Locust Ravages East of the Mississippi. 191 



In 1869, they were, if anything, worse than in 1868. I 

 remember that in the vicinity of St. Louis, in addition to 

 their ordinary injuries, they stripped the tops of Norway 

 Spruce, Balsam Fir and European Larch ; took the blos- 

 soms off Lima beans ; severed grape stems, and ate num- 

 erous holes into apples and peaches, thereby causing them 

 to rot. They were indeed abundant all over Illinois. 

 Missouri, Iowa, and even Kentucky ; but attracted no 

 attention East. 



In 1871 they were again very destructive, especially 

 East, as the following items will show : 



The grasshoppers (locusts) have been more numerous and de- 

 structive this year, in Maine, than perhaps ever before. This was 

 partly owing to the dry weather, and with the advent of the rainy 

 season we hope their career will be somewhat checked. In this 

 county they are thick, but in some of the central portions of the 

 State they literally swarm, devouring nearly every green thing 

 before them. They did much injury to the grass fields, and, now 

 that is cut, they have betaken themselves to the cultivated crops. 

 In some cases, whole fields of com and beans have been completely 

 stripped. Even the potatoes have not been spared. — [Country 

 Gentleman, Aug. 10, 1871, speaking of Insects in Maine. 



Grasshoppers are reported to have very seriously injured the 

 corn, grass and grain crops (and in some cases orchards and nur- 

 series) of the counties of Androscoggin, Franklin, Knox, Kennebec, 

 Lincoln, Oxford, Piscataquis, Penobscot, Waldo and Somerset, in 

 Maine. So serious has been the damage that the subject was made 

 a topic at the recent State Agricultural Convention in that State. 

 In Androscoggin county, they injured pastures greatly, and affected 

 the condition and price of stock. Some grain fields were protected 

 by drawing a rope across the heads at sunset, thus brushing off the 

 insects and preventing feeding. In Franklin county, a field of 

 twelve acres of sweet corn was only saved by keeping a man in it 

 continually to drive out the grasshoppers. One man in York county 

 stopped their passage to his fields by building a brush fence around 

 them. — [American Agriculturist, 1871. 



These pests (the locusts) have been numerous and destructive 

 during the past month, in some portions of the Eastern States. In 

 Sagadahoc county, Maine, the crops and pastures were injured by 

 them very much ; also in Hancock county. In Franklin, many 

 fields of grain were cut to save the crops from them and for feed- 

 ing. In Oxford, oats were " eaten entirely down, as clean as though 

 fed upon by sheep." In some portions of Plymouth county, Mass., 



