The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-01-28
How the Pesky Varmints Wrought Unfold
Mischief In 1872, 10 and "a.
The DEEP DESPAIR OF THE PEOPLE
Futile Efforts of Scientists 10 Induce
c tho Sufferers to Make Food OF the
Destructive Insects-Prayers for
;F DeLivcrnnce la Missouri, Followed
by the Departure ofthc Pests.
BY CLARA COTTON.

n (Cpyright, 1885, S. S. Mcclure, Limited)
IS It Is more than two decades now
T. since the "grass-hoppcr years" of 1872,
lss73 and "a, and their very memory
ssecms almost to have disappeared from
81 the public mind TO those of us, how
ever, who passed through the vista
ton, which brought complete devasta-
" ton to all growing crops In Colorado,
81 Nebraska and Kansas. causing wide
4 spread suffering and restitution and Sc
4 Stously affected most States west of the
II mississippi. the memory of those years
ais still vivid one. And during the. re-
scent harvest months of autumn when
4 news OF bounuful crops. unmarried by
X insect or other plaques. was being re-
a ceiyed, this memory became more vivid
/; by very contrast
We In Mossouri had heard and read
OF the plague in poor, drouGhty Kan
sas, but there was little fear felt that
SSthe insects would come further east, for
the papers assured us that scientists
< mad found the ha bitat of the locustS to
Abe the Rocky Mountains. and study OF
previous plaques Of this sort had
shown that the insects flight was reg
Z ulated by such definite limitation as to
time and distance that their return trip
westward was near at hand and so Mis-
souri, might congratulate herself on be-
ing not only beyond the great drought
belt, but also east of the locust line
SBut the locusts refused 10 follow the
They came, they saw. they conquered
THE COMING OF THE HOPPERS.
!Y One very hot day. was a little girl
them was sent TO the postofiice TO get
the mail. saw the men out in front
of their stores looking up at the sun
through smoked glass and talking ex.
5citedly. Suddenly there was a loud
gathering like hail on my little parnsol
spn the pavement, the fences the
streets, and the roofs Of the houses
everywhere 1t was hail storm of
5graSshoppers. Looking up there seem
ed to be a great, wide-spreading. dark
cloud slowly descending In childish
,aTdght ran, but there was no escape:
sshoppers to right of me. 'hoppers to left
OF me were flying and jumping
% They lit on my shoes, my hat and my
dress skirts in squadrons. The ground
was literally covered with the strange
tunWelcome visitors Out of breath
frem my frightened run 1 stopped TO
rest under tree by a neighbours hack
yard, where there was a flock Of fowls.
In watching their crazy delight over
CHS unexpected and unlimited feast !
soon forgot my fear. They dashed
around with out-spread wings. made
wild leaps and little flights in the air,
tumbling over each other in their eager
ness. They devoured the insects so fast
as almost to choke themselves, but kent
cracking and Gobbling and GuackinG
between mouthfuls, as if saying:
-snss1Glr ali you can; keep what you git
and git a-plenty while you're Citing y
81 Dogs parked and howled and some
ran covering into shelter. Horses were
and tried to get away from
such an unheard of shower
4tThege grasshoppers, as we called
theTn,-though they were really locusts
were much larger than the common
lnsects known by that name, and their
heads were much larger in proportion
to their bodies. Their eyes bulged out
10 q way to make them seem actually
To- have an impish expression of coun-
senance, as they would turn their heads
rom side to side and move their curl
ansly split mouths In chewing their
lobacco,H a we children called the dark
1TURn liquid which they seemed to roll
around In their jaws as cows do their
,gds. The long hind legs and outer
wings were rough and strong. The
owls, after their first ravenous appe-
ites were appeased would try to pick
hese wings and the legs off before eat
Hg the insects. The fowls became thin
rom their continued grasshopper diet
md the yolks OF the eggs were red.
Everybody did without eggs and fowls
or food as far as possible.
sHEY ATE EVERY GREEN THING.
The grasshoppers preferred the rank
sit tasting vegetation and 50 took
each leaves, oak leaves, tomato vines
mason weed and rag weed first. These
aving been devoured clear down to the
bots and branches, (many of the trees
soised as bare as in Noye1nber). they
4tacked everything green, indiscrimi-
afnly.Ya The bare stones OF the half.