Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-09-28


: THE 'AoPPERs IN '7s. i
From the Armstrong Journal.
The 4th of June. 1873, there came up-
on us the first visitation of the grass
hopper. (F'or be 1T known we a a
visit from them a second time.) Ere
yet the settler had beheld the graceful
insect. his attention was called to the
fact THAI something terrible was about
To happen. a strange noise like unto
the rush of distant waters seemed 10
fill the immensely of space. He looked
first one way then another. but nothing
met his gaze to cause alarm. He stood
still. every conjecture staggered. pres
emily he beheld the hopper alight, then
another. and another. till he recognized
that they were rather plentiful-he
looked DEMONSTRATION took possess
sion of him-the upper air was filled
to overlooking with tho pests. the suns
reflection from their gauzy wings pre-
scented an appearance not unlike Il
snow storm: Town they came faster
and faster, till the soil was sick as it
anticipated results in the neal future
destruction, want, misery and perhaps
death. ! am old that strong men cried
as they beheld the almost actual reali-
zation of a picture which had been
painted very indelibly upon their young
i~tnaginations by reading Of Jewish
traditions. for be 1t known that many
settlers were simple minded enough to
argue that the pests were not chop
pers." but locust. Their numbers war;
ranted you on counting upon the entire
destruction of every available green
thing on the face Of the earth. but the
to pass. else there would not have
beer the writer hereof and some of mis-
neighbors.
The hopper made his appearance
here about midday and they continued
to drop all afternoon. Their numbers
that n mans curiosity led him to
count the choppers" clinging to one
strong blade of grass which contained
l7-another instance-Mr and Mrs. j.
w. Harrison, in the dusk of the ave-
ming. o out a bed sheet and spread
about or eight feet high. which
grew near their sod habitation. They
then shook the bush and dumped the
"hoppers' caught into a candy pail and
found they had t%wo-thirds full. They
were more numerous in some spots
going along the road would come to
a full stop because Of their annoy
ance. They left toward the latter part
of August, after depositing their eggs
and after the small grain had been
principally devoured. What a splendid
worst came to the worst" for adopt
ing the diet of that ancient man. called
John. saw hat honey was wanting.
Cup to that time l had not heard of a
bee tree being found in this part of the
%country.) Some of the settlers main
tanned that the .hoppers" were sent
as a scourge on account of our iniqui-
ties. but showed their inconsistency and
their unwilltngness to take their share
OF the castigation, by procuring tar.
which they spread on a broad sheet
OF iron scoop. with a low wheel at each
side. and hauled over the fields. drawn
by a single horse rode by a smal boy
or girl. This was not done to catch
The old choppers but to catch the
young brood that Matched out the fol-
lowing spring. When the young drive
thought he had q good Catch" the
scoop was hauled to one side Of the
grain and the tar set on fire. This done.
more tar was spread on and the horse
again started, to the end tina the full
price of iniQuity might not have to be
paid. 1t will be remembered that it was
just before and after the second in
auguration Of Grant. that Uncle Sam
had SO much trouble with the Modoc
Indians. This Indian trouble being
fresh in the minds of the people here,
when the ''hoppers'' came, they were
named "Modocs." We nave had a few
small grasshoppers with us ever since
the "Modocs" came, which look like
them in all respects. but size and
which are believed to be their acclimat-
ed and degenerate progeny.
The eggs of this great army of veg
etarians Matched out in May. IA. and
utter they were but a few days old they
We're noticed making directly for the
fields of small grain, wheat being their
favorite repast. BY the first of June
they had reached maturity and took
their flight, having destroyed much OF
the small grain and also some of the
cOrn. They left behind them MANY
thankful. though half starved people. It
was with respect to the destitute condi-
ton of h inhabitants of the township,
caused by h "Modocs." that the board
OF trustees met on the 6th day of April.
1874, with a view to securing part of
the donations that were coming into
other parts Of the country for the grass.
hopper sufferers"
My Bride That 10 TO Be-.
enc not If her eyes are light
AS summer skies or dark as night
I mil. Inouy that t1,a1, nra It,