618 REPORT UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



eggs Gth to 12th ; in the western counties, wheat, corn, oats, and bar- 

 ley have suffered severely. In September, Breckenridge, Minn., fly- 

 ing south, 26th. Jackson: Are here yet ; it is a hard matter to estimate 

 the damages done by them. Meeker: Will injure the wheat in a few 

 places. Nicollet: Are destroying the crops and depositing their eggs. 

 Nobles: Came upon us just as the earliest grains were ready to harvest; 

 wheat, corn, and timothy are very badly damaged, and other crops 

 totally destroyed. They have laid eggs for a crop next year. Po2Je : 

 The prospect of uncommonly good crops was very fine until about two 

 weeks ago, when the grasshoppers came. Though they did incalculable in- 

 jury, yet they did not stay long enough to effecta total destruction of crops. 

 The air was filled with the pest, clouding the sun. They did not seem to 

 design utter destruction of vegetation, but rather to leave their progeny. 

 Eggs were laid all over the region. This work done, they rose on favor- 

 ing winds and went southeast. Their stay on an average was about one 

 week — in some places only four days; in others ten. Redicood: Damaged 

 all the crops ; the vines of beans and potatoes have been almost wholly 

 eaten up and the foliage of fruit and certain forest-trees almost wholly 

 stripped off. Sibley: In eight townships the crops have suffered se- 

 verely from grasshoppers. Stearns: The advance-guard came on the 

 22d of July ; the main army appeared the next day about 11 a. m., and 

 by 4 p. m. every bush, flower, tree, shrub, fence, and field was literally 

 covered with them. They are still with us and are depositing their 

 eggs. Stevens : There would have been a full average of all crops, and 

 perhaps more, had not the grasshoppers visited this county. Todd: The 

 grasshoppers struck us the 19th of July, and have destroyed at least 67 

 per cent, of the crops of this county. As near as I can find out, the 

 column is about 17 miles wide. They came in from the west by north. 

 One of the finest crops we have had for ten or twelve years is destroyed. 

 There is barely enough left to pay for reaping. Yesterday I cut barley 

 that should have yielded 58 bushels per acre, and I will scarcely get 5. 

 The heads are cut off and lying on the ground. Watonwan: Have de- 

 stroyed the wheat-crops of the county. Yellow Medicine: In the coun- 

 ties Renville, Chippewa, and Swift, and parts of Kandiyohi and Yellow 

 Medicine oats and barley are a complete failure on account of the grass- 

 hoppers. Blue Earth: The western towns are alive with grasshoppers, 

 but they have come rather late to seriously injure wheat or oats. Mc- 

 Leod: Came from the northeast about the middle of July, and spread 

 nearly over the whole county ; have injured oats, barley, and late corn 

 considerably and wheat to some extent, and have deposited many eggs. 

 Some are reported as hatching and others as being destroyed by a worm 

 or insect, but millions apparently will be left to hatch next spring. 

 Yelloio Medicine: Grasshoppers and dry weather have nearly ruined the 

 corn crop and taken nearly all the oats. Half of the State is covered 

 with grasshoppers. Redwood: Grasshoppers and drought have de- 

 stroyed the crops this year more than ever before. Sivift: Have done 

 a great deal of damage ; they commenced depredations about the 5th of 

 July ; there have been three or four swarms ; they are now mostly gone, 

 buthave left their eggs in great numbers. Faribault: Injured corn 10 

 per cent., potatoes 50 per cent., and nearly destroyed beans. About the 

 15th of August they lit down on us from the northwest in countless 

 numbers. They were about eight days in passing over the county and 

 seeding it with eggs to such an extent as to destroy all hopes of crops 

 for the coming year. Meeker: Destroyed nearly all the beans. Nicollet: 

 Came with the wind from the north and west, and went south and west. 

 Of cereals they cut the oats most ; destroyed much of the corn and po- 



