Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-03-31
From Nebraska.
CARLTON, NER., Marcl

DEAR COURIER: Old winter has
burst his icy letters and HE'D himself
away to the polar region or some other
foreign cline, and beautiful spring, In
oil her radiant glory, is upon us; and
Notwithstanding the terrible destruc.
ton to our crops by the lively hoppers
last season, our farmers arc improving
their time, and are all busily engaged
In sowing wheat, aud judging from
prcsentindications there will be double
the amount of wheat Gown in this part
OF the country that there was last
season.
The question that now agitates onr
people lie, will the grasshopper-cggs
that were deposited here last fall hatch
out and destroy our crops again? We
are in hopes that they may leave in
time for us to raise something. There
seems to be great amount Of eggs de-
posted upon some farms and none
on others. l have not been able to find
any on my own, while my neighbor,
Mr.. Rizer, on two miles west OF me,
has them so thick that he can gather
them by tho handful anywhere on bis
place. They seem to be about one
half an inch under the ground, and
from fifty to seventy In cocoon.
Some are discouraged, others are
going ahead, and intend to fight 1t ont
on that line IL 1t takes all summer, and
your humble correspondent wishes to
be counted among the latter number,
for / know they can not always last,
and II we outwind them 20 much the
better for US, but If they clean us out
entirely, why then VIC will have to get
up and git, that IL oil there Is about it
but OF that / am not afraid.
suppose the railroads have carried
90 much free freight the last winter
that when they get . chance they 60
for . mans pocket ! judge this to be
the case from the fact that I bought
some grain In Iowa and IL cost me
over one dollar per hundred from OF.
tumwa to Fairmont over the c., d. &
@. and d. & NJ. Roads, which makes
grain come pretty high, especially
where one pays forty-three cents for
oats and fifty cents for corn, and then
pay the freight in addition but then
am glad to get II, and know that .
railroad cannot be run for nothing, but
think they ought 70 have little mercy
on those who have lost their crops but
won't beg.
am afraid that the army of beggars
who have swarmed through the East
ern and central States the past winter
have done more harm than the grass.
hoppers did. There were q great many
who did great deal of good In a.
sisting those who actually needed It,
but there were others who did them.
selves no good and those who needed IL
great deal of harm. For such fellows
Pandemonium IL too good q place.
The Dunkard Church have done
about the wieest thing in this case.
They organized and appointed their
receiving and distributing agents
wherever there was any Of their peo-
pie, and all supplies forwarded by
them reached the individuals for whom
they were intended; and they have
not confined themselves to their own
church alone, but have helped . great
many others, and are still doing it-an
example that might be followed with
good effect by other churches.
II only those who really needed aid
got 1t, the burden would be far lighter
upon the generous people of the East,
but there are many Il am ashamed to
say It, but it is SOY who have applied
for and obtained aid during the winter
that il far better off than many, very
many are who have donated, and If
there 10 future reward and punishment
for all who do wrong, I am of the
opinion that they will come in for
their share; but this does not apply to
any who are really needy and cannot
help themselves, and / know we have
some such, and am perfectly willing
that they should haye al the help they
can get, and am willing to help them
oil can.
But - you have heard 80 much upon
this subject. Mr.. Editor, I will not In.
trude much further upon your very
good nature, but will say that hope
the good Lord may give rs good crops
this year, 90 that we may be enabled
to do away with all aid societies aud
government donations, aud paddle our
own canoe.
The health of our country is good,
there being no sickness of any account
anywhere around. We have but Eve
doctors In this county, and several that
we did have have gone where the
voodhln~ tvvinosiA .ouno other yarb
Of that nature good riddAnce.
Stock generally looks very we'll,
considering the scarcity OF feed and
the severity of the winter through
which we have just passed. All our
stock are making their own Lying
now on the plains.
And Grant wouldn't sign the bounty
equalization bill. Bully for Grant,
although It cuts me out Of one hundred
aud twenty -four dollars-he 10 right;
we have debt enough for all present
need. Yours truly,
Jos. II. SPINNER.