The Grasshopper Plague

[Washington Telegram to New York Tribuno.] Miiny gentlemen who have arrived in Washington during the pust two or three lays from tluise paris of the West which ivere last yeaï mvastated by grasshopers, assert tliat tho reporte of injury ilready dono to crops or uiticipated this ipriiig are greatiy exaggerated. Especially is Uiis said to be the faot iu regard to Nebraska. Senator Paddock, ivho is íufw heve, has received letters rom all portions of tbat State, mul lus nformation agrees substantially with ;hat brought by member of one of the relief oommittees. While iu me limited lectioaa of the State the youug grassloppsrs ase néw batehiog out and dejtroying tho tender grain, the erop prospecta in the State at largo are excellent. Senator Padaock thinks that, in spité of the grasshoppers, a much largor erop of ■iinall gnubn will Be harvested iu Nebruska this year thau over bel'ore. The Koetions f ttre West thttt are in danger of dovastation by grasshogpeis are only thoee which are oh tho frontier and which do not proauoe u very largo percentage of the gmin erop. Civilization seema ba lo in fatal to tfaièse peste as to tho Indians, uid it h:iH lieon tho almost universal oxperience in tho AVest that, aftor the land has been generally brought onder cultivation, grasslioppers nevei como in suliieient nnmlxrH to do great damage. The home of tho grasshopper is on the pJaius, and when by long-prevüiling weeterly wind a swarin of them luw been brought into the settled portions of the country, they have rai'l.v penctrated tho lirst year beyond the third or 1'ourth tier of counties from the frontier. In these, which are genarally visiled the lirl year in .luly and August, they liavi ofte destroved nènrly the wlmle erop ; but, whilo thoy have oaused great local sullering, their devastations, being continod to a sectionin ivhichonly a small percentage of the land has 'heen bruken ii), have not pereéptibly rodiicod the aggregato of the crops of the entire country or allected tho prico of gniin. The grassho]iper:i whieh come l'iom the Plaina the lirst, year deposit their eggs on tho fields they visit, aiul in tho i'ollowing spring these are hatched out about the time tho grass and winter grains start. Béfore their wings are suflieienlly develo]ied to eiüible them to fly, they eat np every tendpr groen thing which comes within their roach. Tiie corn, spring wheat and later garden vegetables are not liKelv to be injured by these undeveloped inseots. When thi'y Ik'comic ;ilile (. llv. fchoj go away, and may penétrate atlll 1'urther into the older settien eountry ; but the Ht'e of the second generation is a short one, and they Koon die, leaving mi eggs to be litelied out the nexl year. The seetions of country which were most injured by grasghoppers last year w.n' either those which were lirst visited iu LS73, or were ttUftclted by in which wero hatched from eggs deposili-d in that year ; so that, judging from the past cxporioiico of tlio West, there is Kiason k look for loss dumagn this ycav lmn was dono last, ftnd whilo liniilcd uraH muy 1' (Ifvastiited Ho gcuoral dcitniction nood ho atlticipoted.