The Massachusetts Spy, And Worcester County Advertiser

GRASSHOPPERS.

We are informed by a gentleman of undoubted veracity, who saw the spoil, that Friend Arnold Thompson, of Epsom, on Saturday evening last, caught in his and his neighbor's grain fields, between the hours of eight and twelve o'clock, five bushels and three pecks of grasshoppers! His mode of catching them was by attaching two sheets together, and fastening them to a pole, which was used as the front part of the drag. The pole extended beyond the width of the sheets, so as to admit persons at both sides to draw it forward. At the sides of the drag, braces extend from the pole so as to raise the back part of the other considerably from the ground, so that the grasshoppers could not escape. After running the drag about a dozen rods with rapidity, the braces were taken out and sheets doubled over, the grasshoppers were then swept from each end towards the centre of the sheet, where was left an opening to the mouth of the bag which held about half a bushel; when deposited and tied up, the drag was again opened and ready to proceed.

When this bag was filled so as to become burdensome, (their weight is about the same as that of the same measure of corn,) the bag was opened into a larger one, and the grasshoppers received into a new deposit. The drag can be used only in the evening, when the grasshoppers are perched on the top of the grain. His manner of destroying them was by dipping the large bags into a kettle of boiling water. When boiled they had a reddish appearance, and made a fine feast for the farmer's hogs.

Portsmouth Journal.

The Salem Observer after noticing the above, says—"This is nothing to the success of a planter, in Manilla, who, a few years ago, set a spring net for locusts, in order to obtain the bounty, which was then offered by government for their destruction.—The whole quantity thus caught by him exceeded eighty thousand bushels of our measure, and his bounty amounted to ten thousand dollars, the government feared that their treasury would be drained, and they revoked the order."