The Van Buren press., 1872-11-12
Fighting the Locusts in Utah.

tCorresrondenee San Francisco Bulleun.l
The Latter Day Saints, with their in
tense following OF the Mosaic law, have
not been exempt from the ancient scour-
gss of that period The locust, with Z" a
garden Of Eden before him, and behind
him a dssolate wilderness, " makes . pc
riodical visit to the Mormon farmers, and
reminds them Of the old times when the
chosen of the Lord brought like visi-
taton on the obdurate Egyptians.
The flights Of these ravenous destroy.
ers were thus described to mo by an eye
witness and fellow traveller:
! was called out one morning." he
began, "while stopping at ono Of these
settlements We have just left behind, by
my farmer host. The locusts we're com
ing he said, and all hands were engaged
in cndeayoring to save the cora fields. A
man, who had ridden in great haste from
district some twenty miles east, report
cd that the morcets were at work. and
might be expected at our place the next
morning. hurried out and found ev
cry man woman and child in tho place
fortifying their crop against the invader.
Some were digging bitches and turning
tho waters OF the stream into the dyke,
while others were piling up dry brush
wood. ready to be ignitcd when the enc
my approached, Again others brought
sort of draught machine on lha ground,
fitted with revolving pans, the wind Of
which was supposed TO be able to check
the fight OF the locust. And the utmos,
dismay and CONSERVATION prevailed
The day passed In the utmost activity.
No lady in the village was disengaged.
She felt the danger, and, at the same
time, certain inability to combat with
what the superstitious regarded (and all
the Mormons are superstitious rs a Wis
itation from the Lord.
About noon the next day they psrceiv
ed = dark cloud in the east, and they
knew that the moment of trial was at
hand. ! could give you no idea Of the
numbers and voracity Of the ocusts Ev
cry blade OF grass, every ear Of corn, ev
cry weed and leaf of verdure, disappear
ed like stubblc in tho fire before these
terrible gourmands From about tho
height OF five feet to the groun the air
was dcnse with their masses. They few
in our faces like hail, filed our pockets,
and were piled in heaps about our feet
The women, and children, and men form
ed rank before the cornfeld and en-
deavorsd to beat them back. but, though
the slain were piled up many feet high,
the locusts never waversd a moment, but
pressed on, eating, and dying, and rot
ting in disgusting charnal heaps The
water courses were full Of them, and the
survivors crossed the stream over the
dead bodies Of their vanguard The dry
brush was lighted and burned Gercaly,
fed by clouds Of the destroying armies,
but in few hours the throng extinguish
oil the flame and crowded on over the
cinders to the doomed cornfelds Tho
hogs and chickens were let loose on the
destroyer, but they soon grew satisfied
with the feast, and still tho locusts press.
ed on And when at last the despairing
farmers withdrew and gave up the fight
all that night the locusts fell on their
roofs like hailstones, and crawled in thro'
every nook and crcvice in their dwellings
The next morning when they arose at
daylight to inspect the extent of their
damages, woeful sight presented itself
The country was indeed waste; months
Of hard labor and, hones ...cf~--S-.
handsome return from s.IIes,.>Eo1js had
faded away as the blade Of grass before
the locust; not a trace remained to indi
dicate that the seed had ever been plant
ed, or that grand tract Of swaying
grain glistened in the sunbeams on the
morning before. But patiently the work
was recommended, while the locusts
passed on in their westward course Of
desolation. Tho Indians had a rich
feast To the red mans palate a roast
Of locusts is a delicious treat This in.
sect has a decided dislike to sage brush,
and although it considers it good shell
ter for it's young, still it will not dovour