The Western advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1872-1874, 1874-08-29
NEBRASKA AND KANSAS.

A correspondent writing from Ne
braska to the Minneapolis Tribune
says:
In cultivation the farmer does find
some draw backs; the rabbits will gnaw
his little trees; the bugs at his potatoes;
the prairie fires burn up his grass, and
perhaps stacks; but dogs, care and the
ploW, have the power of staying the
depredations of all. This year the
grasshoppers have been u burden. near
ly every corn field has been riddled,
and the vegetable gardens have suffer-
ed greatly. Some will save perhaps
from five to ten bushels of corn to
the acre, but the number will be
very few. Fortunately the wheat crop
and other small grains were safely
stacked-these have been unusually
good this year, so that the loss of corn
will not fall as heavily as it might have
done.
E. 3. Jewell writes to a friend at
Marshall, Mimi, under date of Aug
ust 9th, from Salem, Nebraska, as fol-
lows:
The grasshoppers came in upon us
to-day with vengeance. We thought
they were passing us Oh the southwest
but u strong south wind has brought Il
multitude OF them. And such q Grind
was never felt III Minnesota. It feels
like coming from a burning prairie Hear
by; and 50 dry witllal that the corn
crop will be very short indeed, potatoes
an entire failure, and grass SO dry more
than half the prairie would burn now.
c. Shepard, of Lyndon, Kansas,
under date Of July 10Th, writes as fol-
lows to the Rochester Post:
This section Eastern Kans;s) is suf-
fering us never before, from drOuth.-
We have had no rain since early June.
The ground is baked, and thoroughly
dry, large assures being visible, presen-
ting their thirsty mouths for heaven S
| deWs to fall, and save this people from
Threatened faminle. Unless we have
rain soon, corn and potatoes will be al
and oats, already harvested, are far
! from being good crop.
The dreadful chinch bug, of the
same. political stripe as the grasshop-
per, i. e. anti-Farmer, has destroyed
thousands of acres of corn and small
grains. Many farmers are totally dis
Eden of Agriculture, can be purchas-
cd for less than cost Of improvements.
y correspondent, writing from White
Rock, Kansas, to the st. Paul Pioneer
under date of August 5th, says.
wonder if the good folk who arc
enjoying the cool and refreshing breez-
es Of Minnesota, would like to hear d.
rect from the scorching climes of sun
ny Kansas; where for weeks drOuth has
consumed us, hot winds have scorchcd
us, and last but not least the graSshop-
pers have devourcd us.
Here is one of the worst features of
Kansas, the liability to long continued
south winds accompanied with severe
droutll and finally hot winds; I have
known it to blow here from the south
fer three weeks, getting dryer and hot
ter AL the time, and finally the hot
winds begin to SWEEP, over tic face of
the country, and for several days, from
ten to twelve O'Clock until five or six.
the air would feel like the air out of all
oven, the corn and vegetables looking
aS if they had b. en- dipped in hot water,
or ScorcElct! with Il prairie fire. Thus
it has been for some three or four weeks
past, and for the last ten Oh twelve
days hot winds have blown.
The Gr'sshoppers, we heard, were
west Of US On last Saturday, the 18th
ult., they made a descent upon White
Rock and vicinity, and it is no use tc
speak Of the damage done in two or
three days. The large corn crop that
had looked 50 promising the fore part
Of tho sea- on, and still holed to be
saved by a timely rain, is all swept
away.
Our wheat crop, as far as have heard
from thrcshing is below an average
and oats light. Man and beast have tc
I've fed Oh wheat, for potatoes arc light
too.