Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1875-07-08
The Grasshopper Scare.
The Flight of the GrasshOpper
Wildly Described.

Vividly Described.
The writer was in Omaha
when the hoppers were first seen
in that vicinity. Their appear
ance, as we looked towards the
sun, was almost identically that
of large snowfakes. The wind
was blowing at the rate Of
twelve miles an hour to the west
of north, and their course was
the same. About eleven o'clock
a. M, they were first observed,
with only an occasional stray
gler coming to the ground; out
about two o'clock p. M, they
began alighting, and at once
went to wolk satisfying a raven
GUS appetite. As they approach
nearer the earth in their descent
a noise is produced like the buzz
zing Of a swarm Of bees. AZ
Ter alighting the ground is not
everywhere equally covered with
them. Some fields in the same
neighborhood are spared, while
crops in others arc taken-and
taken so quickly as to be in-
credible to tell. The infinite
decimals of teeth to Snaw, and
a like number of stomachs to
crafty, make speedy work of
devastating a field Of growing
wheat, oats, barley, corn, pota-
toes or cabbage.
Before nightfall they appear
to be in motion, but only above
tie top Of vegetation, and a
stranger to their habits knows
not the meaning of such move
ment, and it was not made APP
parent till the night had passed.
At forty-five rainutes past five
next morning Gas soon as the
dew had evaporated) they be-
gan like chickens flying down
from roosting-places, and havo2
was made of the nearest vegeta-
ton. At ten o'clock the air was
again filled with new Corners
sailing in the snmeroute as those
of yesterday, only, if possible,
more of them. The chief part
Of them fly at great height,
and are discernible only by look
ing towards the sun or a cloud.
Those that stop seem to belong
to Il lower stratum, and when on
the wing rise high enough only
to avoid the tops OF trees and
bluffs.
At two o'clock p. m, those
that stopped with us the night
before began rising and leaving,
and by four O'Clock not enough
remained to do amy mischief
At five o'clock others came, and
the next twelve hours was a rep
etition Of their conduct the
night before.
On Wednesday morning the
air was filed with them an hour
earlier than Oh yesterday, IA
yored with a hot sun and a brisk
gale from the same direction Of
the last forty-eight hours
Those that tarried with us from
Tuesday evening raised UP to
accompany their friends in their
voyage Dakota-ward. After
their departure no more alight-
ed during the day, but the sun
was partially concealed tiIl.two
O'Clock p. m. by the great throng
haste to reach some re-
gion that will be more congen-
ial to their stay. At the last
named hour the number flying
was perceptibly fewer, and an
hour later very few could be
seen in the air,and we were tenn
porarily rid Of them.
An Omaha gentleman recent
ly returned from Minnesota says
that the premium offered in that
State for the destruction Of
grasshoppers has resulted in the
killing ofmillions upon millions
Of them. On Saturday last he
says that the people in and "a
round Mankato were out with
fynets, scooping them up by
the pailful. The captured hop
pers brought 10 cents a quart,
or $500 per bushel, as a premi-
UNI in Mankato, and one boy
made So that day. Grasshop-
per-hunting at that rate is more
profitable than farming, and if
the premiums would only hold
out the hoppers would be con-
sidercd a blessing.
D Hon.. Thos. B. Florence,