The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-15
now THE nopenRs CAME AND WENT.
The Plague That s5wnrmed Down on
Kansas Fifteen Years Ago.

Kansas Pttteen Years ago.
Prom N, PITTSBURGH BHateh
| Fifteen years ngo this week q mighty cloud
o. winged Insects ruse from stricESep kansas.
the North and West toward the Rocky Noun.
| tains. In less than one hour the grnsshpnper
| plague had vanished aud hoto took the place
| OF, despair in the hearts OF the people.
a severe drought. In August naked stalks OF
weeds and dry blades Of grass ratified at every
wings OF these warm H'' mcsseHScrs, came a
ocusts. big fellows they were, an inch and a
half in length. They hopped about Tor q Icy
as Ss ss TO SSd
age was done 10 tho crops, for such rs had
wonthoreed tho trying drought were all ma;
said: These old hoDpers will never trouble
US again but there 10 certain disaster ahead.
ea 9GH oui No2 sSns W ha have
grasshoppers in swarnis where this year they
have como in handouts"
4 careful examination OF the ground proved
that these fears were. well founded There
we're millions Of tiny holes in which eggs had
In inct, the sole mission of this vanguard OF tho
grasshoppor army There was, 81 course.
many forgot what they had so much dreaded.
nSre and thore wise mar, sold his farm at
sought to ave- avert the danger by tnrnins up
every square rod Of land on their farms 10 the
T%s, Of wntsr hs way NAM eEgs were
sides where the Ground vas hardest in in which
them wore lett undisturbed besides. ,i there
was no concert among tho farmers and no sys-
Spring came and with It came ali the busy
scenes connected with farm life. 1t was an
snFs %%y P aaS Tn
AVE d it%t beaatiaI May brought the vindi:
The little grass6oppers began to appear
they could be COUNTED at first, and they were
IN countless millions, and for several days
thereafter they seemed to increase In the same
but '{ h we're terms bGso tons
sluhre miles each in turn served as a unit OF
nna nr The land all az once seemed to
n mass, now in this direction, now in that |
GIT Irons disappeared as II an all powerful ma;
spokon them out OF existence. The fields were |
laid as bare as winter had left them. Gardens |
here p 7it, vGstgs of their present greenness
onions SI1s, and radishes. They ate down to the
hair E2Gth1 leaving the beds curous
ground escaped tEeir ravaees, except the The
leaves Li OF the 9saGe orange. The hedges OF this
shrub were lett untouched.
They had moulted: Then they seemed to have
Streets In vast droyes tpaySie Ss the
peared. they became weak and inactive aud no
tpi trIsd to get out Of tho way Of pedes-
As the insects became, weakened from lack
the heat Of the pun. and in order to I avoid Il L
they crowded along the shadows of buildings
~ I the south side Of street Here they were
the buildings to the height OF a foot or more.
rom r;} this came the expression. Grasshoppers
rushed bodies was very trying to the olfac-
ories Had 1t not been for several dashing
aims which cleaned tho streets from end to
euu. Inc CONSEQUENCES might laya hnap m |
moro serious.
LIKE TIE FROGS OF EGYPT
Grasshoppers were everywhere. They came
n n the houses, and. like the frogs In plague.
rays; Yo4 break open biscuit at meal time,
md behold, II grasshopper You turn down
nc helcoNers on retiring. and out Jump grass
rink in the dark. u "
Attempts were made to harvest the young
;rasshoppers. One device was adopted In
u orocco during locust plague more than a
e rTts "a age It was to dig long trench and
OF np on edge diverginR from the ends Of the
reneh several rods. AS the insects came 10
d h hT t hs 5hd
! the bottom. They had not yet got their
inGs aTd were not large enough to Jump
nd millions q erasshopper s6S ad bsSen mas de.
SyH In the oa 1t es S S %B differ
tsT the Shesao SF Sa e y o s5eE
or many OF ,them lived to get away from he
ma d, which they turned into q waste. With
anted their eds Corn was G she pr inc pe
rop' sope OF 1t matured, but the greater
very widespread destitution as result Of
l n grasshfoPper visitation. much financial dis
ess was felt for several years.