deposit. It is proposed to destroy them by burning over the prairies. 

 In Woodbury, Iowa, the insects greatly injured the potato crop." — 

 (Monthly Agricultural Report, November and December.) 



THE LOCUST IN MINNESOTA IN 1876. 



In Minnesota the eggs hatched out at Breckenridge May 23. In 

 June the grasshoppers were infested by a " red-fly parasite," mite. In 

 July, numerous at Breckenridge, 10th, 11th, and 12th ; left, going 

 southeast, 13th ; appeared again 19th and 23d. In August, Brecken- 

 ridge, swarms seen on 1st ; very destructive 3d ; flying and depositing 



