﻿LOCUST 
  RAVAGES 
  IX 
  CALIFORNIA. 
  247 
  

  

  worse, 
  young 
  ones 
  aro 
  hatching 
  every 
  day, 
  while 
  the 
  old 
  ones 
  are 
  laying 
  eggs 
  and 
  

   eating 
  grass. 
  — 
  [Pacific 
  Rural 
  Press, 
  July 
  13, 
  1878. 
  

  

  Sierra 
  Yalley 
  Hoppers. 
  — 
  Reno 
  Journal: 
  Wo 
  spoke 
  yesterday 
  of 
  the 
  myriads 
  of 
  

   grasshoppers 
  in 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Valley, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  imminent 
  danger 
  the 
  crops 
  were 
  in. 
  

   Another 
  gentleman 
  tells 
  us 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  mile 
  square 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  valley, 
  

   which 
  is 
  completely 
  covered 
  with 
  the 
  young 
  insects, 
  which 
  have 
  appetites 
  like 
  cross- 
  

   cut 
  saws. 
  He 
  suggests 
  that 
  the 
  farmers 
  club 
  together, 
  and, 
  by 
  rolling 
  over 
  this 
  tract 
  

   with 
  heavy 
  rollers, 
  kill 
  at 
  least 
  the 
  major 
  portion 
  of 
  them, 
  for 
  should 
  they 
  all 
  survive, 
  

   they 
  will 
  uot 
  gratefully 
  spare 
  the 
  green 
  acres 
  around 
  them. 
  The 
  crops 
  never 
  looked 
  

   better, 
  and 
  the 
  farmers 
  have 
  only 
  this 
  one 
  thing 
  to 
  fear. 
  One 
  has 
  no 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  mag- 
  

   nitude 
  or 
  destructibility 
  of 
  this 
  plague. 
  Flying 
  in 
  clouds 
  so 
  thick 
  as 
  to 
  darken 
  the 
  

   sky 
  for 
  an 
  hour 
  at 
  a 
  time, 
  they 
  leave 
  the 
  country 
  over 
  which 
  they 
  pass 
  as 
  bleak 
  as 
  if 
  

   a 
  fire 
  had 
  swept 
  it. 
  Millions 
  may 
  be 
  killed, 
  but 
  like 
  the 
  war 
  with 
  China, 
  there 
  are 
  ten 
  

   to 
  take 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  every 
  one 
  that 
  falls. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  profitable 
  to 
  raise 
  grain 
  for 
  grass- 
  

   hoppers' 
  use. 
  We 
  hope 
  our 
  Sierra 
  Valley 
  friends 
  will 
  escape 
  the 
  impending 
  danger. 
  — 
  

   [Ibid, 
  June 
  22, 
  1878, 
  

  

  Reports 
  from 
  Sierra 
  County, 
  California, 
  state 
  that 
  the 
  grasshoppers 
  appeared 
  there 
  

   in 
  May 
  and 
  June, 
  since 
  when 
  they 
  have 
  become 
  very 
  numerous, 
  destroying 
  almost 
  

   the 
  entire 
  crops 
  in 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Valley. 
  — 
  [Eocky 
  Mountain 
  Xews, 
  October 
  30, 
  1878. 
  

  

  Grasshoppers 
  are 
  so 
  plenty 
  in 
  the 
  mountains 
  which 
  the 
  Central 
  Pacific 
  climbs 
  that 
  

   trains 
  can 
  hardly 
  mount 
  the 
  grades, 
  and 
  the 
  brakes 
  sometimes 
  fail 
  coming 
  down. 
  — 
  

   [Boston 
  Journal, 
  1878. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  more 
  comprehensive 
  account 
  was 
  communicated 
  by 
  

   Mr. 
  J. 
  G. 
  Lemmon 
  to 
  the 
  Truckee 
  Republican, 
  and 
  published 
  in 
  several 
  

   numbers 
  of 
  that 
  journal 
  : 
  

  

  April 
  5, 
  1879. 
  

  

  The 
  amount 
  of 
  damage 
  to 
  crops 
  in 
  Sierra 
  Valley 
  last 
  year 
  (1878) 
  by 
  a 
  certain 
  rav- 
  

   enous 
  grasshopper, 
  or, 
  properly, 
  locust, 
  and 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  millions 
  of 
  eggs 
  were 
  de- 
  

   posited 
  on 
  hitherto 
  non-visited 
  ranches, 
  menacing 
  a 
  larger 
  area 
  of 
  land 
  than 
  ever, 
  

   naturally 
  causes 
  a 
  deep 
  interest 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  terrible 
  scourge, 
  and 
  justifies 
  a 
  

   somewhat 
  careful 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  subject. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  just 
  been 
  down 
  through 
  the 
  infected 
  district, 
  making 
  observations 
  upon 
  the 
  

   eggs, 
  and 
  taking 
  notes 
  from 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  on 
  the 
  origin 
  and 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  locusts, 
  

   which 
  I 
  will 
  first 
  give, 
  then 
  draw 
  conclusions 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  insects, 
  methods 
  of 
  

   fighting 
  them, 
  hopes 
  and 
  fears 
  for 
  the 
  future, 
  &c. 
  

  

  THE 
  SCOURGE 
  XEAR 
  LOYALTOX. 
  

  

  Thomas 
  F. 
  West 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  locusts 
  came 
  from 
  Clover 
  and 
  Last 
  Chance 
  Valleys. 
  

   Saw 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  three 
  years 
  ago. 
  Breeding 
  ground 
  previous 
  year 
  (1877) 
  was 
  

   on 
  what 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  "The 
  Island," 
  some 
  few 
  miles 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  south 
  of 
  Beck- 
  

   wourth 
  ; 
  arrived 
  at 
  his 
  ranch 
  in 
  myriads 
  June 
  1st. 
  Their 
  flight 
  was 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  

   from 
  the 
  ground, 
  striking 
  heavily 
  against 
  fences 
  and 
  buildings. 
  In 
  the 
  morning 
  

   hours 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  flew 
  southward, 
  then 
  turned, 
  after 
  feeding, 
  perhaps, 
  and 
  returned 
  

   in 
  the 
  afternoon. 
  Many 
  remained 
  and 
  deposited 
  eggs 
  in 
  August, 
  on 
  warm, 
  sunny 
  

   knolls, 
  the 
  rest 
  disappearing 
  southwestward. 
  Loss, 
  about 
  §500. 
  

  

  F. 
  M. 
  West 
  suffered 
  very 
  severely, 
  and 
  is 
  fearful 
  that 
  his 
  crops 
  will 
  all 
  be 
  taken 
  

   this 
  year, 
  since 
  eggs 
  are 
  so 
  thickly 
  deposited 
  on 
  his 
  ranch. 
  The 
  insect 
  selects 
  warm, 
  

   dry 
  knolls 
  for 
  this 
  purpose 
  ; 
  large 
  patches 
  are 
  literally 
  filled 
  with 
  eggs. 
  They 
  came 
  

   from 
  the 
  northeast, 
  staid 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  weeks, 
  then 
  went 
  southwest. 
  Did 
  not 
  fight 
  

   against 
  them 
  ; 
  "as 
  well 
  contend 
  against 
  the 
  wind." 
  Loss, 
  125 
  tons 
  of 
  hay, 
  §G25, 
  and 
  

   his 
  fall 
  feed, 
  estimated 
  at 
  §100. 
  Ranch 
  of 
  240 
  acres. 
  Many 
  hatched 
  on 
  his 
  ranch 
  in 
  

   May, 
  but 
  the 
  bulk 
  came 
  from 
  " 
  The 
  Island 
  " 
  about 
  June 
  20. 
  

  

  D. 
  T. 
  Machomick 
  lost 
  120 
  tons 
  of 
  hay, 
  §600 
  ; 
  had 
  no 
  grain 
  ; 
  ranch 
  of 
  160 
  acres. 
  

   Other 
  icems 
  same 
  as 
  the 
  Wests. 
  

  

  