Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-06-28

preserve the seed That seed was very
carefully cared for and husDundsd,
and from that seed the seed potatoes
(that was the first vegetable introduced
into Utah) sprung. But II was not until
lS4a that any Of us, unless Ii was
through curiosity, tasted potatoes. We
preserved the seed so carefully that we
did not dare TO eat potatoes In lS4S,
after planting our grains and yegeta-
bles, we found that to obtain the food
we needed we could not depend upon
rains, but would have to water the
land from the streams, and as we did
! not have the scientific friends that we
have with us now to do II in y scien-
! tihc manner we went at Il as best we
| could, and took out water by the SIM
! plest means in our reach, and We were
! successful in raising at least d part Of
a crop. After our grain had been Gown
| ana our fields looked promising, black
| crickets came down by the millions
| and devOured our crops. | have seen
fields OF wheat look as promising as
| they could in the morning, and By
evening they would be as bare as the
| palm Of mans hand--devoured by
these crickets
For time II seemed that everything
we had planted would be destroyed and
you can well Imagine the precarius-
ness Of our position California was
on our west 500 miles distant. 10 the
east was no settlement nearer than the
Des Moines river In Iowa, and q few
settlements perhaps In upper Missouri,
so that we were entirely dependent
upon that food which we had brought
In our wagons That supply was so
limited that we had to deal II out with
the utmost care Food was weighed |
by the ounce and limited to every ndi- !
vldual and no one could eat more than |
his share of the allowance that was
divided for the weeks supply.
II was growing boy,and ! had never |
worked so hard as we had 70 ID then |
My allowance Of food, therefore, was |
not sufficient for my wants and was
continually hungry during that winter
II seemed to me that | was hungry to |
the ends OF toes and fingers.
THISTLE TOPS AS FOOD.
when spring came the thistles began
TO grow In the neighborhood of our
fields our oxen were thin, and we
could only use them in blowing until
about the middle Of the afternoon.
Then we would go around and gather
thistle tops for greens. II is fact
that the distention Of the stomach
caused by eating these thstles allayed
our hunger, and having milk, which
our COWS began to give freely, we soon
grew fat.
THE crickets, to which have alluded,
destroyed a great many fields, and It
seemed for while that they would de-
YOUR everything that was planted. |
had no responsibility upon me, but |
have often since thought Of the Won
derful courage which the men who had
families depending upon them exhibited !
under these circumstances. | can re-
call no expressions OF fear or discour-
agement. Every man appeared 10 feel
that he would stay there, no matter
what the consequences might be. But
relief came 10 us, and 10 us who lived
In Utah at that time II appeared like
direct interposition OF Providence to
save us.
"Sea gulls came by hundreds and thou
sands, and before the crops We're en-
tirely destroyed these gulls devoured
the insects so that our fields We're en-
tirely freed from them Since then,
whenever | see q boy pointing a gun
at gull | feel that want TO knock
his gun up The bird has become sa-
cred to,me. Since then Salt Lake has
become the habitat of this bird After
these gulls came, | have gone along our
water bitches in the morning and have
seen quantities Of small piles of crlck-
cts which the guls had eaten and yom-
tied up, BY disgorging themselves In
this way each bird must have devoured
immense quantities.
"The dryness OF the country at that .
time was something dreadful. II .
seemed as though the land was dead. !
This was forcbly brought to my mind J
by seeing a grave dug soon after we
reached the valley. The spot is now /.
)ne OF the most populous parts OF Salt !.
Lake City, and Is very fertile, but at
hat time It seemed as though the
ground had not been saturated for
ages. One of the first bitches that was
lug was taken out OF the creek near
where the large cooperative store now
stands, which some Of you ladies and
gentlemen who have visited Salt Lake
nay remember. This ditch was dug to
convey the water TO the fort. in which
he people then lived which was about
lalf mile distant, and the ground was
10 thirsty that II took two days for 1t
o run that distance.
THE UTAH OF TO-DAY.
Great and happy results have fol-
owed the system OF irrigation. / can
ay today that Utah Is proud TO have l,
he opportunity Of participating In q
congress Of this character We feel .,
hat the questions to be brought before ~
his congress are of the greatest i'm q,
'ortance. not only to this portion of .
america but to the entire Union. Ev-
a. 4. \
o be interested In the questions which ql
vii be discussed, ! hope, so freely and NJ
In our congress. IL Is mat SO
er which affects not only the West, 81
nut the East. and n fact II may be M
aid TO affect humanity, and everything al
hould be done In our deliberations TO id
each united action. so that whatever al
re determine upon viii be acceptable to pt
he whole people and to the Congress W
I the United States. n,
81 am glad that these deliberations
re likely 10 take wide scope,
'ould like TO see every person take an
lterest In irrigation, whether he lives IN
! the arid regions or the heaven-wa- an
.red regions, and hope every dele pr
ate will have the opportunity TO eN- dc
ress himself with the utmost freedom pr
nat we may reach not only unity OF Ia
but unity OF action,
I'VE in Utah have proved that the er
nall holdings are the best for the IN
eople. our pioneers when they went Oh
Ito that country arranged In the first TT
lace that men at the head OF house n
old should receive a city lot. The city OF
as divided into blocks OF ten acres sli
eight lots Of one and a ue
'urth acres each. ! remember apply re
IL for lot. and was told that | was tli
ot a married man and could not have CD
le land Outside the city the first lots ca
ere flve-acre lots. later ten.acre lots re
nd later 20-acre lots. Mechanics were hs
Ich expected 10 draw at last FIVE acres, ie
nd II their families were large enough en-
icy could draw ten acres. II was not a b,
W, but regulation. These regula- ri
ons were adopted so that no man
lould monopolize land. Every man In
u community could have a sufficient
f1nfffN IN apaA1a him Z, - LAD mimi Hn