The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1874-10-01
THE PLAGUE OF GRASSHOF.
PERS.

BY REV. RICHARD CoRDLEY.D. D., LAWRENCE
KANSAS.
| have seen many references t,
this ''plague of grasshoppers" il
Eastern papers, but no hint as to it
extent and fearfulness. Living il
the midst Of the grasshopper region
| have taken some pains 10 collec
facts in regard to them. Their inva
sion and ravages are as wonderful a
anything connected with this "won
derful West The ''grasshopper re
gion" extends from the Indian Terri
tory on the south to Minnesota o,
the north, and from the arid plain
Of the Rocky Mountains on the west
whence they originate, to the Miss
issippi on the east. 1t is not often
however, that they reach the latte
boundaries, as frost generally over
takes them on the way. This year
however, they are earlier than usua!
and they reach the river before fros
comes. So the ravages this year vii
cAGCIds Win all oSSdSioHdi pIedh du'
omission, over region nearly on
thousand miles square.
Their number is simply appalling
The national debt and the wonders o
geometrical progression are complete
ly left in the shade. Take your lit
tie pencil while | give you the mate
rials Of problem. An. army ofthem
is passing over my house as | an
writing, going eastward. Looking
up, the air is filled with them as higf
as you can. The lower strata lool
like snow flakes in the air. Higher
up they look like silver dust sprin
kled on the sky. This immense mul.
titude has been moving rapidly al
day. On Saturday, two days ago
another army, equally vast, passed
over the city southwark, and were
seven hours going over. Now re.
member that the army extends, with
a few breaks in the line, nearly one
thousand miles, and while your pen
Gil and figures fail, you can form some
conception of the reality
Their destructiveness is as wonder.
ful as their numbers. When they
light, they come down like snow
storm, covering the ground. As soor
as they strike they begin to eat, and
they keep on eating till food grows
scarce, and then they move on. In
some places their destructiveness is
more complete than in others, as thei'
stay varies from three days TO three
weeks. They have excellent appe.
tites and wide range of diet. On.
ions, tobacco, peppers, cabbages, and
other strong and pungent articles, are
their favorites; but they can accom-
modate themselves to circumstances
and when these luxuries fail, car
thrive very well on such substantials
as corn or grass, or leaves of fruit OIL
forest trees; and even as a last re.
sort they devour the twi gs and bark
of the trees and the stalks of the
corn, as the hard-tack OF the cam
paign. The rapidity OF their work is
almost increditable. The great corn.
fields of these prairies seem to mel,
before them almost while looking al
them: orchards aud forests exhibit
the badness of winter, and the whole
country looks as though fire had
passed over it. A farmer told me he
had one hundred acres Of corn in one
field SO rank you could not see
through it. The grasshoppers struck
it about noon, and in few hours on.
ly bare stalks were standing. 81,
just melted away before my eyes
he said. And what they have done
for him they have done for all. The
bottom lands of the kaw (kansas)
River, which for one hundred miles
west of here are almost one unbruker
cornfield, now show nothing but bare
stalks. Where the corn is mature
they leave the ear and stalk. Blu,
where it is green, they sweep the
whole away. In this region much OF
the corn was about ripe and is safe
One hundred miles west of us the
grasshoppers came earlier, and there
is absolutely no harvest.
! drove several miles through field.
on the Kaw bottom while the grass
hoppers were working. The sount
Of their eating was as if drove o
cattle were in the field. In my owr
yard you could hear them distinctly
eating among the trees. At an,
hour of the night you could 60 to th'
door and hear the work going on. :
1t took but a few days to strip th'
trees of their leaves; the yards o
their grass; the gardens of thei
plants, and the fields of their har
vests. When food becomes scarce
they all rise together as if by word @
command, and pass on "to greene
fields" il not to ''milder skies" |
is the best appointed army eve
known. They move and camp AM
work in concert, as if directed b
some common voice. They forage O
the country as they move. If one