The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-07-31
How the Grasshoppers Came

wish to tell story about the Great
American Desert, where the grasshoppers
made such fearful raid last summer.
The weather was intensely warm here all
last season, and for thirty days within the
space of six weeks the thermometer ranged
from 100 deg. to l26 deg.
1t was during this heat in the latter part
of July that our Swede girl, Selma, must
go home to care for her aged mother. Pete
and Polly, our two mules, were harnessed
to the express wagon in the early morning,
and a pleasant little company OF US started
out to take Selma home.
Our road lay up the banks of clear
winding stream, on each side Of which our
industrious Swede neighbors have settled,
and turned over the virgin soil of this Gar
den of the Desert, upon which appeared
fields of waving grain.
We had not ridden far befoie Pete anC
Polly, who had been whiskiDg their long
ears very contentedly, began to lay them
back and toss their heads into the air. As
they tossed them higher and higher, we no
ticed that grasshopper came at intervals
with bounce into our laps or hit our hands
and faces, and the farther we went north
the more frequently their whizz and click
assalled our ears, or their sharp wings
struck our noses, till we sympathized with
our restless mules. Soon we noticed the
little brown bodies and gray wings laying
in piles along the shady side Of our track,
and that the green leaves of the corn hung
like slit ribbons swaying in the breeze;
and farther on there was here and there a
field that had been planted on the sod where
nothing but the stal6 was left and we said.
See what the grasshoppers have been do
ing"
We set Selma down at the door, and
turned toward home, wondering if the
grasshoppers were going to do much harm.
The season had been unusually dry, as
well as warm, and for that reason the small
grain, though very light, was ready Tor the
reaper, or already cut.
Soon after the hsrvesters had repaired TO
the field that afternoon, the cry was heard,
'The gaasshoppers have fallen upon the
cornfelds.' Then we knew we had met
the scouting party in the morning, ana that
by some wonderful insect power, they had
telegraphed to tie main body the news of
our rich fields.
Wo had a corn-ileld Of twenty acres,
that was the pride of our foreman, and
pronounced the most luxurant of any for
miles up and down the valley. The de-
stroyers were at work upon it, but the men
hoping to save part, left their harvest
and built fires all along the rows They
whipped, switched and smoked, running
from one part of the field to the other in
the heat, but it was of no avail. The little
invaders ate on, and at night nothing was
left of our Boosted cornfield but the tall
bare stalks, looking like bean-poles.
The Indian women had corn and bean
patches near us, and when they came and
saw their work all destroyed they wept and
moaned, and said, "God is not pleased or
he would not send the grasshoppers to eat
what we need"
The next day the raiders came to our
gardens, and though we covered the plants
withbarrels and boxes and sheets, though
3 we smoked and whipped and brushed, hop
ing to save some Vegetables, they seemed
to laugh at our dsmay, and kept steadily
at work. even eating our onions and red
pepper-stalks down to the ground.
They stripped young fruit-trees of their
leaves and gnawed our shrubbery and flow
ers till there was no green thing left to
cover the brown earth, and then they mount
ed our shade trees, and the ground was soon
covered with falling leaves.
The heat was intensified by the presence
of such a mass of animal matter, and our
nights, usually so cool, were hot and I'M
comfortable. The unwonted sound of the