Grasshoppers

Arthur Templeton, an emaoiated, debilitated, worn-ont soldier, who has been trainpiug arouud aftrrlmliansfor severa! years past, arrived in Chicago Saturday evening from Tongue river, with his discharge papers in his pocket. Terapleton says he was reluctant to give up soldiering, which possessed a peculiar íaseination for him ; but he was so broken down in health that his services were no longer of any account to Uncle Sam, and his discharge followcd as a matter oi course. He was in the field all through the campaïgn of last year, but participated in no fighting of any account, though he was at. the scène of the Custer massacre after its occurrence, and saw the fresh trenohes in which the victims were luid by Eeno's eommand. Mr. Templeton tells a grasshopper story which smacks, at first blush, of the incredible, but which must nevertheless be true, since a man who had served his country well, and been honorably diecharged, could hardly have acquired the habitof lying so soon after quitting the army. According to his account, the coimfcry south of the Yellowstone river is literally black with young 'hoppers. Off on the eastern slope of the Big Horn mountains i.s where tViey swarm the thickest. A detachineiit of cavalry belonging to Gen. Milos' eommand recectly traveled for three days through the serrifed ranks of the int' esting army of insects. The whole snrface of the country looked like one lingo grnsahopper, so innumerable were the pests. Tbey oovered all the rocks ; every tree, from the roots to the top nost branches, was black with Stem. clinging and banging together in solid masses ; rivulets wero choked and danimed by the writhing, struggling, half-drownèd millions, white the air as high up as the cye could discern was swirming with them. Once in a while a brisk gust of wind would set tliem in motion, and, rirang from the ground en masKe, they would dashinto the faces of Ihivsch and riders, eompletely blinding theni for the time being. These sudden uprisings frightened the animáis, and frequently eet them dashing and cavorting about in the wildest manner. Once the grasshoppers arose in such blinding and oppressive swarms that tlie horses pluuged, kicked, laid down and rolled over, and several riders were unseated from their saddles and went groping about in the animaied darkness, but fortunately escaped contact with the flying hoofs of the scared and be .vildered Dobbins. At nigtt the soldiers slept on soft. crawling, downy-like beds of grasshoppers, with a thick, warm covering of the same, in place of the verinin-infesteh army blankets. Strange to say, these grasshoppers had not devoured everything in the shape of vegetation, but dad spared much of the grass and foliage. I They seenred to be fasiing, or waiting for the erops to mature in the States east of the Missouri. They were heading for the Missouri river, though their progress was slow, and they seemed rather to be maintaining a masterly inactivity, moving only when obliged to. It is the opinión of the officers in eommand of the detachment that, later in the season, this throng of insects will take to wing and devástate the maturing crops in the Northwestern títates. They must have something to subsist on, and there is not enough vegetation in the Yellowstone región to afford them one good meal, if they should all get hungry at once. IIow the Chinese and Philippine Islanders Extermínate the Pests- Stretching Nets, JSurning Rubbish, Etc. [Fi-om tlie Chicago iribune.] In Marcli last a letter was dispatched from the Tribune office to a gentleman in Hong Kong asking him for intorniation ooucerning the Chinese metkods of destroying locusta. His answer, published below, gives an outline of the means employed, whioh may be operated eflicacioiisly in the destruction of the grasshoppers with which tbc Western countrv has been for years afflicted. So f ar the only remedy devisedhas involved time and tedions labor, and it is doubtful if hauling a tarred iron drag over a field of 'hoppers will ever become general so as to rid the country of the pest. Mr. Souza has kindly forwarded some chilly seeds, whioh the Tribune, holds in trust for farmers, who will be supplied on demaiid, as far as they will go : Hos-.i Bom; China, May 23, 1877. I jm in reoeipt of your letter of the 28th of Marcli ultimo, requesting me to upply you with iuformaiion rarding the method adopted by the Chinese for the extormination of locusts. I am glad to be able to inform you that the Chinese, trom time immemorial, have always successfully deetroyed these cursed vermin by means of nets thrown across thieir riocflelda. They also mako large pyramids, at ft distanoe oí bne f (u quaiterof amile) between caeh other. eomposed of all norts of inflammaZv, rubbish, with a. inumtiiy of dry chillies sulphur, and nomo tar. Ou the appronch of a fcíoud ef focústs the pyramids are all at once set on tire, and the denso nioke issuing therefrom soon makes the looufets alter their coiu-se, aud ivere olten. at'ter a short pause in the air, turn backward and disappear, even against the wirrent of the wind, if not too strang. In the Philippines, where the plague is very prcvalont. the nativos have eonstantly a regular deposit of rubbish, dry leaves, eto.,"round their Dlautations. ready for the first alarm of the approaehing clangor. They also firo rockets at tho cloud of locusta witfc good effect, and diacharge fire-arms loaaed vrifh paady. All ,ocusts fpund in the iiclds are oagerly collcctert, cmvd and dovoured by the nativos, who consiáw them as onè of tho best delieacie.-". Under lbo name oí langosta they are sold in all niarket lowns in the riiilippiiies. The law forbidding tbe destruction of birds, and the periodioal mportation of large quantities of (;)iijieHc marüiiH, wbir-li ffnbuist entirely on yotfug locnsts. hve fontributod a graat deaJ to fhedè.Urueionof the insect in the llnlipP Dry chillies may be obtained in any iuantity froni' India at about 20 rupeea a picul of 133 pounds. I sond you herewith some seeds, which, if planted in the beginning of nummer, will bear fruit in Ihree roonlbs. The smoke of the chilly will kill any insect. As you will sec in the accompanymg number of the China Mail, I have ventilated the subject, and anv furtber information obtained will be at once imparted to you. Thanking you for tbc opix'rtunity granted to me to be useful to ymi. Bij witb kind regaïds to our mutual 'friend. Mr. Lassen. I 1111, youra faitbfully,