90 
FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 
The following excellent history of this pernicious insect appears to have been written 
about the middle of July, 1867, and is from the pen of Mr. W. F. Goble, of Pleasant 
Ridge, Kansas. It first appeared in the Monthly Reports of the Agricultural Department 
for 1867, (pp. 290-1.) 
“ These Grasshoppers, or Mountain Locusts as many call them, made their appear¬ 
ance in the western part of Kansas late in August, or about the beginning of September, 
1866. The first intimation had here of their approach was the delay of the eastward- 
bound train, from Fort Riley and Manhattan, on account of the immense numbers of 
insects crushed on the track, thereby destroying the friction of the driving-wheels. 
About the 27th of the same month they made their appearance in Eastern Kansas, pro¬ 
gressing at the rate of from 5 to 10 miles a day, or according to the velocity of the 
wind in the direction they travel. Their general course seemed to be from the north¬ 
west to the south-east. A contrary wind greatly impeded their progress, and when a 
strong breeze had to be overcome, they could not make any progress at all in their 
favorite direction, but generally remained on the ground rather than attempt to pro¬ 
ceed, and spent their time in consuming everything accessible in the vegetable line. 
“ They travel in the air like bees, some flying at an immense height, as can be seen on 
a clear day by looking toward the sun. When first appearing in any particular locality 
it is in the manner of a cloud, the insects descending to the earth like dropping rain. 
They commence at once devouring all vegetable substances in their way, showing, of 
course, a preference at first. Vegetables possessing the property of sweetness in any 
degiee, as green corn, sorghum, etc., escape till all others in the vicinity are consumed. 
But everything of an acid or sour taste, as cabbage, [?] or rhubarb, (pie-plant,) as well 
as bitter and even hot substances, such as tobacco and red or Cayenne pepper, are 
especial favorites. The tenderest vegetation is always destroyed first. Our fine crops 
of autumn wheat were completely eaten up in the space of two hours. They are known 
to eat nearly everything of the vegetable kind, even to the dry bark on trees, and dry 
lint of seasoned fencing plank, as well as dry leaves and paper and all kinds of cotton 
goods and woollen clothing ; and I have even seen a flock of sheep literally covered with them 
devouring the wool. 
“ Soon af ter these insects came upon the ground, they concentrated along the roads 
and upon any bare earth they could find, preferring the short vegetation common in 
such places to the hard prairie grass. In such situations and in cultivated fields, the 
most of their myriads of eggs were deposited. They continued laying till the severe 
winter weather killed them. The eggs were deposited to the depth, generally, of one 
inch ; although, in loose earth where vegetable roots were found, some were placed as 
far down as ten or twelve inches, according to the length of the root, which was fol¬ 
io-wed down and devoured, the grasshopper emerging after having laid its eggs. 
“ On north hill-slopes the process of hatching was much retarded. It was supposed 
by the people generally, that the severe winter would utterly destroy the posterity of 
these creatures in this vicinity ; but it did not, as the developments of spring fully 
testified, though perhaps not more than one-fourth of the eggs withstood the weather 
and produced grasshoppers. Some of them commenced hatching as early as the last of 
February, when there were a few warm days, which brought forth those lying on the 
top of the ground. In March the weather was so severe, that a large proportion of the 
remaining eggs peiished, the thermometer frequently indicating 18° below zero. Judg¬ 
ing from the voraciousness of those that did appear, I doubt not Kansas would have been 
made a perfect desert if all had lived. 
