Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-09-16
Letter from Kansas.
By request we publish the following
letter. written By A. j. North, brother
to James North, Esq, of Patterson

h1 OEah RlEND "DleeCiDg Nam
sas" is sorely afflicted, and from the
time Of her birth no State has suffered
as she has. Baptised in infancy even
by immersion in the blood of her sons,
she defended the right against oppres-
sion and wrong and overcame her dead
liest enemies in every conflict. Torn
asunder by internal dissensions by the
arbitrary power of political rulers,
headed by the ever memorable admin
istration of James Buchanan, wLo
slaug Uttered more governors in the same
length of time than any State known in
history yet she lived, and grew, aud
prospered for time; however, imne-
diately after the advent of her admis-
sion into the Union, came the deplor-
able famine year of 1860. At that
time, too new and too poor to maintain
her people, aid was received from her
older and wealthier sister States that
enabled her to struggle upon a meager
substance until the succeeding crops
enabled her to provide for hel self, and
for some years bad enough and to spare
Ept my main purpose is to relate the
present condition of the State; but |
will preface it with the prospects in the
earlier part of the season.
Last winter was one peculiarly favor
able. The wheat stood we'll and unin-
jured the fruit never promised better,
and to all appearances we had pros
poets of the most abundan: harvest
ever known in Kansas. The spring up
TO July ist was exceedingly favorable.
Abo1t that time, however, drought
set in that, for severity aud intensity Of
heat, was never known even in Kansas
and just as the wheat crop was ripen-
ing the "chiuch bug" invaded it, and
destroyed probably one-fOur.h the en-
tire crop. The same insect then worked
upon the corn, and they, With the con-
tinuance Of the drought, almost wholly
ruined the crop. The burning sun was
almost too intense to endure, and the
winds and air afoat were ike heated
air from a furnace, the the thermom-
eter ranging AT ll2 TO ll5 in the shade
for two months. In fact it seemed to
US as the world was ready to burn up,
and even yet at this writing the drought
continues.
But sad as this all seems to sound.
still another seourge came upon us; the
deYouring locusts or grlsshoppers came
along and cleaned us out. Nearly the
whole State has been over-run by them,
and in almost innumerable multitudes.
They are unlike the common grass
hOppers they are smaller, and have
wings, which, when spread, give them
the appearance of the butterfly; their
legs are yellow; they don't hop much,
but fly. They fly, and move, and feed
IN the daytime, and roost on trees,
fences and such ike during the night.
They love heat, and the hotter the day
the more they stir, and the mere they
eat. They apparently cover the whole
earth, and devour every green thing !;
they will breakfast in one county aud
take tea in the next, always reserving
the peach for desert, which they will
eat, and leave the pits for the people.
They will clean up garden while
the family are at dinner. We even
had the family out with switches
and limbs to drive them of the wash
ing while drying. You will find bet
ter description of them than | can give
in Exodus 10: Is, sFor they covered
the whole earth, so that the land was
darkened (; and they did eat every herb
of the land. and all the fruit of the
trees; aud there remained not any
green thing in the trees, or in the herbs
of the field throughout all the land" J"
This was exactly the case here. They
actually daIkened the sun by their
numbers; and they remain just as lorg
as any green thing can be found, after
which they move, and keep on moving,
ami will, until winter freezes them out.
Their course is southeast, and they
usually move against the wind.
We are the most impoverished peo-
pie now 10 the land, destitute Of every
luxury, without feed for tine cattle, hogs
and stock, and but little for man, and
gone, for business cannot be
until another crop is raised.
Everybody is poor; land will not feed
a family, aud what is to become of the
people the good God only knows. We
know He will provide, but in a way we
know not yet.
Truly the famine wakes sore in the
land, and we will be obliged to send
Joseph and his brethren, or some one
else to Egyp. or some place else to buy
corn, as we hear there is plenty else
where.
Now you are ready to ask, what a
country, why not get out of it 1 an
swer, finer country and more produc-
tive, ordinarily, the Lord never made.
~uph crops of uraip ,,1 oorp a,d