The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1904-09-23
AFTER THIRTY YEARS
THE PAST AND PRESENT IN Me-
nRASKA.
LOCUST PLAGUE OF LONG AGO.
state IIns Arisen From Hard Times
and Poverty TO Wealth and Abund-
nncc--RccoiIecions of nm Early
settler of North Nebraska.

aud Poverty to Wealth and Abund-
nncc--Rccoliections of nm Early
settler of North Nebraska.
Great changes are wrought by the
hands oi Time, none greater than has
taken place In this section OF the west
within the past thirty years. 1t seems
but yesterday, when IA boy of 2 years,
we stood in the old farm yard In Ma
pie creek precinct and watched the
grasshoppers deVour eevrything with
In reach; there were millions of them,
and one who has not gone through n
scourge of the little pests can have
no Idea of their numbers. The time
referred to was thirty years ago, per-
haps n few days earlier in the month.
We remember that the grain was cut
and the most OF 1t was In the shock; /;
the old Marsh harvester, purchased
of Sumner Bros, among the pioneer
business men of Schuyler stood in
the yard between the house and barn,
If the sod structure used I'm housing
the team of mules employed In doing
the farm work could be given that
name, 1t was about the noon hour
when what appeared to be black
cloud showed up In the northwest,
and soon n rumbling sound was heard
and the choppers" commenced to de-
scend upon the growing corn A
forty acre field that had been the
pride of the household soon fell Qit-
orally eaten up) as before the reap
er's sickle Everything In the garden
and field was destroyed As one old
neighbor said, the only thing they
did not do was to dig the potato crop"
There was no corn crop that year
but small grain was good and the
pioneers, used to economy practiced
1t more stringently and waited for the
coming spring that they might seed
for another crop Hogs, cattle and
| horses were fed on wheat, most of II
soaked before feeding, and those who
who were here at the time will tel
you those were hard times In Nebras-
ka Those of today do not know the
meaning of the expression hare
times" Credit could not be obtained
except upon the best of security. which
few had to offer. Rates of interest
were so high as to be little better thar
robbery. Not a few abandoned theiI
| claims, as the homesteads were called
and went back to their "wife's rela
tions;" others stayed and fought tn,
battle winning homes for themselves
and families and the houors due
pioneer The people of the east sen
aid to the "Srasshopper sufferers" tina
was timely and greatly appreciated.
But have we not looked upon th
dark picture long enough? 1t is Away
darkest before dawn. A bright da!
was soon to break on the dweller
upon our prairies, Good crops, yea
in and year out, was to be the rewar,
of perseverance and endurance, Th
sod house the dugout and the home
steader's shanty are a thing of tn
past, to be looked upon as ba
dream and repeated to young ear
that would swallow only a part of tn
story. The Nebraska of thirty year
ago and the Nebraska of today! Wha
ditference Land was of little or n
value people poor in purse thong
forts of life and nearly all of it
; hardShips.
: Today the same dear old Nebrask
| blossoms IKE the rose, cities nav
been built on her rolling prairiei
l thrifty towns cluster among the hill
= and adorn her valleys; everywhere tn
eye looks with pleasure upon scene
5 of beauty-finely kept farms, larg
r comfortable farm houses, good barn
| tand sheds to shelter the beasts an
house the bounteous crops that re
: ward the tillers of the soil No longt
A is the farmer without credit. no Ions
: er does the 2-and-S-p per cent a = mont
= shark get in his work, The farmt
n has n bank account of his own; /
8 is the thrifty, progressive citizen, II
4 backbone of the republic The goo
e friends of the east, who sent mi
n sucCor, now come to him to buy Il
: bonds of the proud commonwealth
e that borders on the Atlantic, as q
investment for his school funds, ar
s he cannot refuse them. The goldt
= corn is turned into the coin of Il
: realm and our eastern friend takes
= home with him singing the praises
e Nebraska.
e stand up for grand old Nebraska
s OF course we will; so will every ST
# and every daughter of the old pi
IS neers. 1t is duty they will new
J. ueglect.-Howelrs Journal