The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1875-07-16

N"h jump ~ leeu III Il Jump, or fy ~ mile
per hour, 10 hours at a stretch? If all the
turkeys and birds Of the continent had beer
! collected in Platte county In 1874 the
would have made no perceptablc impression
on them.
What the inevitable Yankee may vet in
vent as an instrument of cflectual fright O
destruction, we would not call in question
BUT look Al THIS PICTURE AND BE
AMAZED.
This year. the locusts that were Matched il
Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri, commenced
passing over the latitude of Columbus or
June 18th, and continued to fly for thirteen
days, emitting only three days in the time
> they continued to fly at the rate of 10 mile.
an hour, 5 hours day, and the vast army
measured 400 miles east and west, from flank
to flank.
At the universities of Kansas and Nebras-
ka, measurements were made with optical
and mathematical instruments, aud the YER
tical depth Of the army commencing 500 feet
above ground, was found to be full mile.
This data, being quite ascertainabe, may
be safely assumed. What number of insects
should be reconed to given space, is more
difficult to determine-but we venture to say
one to the cubic yard. Many good judges
would say one to the cubic foot but we will
say, what perhaps no one will question: one
to the cubic yard.
Now, take iorty-acre-feld, how many
locusts would be directly over it at any given
moment? Forty acres contain 198.6OO
square yards. Multiply this by the vertical
yards of the army-1.7GO-and the result is
the amazing total of 35O.737OOO.
Over a homestead there would be four
times this number, or .2S2 29I40OO. Over
square mile, 5.l34776.OOO. Over a township,
lS4,743,04l000. Over an ordinary county
three trilions.
Leaving off large fraction five billions
OF these insects are directly over each square
mile at any and every moment for five
hours daily during ten days, and are passing
at the rate Of ten miles per hour.
Now come to our aid, thou grand old ar
ithmetic and let the army be numbered.
PASSING OVER ONE SQUARE MILE.
Fifty billions per hour 25O billions per
day, and ,! trillions in 10 days.
PASSING OVER ONE SQUARE TOWNSHIP.
Eight hundred billions perhour, 4trillions
per day, and 40 trillions in 10 days.
PASSING OVER AN ORDINARY COUNTY.
Twelve trilions and 800 billions per hour,
Ga trillions per day, and $40 trillions in 10
days.
TIE WHOLE APMY.
Passing over each mile north-2O trillions
per hour 100 trillions per day, and quad
rlllion in all-during the 10 days.
But because neither we nor any of our
readers have any proper conception of the
value of such numbers, as applied to insects,
we change the figures to denote quantity
and bulk. We have taken some pains to as
certain the facts near enough for practical
purposes. There are about 9.600 live locusts
or 10000 dead ones to the bushel. From
this data we get the following estimate.
Passing over Il forty.acre-field at any mo-
ment-35.472 bushels, Over homestead,
l5l.SSS bushels, or if these were all dead,
| 34OS3 bushels to the 10 acres, and 1856. 292
bushels to the homestead, or more than five
bushels to the square rod.
Passing over one square mile-5. pos. 333
bushels per hour; 2G.O3l.6G5 per day, and
2G0.4l6.Gj0 bushels inl0 days. This would
make Il pile mile square, feet inches
| high.
Passing Il square township--lS7,49 400. 9SS
bushels per hour, 937.459.9lO bushels per
day, and 9.374, ,999.46 bushels in all. This
maks pile, one mile square, two hundred
and twenty-five feet high.
Passing over common sized county--3
billion bushels per hour; Is billion bushels
per day, and $50 billion bushels in all. This
would make Il pile 4 miles square and 225
feet high.
Whole army passing one mile north-1.-
OS3333.333 bushels per hour l0.4l6GGG GGj
bushels per day, and lO4, l6G G6G $50 bushels
in all. This would make pile of 1880
2O233l cubic yards or, including large
fractions omitted in all the foregoing calcu-
lations, one full cubic mile-a mountain of
locusts mile long, mile wide and mile
high.
Come on now with your turkeys and
birds, your bitches and lime water! Ha !!
ha ha!
But, alas this is too serious matter for
sportivc words.
The calamity is fast assuming 4 national
aspect Unless some adequate natural cause
or some divine cause shall interpose, one pant
of this continent will have to clothc and
feed the other for many years to come, Thus
far, the damage which the locust could do if
his armies were to light down in force in a
cultivated country is only feebly foreshad-
owed. Not one in million in this west
crn world has ever tasted the cultiya-
ted fields, but we have the most terrible
proofs Of their capabilities Where they
hatched in vast Numbers this year, they took
everything clean within forty days alterthcir
incubation. Then going north at an av-
erage distance of fifty miles per day for the
whole army, some portions much more and
some much less, mere fraction of those
passing over would light to rest and feed,
and in many cases not stalk would be left
to mature. In As hours, or "A hours, some-
times in five hours, all is'gone. This year,
thank Heaven, they commenced their worl,
so early that gardens and grain fields could
be replanted. For some reasons, also, the
immense swarms that have lighted down in
central Nebraska have done but little eat
ing their object being rather to rest. At
this date, (June POI they are mostly beyond
all the settlements far in the north. But the
land is in dread suspense, and will be
until the crop is matured, lest, as last year in
July, the devouring host shall consume what
is left. But suppose these legons should