The Middlebury Register

Another Grasshopper Plague.

A correspondent at Orford, N. H. says: 'In the lower part of this town the grasshoppers are making great havoc on the grass, grain, corn, &c. For a space of about one and a half miles square they are destroying almost everything. Clover is trimmed up all but heads; oat fields look like fields of rushes coming up to the height of 16 to 18 inches without leaf or head. In wheat fields the leaf is eaten and the kernel eaten out. These hoppers move back and forth two or three times a day. As we were looking at a field of rye a day or two since, the whole section where we were looking became almost alive. The hoppers began to move to some other field. At night the fences are black, and in spots in the field where they congregate at this time they may be gathered in large quantities. There is already a young crop of these pests just hatched into existence, and may be found on the stalks of grass (already trimmed) feeding on the sap which exudes from or near the lower joint. The inhabitants have given up raising anything in this region, and are now cutting their oat and wheat fields. The peculiarity about the hoppers is that they go over whatever comes in their track. For instance, this same flock came to a barn which happened to be in their course, and they at once began to climb up its side until the gable under the roof was completely filled, and when going round the other side of the barn we found that already they were coming down and following after those that had not met with this obstacle.

Last year the inhabitants were troubled very little with hoppers. Where they came from, or where they will go next, is hard telling.'