The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-08-11
GrassInOnners.

Dispatches to the st. Paul Minneso-
ta) Press and Tribune from Jackson
and Walnut Grove, in that State, give
most distressing accounts of the raw
ages of grasshoppers. They arrived
there on the 22d ult, coming from the
North, and completely covered the
ground. One of these correspondents
states:
ave had fair prospect for a good
crop in the southern part of the coun-
ty, but in twenty-iour hours our pros
pect was blighted. They covered the
ground completely, and are devOuring
every green thing. They extend from
near FairmoUnt, Martin county, to the
west line of the State, and how much
farther is uncertain, and from the
Northern Pacific to Sioux City. They
are eating every green thing-wheat,
oats, corn, potatoes, garden truck, etc.
Farmers are busy cutting everything
that will do to cut, oats and wheat, but
In this vicinity will not get half-no,
not quarter crop. They are depos-
iting their eggs. What is to become
of us the Lord only knows"
The Window (Minn.) Reporter gives
a similar account of the ravages of
these pests. 1t says:
"About half past five o'clock Satur-
day afternoon the greatest army OF
'hoppers ever seen here passed over IN
a direction a little south of west.
They were apparently half a mile
above the earth, eXlenuing from the
western to the eastern horizon, from
north to south in almost solid mass
The sun was shining brilliantly, and a
few floating clouds were favorable to
reveal the terrible numbers of the
scourge. Directly overhead the seeth-
ing mass was almost impenetrable TO
the eye, and while most painfully VS.
ible under a small, dark cloud, their
extent could only be appreciated as
they merged past the edge of the cloud.
The extent of this swarm may be
somewhat understood by remembering
that in our greatest flights, when be-
tween us and the sun, they represent a
terrific snowstorm, and fairly whiten
the sky for some distance around il,
gradually becoming invisible as the
eye moves away from a dire ct focus
with the suns rays, and keep up tn is
scene from about ten o'clock in the
morning till three in the afternoon,
sight OF them being dependent upon
the sun, when in this case they not on
ly had a more dense appearance
around the sun, but so far as the eye
could reach in every direction, and es-
pecially overhead, they were many
times more dense than In one of the
greatest flights Immediately between
us and the sun, and gave forth a noise
resembling an approaching gale. Mr..
burlington, the mail-carrler from here
TO Walnut Grove, tells US that, on his
way home Saturday afternoon, he
could see the grasshoppers raise in the
distance ahead of him resembling
dense and impenetrable smoke, which
he at first thought they were, but sOor
discovered that the columns were
dense clouds of grasshoppers that haC
lit since he passed over the road Fri
day morning"
Is 1t not about time that the general
government should give some atten.
ton to these terrible pests? Millions
of dollars are appropriated every yea
for the Improvement, so-called, OF ri
vers and harbors. Hundreds OF thous'
ands are spent in providing light
honses along our sea-coast. All kinds
of investigations are set on foot, at en-
ormous expense. But a pest which
threatens the whole West with devas-
tation, and which may depopulatt
halfa dozen prosperous States, receives
NO attention whatever.
The Eastern Senators and Repre-
sentatives have abundant sympath!
for the abused Indians, but none TO
the haressed end distressed people
who have gone out into the North
western States to make homes TO
themselves and families.