New-York tribune., 1875-02-04
SURVIVING THE WESTERN SCOURGE.
No SUFFERING IN GREELEY, COL.


NO SUFFERING IN GREELEY, COL.
EVERYTHING EATEN by THE Observation-Disclosures
ERs NOT DISCOURAGED BUT PREPARING TO SOW
EARLY IN THE sPRING-PRoGREss OF AN ENER-
GETIC COLONY.
PRoM AN oCC AsrosAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TBIDUNEJ
GREELEY, Col, Jan. 3.-The population OF
this town and OF the adjacent lands is not far from
5000 The earlier part of the growing season was In the
highest degree promising and the people largely de-
pended upon agriculture and had sown and planted eh
tensiyely, 1t expected that everybody would get
OF debt and that In the coming year general pros
perity would prevail Late in July swsrms OF grasshop
pers appeared fields taking great fancy 10 OATS
in days they disappeared after doing no great
damage. In about q week others came, staying also
few days and then departing. and thus we had
three or four successive vsitations. These were
limited almost entirely to the outside 1arms'
none appearing In tho town gardens by
this time the wheat was mostly in shock, ana
early planted corn was well glazed. but the great bulk
Of the corn in the milk. Soon afterward vast
army OF these terrible pests down in every part OF
the valley They arrived during three days, about an
equal number each day. and they almost literally COW
cred the face OF the EARTH Almost everything green In
garden and field disappeared as II by magic ana the
dcsolate aspect Of Winter was suddenly pre-
sented Even forest trees despoied or part OF
their leaves The blades Of we're ceany stripped
III
trees disappeared And yet, here and there, few gar
untouched and la place two acres OF cab
bage were spared. This crop was afterward sold AT
three cents per pound Wholesale Beets squashes ana
potatoes scarcely injured but such vegetables as
beans onions, celery, and herbs were annihiated The
silk of tho corn being off, the growth was stopped
but the white Mexican variety was not touched After
staying from ten days to two weeks all the grass
hoppers left, and appeared afterward. Inc
great question, meanwhile, was whether they
would stay long enough to lay eggs II they
should, these would he hatched In the Sprfng,
making the planting OF crops before the middle OF June
except ground where no eggs were deposited
Departing early. they laid eggs, and We can 90
forward next Spring IN good season. assured nat the
crops will mature before the grasshoppers, hatched
elsewhere, reach Further 1t is by no means
likely that they Will come next year at all During inc
last fifteen years they have visited this county Jnree
times, in groups OF years each, being less de-
sructve the second thaa the first year.
People in Kansas Nebraska, and elsewhere may learn
from US community s TO survive the grasshopper
It be understood that the farmers In the
States named to whom relef Is now extended arc new
settlers that they came poor, that they were mostly
hOmeSteaders and tnat they have been able neither
accumulate property to learn how TO manage tue
grasshODpers while more than ALL their crops were ate
the OF men always are and therefore tney
1t seems 10 us impossible that the grasshoppers
could be thicker than they were with usi they
could been destructive In our whole pOpu-
aton here is not single family that suffering Tor the
saries OF life or that public charge us true
that few getting In debt IN other words, running
Oennd but heI expect TO make up next year. Whle tue
majority have paid something ON old Indebtedness and
fair number have become independent pay ing tne last
dollar and two cent month on top Of It, which, by
| the way, they never can be Induced TO do again..
Tue merchants doing good business, and the de-
mand for goods may be Inferred from the statement
tnat about 500 barrels OF white sugar have been sold TINS
Fan, ana lOVO Oarres OF green appies uI sl!st lI
night and day. grinding not far from 800 bushels OF
wheat every q hours has already paid To our farm
ers $4,000 in cash. aud IL win pay onethird as
much more. The potato crop, which was short-not on
OF grasshoppers-has probably yielded $4,000,
| the price having been II cents pound ana wheat
has averaged little Two cents pound Inc corn
| is poor hardly TO be worth noting. Meanwhle
several brick blocks nave been erected one % p o. ee
Is nearly finished, three stories hlg with IRON
'front.' III the latest slyle, ana nice Drlck chuTcn III
process OF erection for the Eplscopaas mahIng sne
nth church our town. graded school oullolng that
sJOOO has received It's finishing touches TINS year.
and seven teachers are emlIoyeu wniie 'teo @
schools have been established among the farmers, two
the Fall Tue town having become the county
seat OF Weld County has buI out OF ls own treasury
at cost of $1,000. Fortunately, or Otherwise,
IL sod; viii the County Commissioners grant IL
in the county ah9uSh t@ once % e9ie f
grasshoppcrs did damage there Is 10 question:
int tins loss was comparativey hight because having
the ground four were established, our
style farming had become good aud we have saved so
much IN the aggregate that the few who lost all
can get ploymeht credit they live on what
tney made year before Our farmers understand the
situaton SO completely, and the profits farming by
irrigation counted upon with so much certainty,
that directly after the ErasshoppeIs ieit tney as
sembed In pu0lc meeting and resolved TO enlarge their
great rrIgang canal aireaGy the largest IN Colorado
cost OF $4,000 glyng this water-cOurso double
capacltv; and before freczug weather in work
was completed by which they threw dOwD the gage OF
battle t all adverse powers Let nobody ma giue that
money s plentiful. tnaJ bills easily met and hat all
families have abundance Tor it Is not rue. On the con-
trary collections made with great difficulty, old
clothes aud Old fashions prevail, and the strlctest
economy required that the necessities OF tue day may
be secured. 1ne difficulties wncn all meet are certainly
| great, but there no Encouragement Next spIing
planting will be extensive and improvements more
varied than ever before So say our friends IN
Kansas aud Nebraska that they shod hOli tGer Land,
make what they can ana plant eaIly,
ana the gTassuOppers Will Uo utterly unable 10 arrest
| tho SCI ttlyuCnC tno great trausmsSOuil rtSIOn
| n. q. N.