The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1924-12-09
INSECT PEST SWEEPS
OVER SOUTHWEST
GRASSHOPPERS EAT UP CROPS
IN OKLAHOMA AS THEY
DID BACK IN 1874.


sion of grasshoppers this season
throughout the southwest and Okla
homa and Kansas in particular is the
greatest since the memorable grass
hopper wear in Kansas, so years ago,
MANY wears ahead of the opening OF
old Oklahoma to settlement in 1891
Old timers remember the grasshop-
per pest that swept over northern
Oklahoma at that time, but there were
then no crops, this being cattle graz
ing domain exclusively
The grasshoppers are disastrous this
wear to a certain extent, but nothing
TO be compared with 1874, which,
coup1ed with the drought of that
spring, almost spelled starvation tor
the early families OF the state.
The enemy arrived in the Wichita
locality August g. 1874 On Thursday,
Iulv so. a Wichita paper printed this
dismal warning OF impending disaster:
"A report reaches us that stream
OF Minnesota grasshoppers about ~
miles wide and millions deep passed
about 80 miles west OF us III the d1-
rection of the Gulf last Monday. They
DESTROYED our informant says, every
thing green for a distance OF ~ miles
wide. We hope there is some mistake,
Greenish Light.
But the anxious settlers discovered
there was no mistake. Winds from
the north had been blowing Tor sew
eral DAYS preceding the onslaught. On
Monday morning, August s, peculiar
preenish light seemed to be spread
over the country, a light which was
almost irridescent and cleaning like
light seen through the thin veins OF
an insects wings By 10 o'clock in
the morning the sky was black as
with an approaching storm and the
sun was obscured from sight by the
countless thousands of locusts.
They dopped staggeringly to the
ground in the beginning, like the first
large snowhakes OF violent snowstorm
and then with such increasing VIC
lence that by noon the ground was
covered for miles with layer OF
writhing 1ocusts two or three inches
deep
Stretched for Miles.
They came in a gittering, futter-
ing mass. which stretched for miles
across. settling and moving on across
the entire state, and leaving behind
them stripped trees, corn which lack
ed leaves, devastated gardens and
rank destruction. They are even said
to have eaten the peaches from the
trees, leaving only the bare pits at
tached to the tree limb An apron left
hanging upon "a clothes line was rid
died with holes by the insects in an
attempt to get a taste OF the cherry
Juice which stained the front Of the
garment.
A newspaper OF that day said:
I'VE have met the enemy and-We
are theirs. They came in countless
numbers and began their work OF de
vastation A person who has never
seen them, as they came Upon this
county. can have no Just conception
OF their number, nor OF the incredible
short time it takes for them to clean
out field of corn They came about
10 o'clock AT noon the work OF de-
struction was on. At night the coun-
try looked like seething fire had
passed over it. 1t looked like the lar
end OF hard times"
Ate All, Then Left.
The grasshopper after they had
eaten every living green bit OF food
in sight, took flight again and, NOV
ing southwark, were probably all
drowned in the Gulf OF Mexico at
later date having left their trail OF
havoc behind them The whole period
OF devastation coxered less than a
week, although many of the insects
remained in the country until they
were killed by the frost
SO serious were the effects of the
invasion that Governor Osborne called
a special session Of the state legisla
ture TO afford relief Through the
Kansas Central Relief committee, f.
nanced by a special state bond issue,
S73,863.47 in cash was disbursed. In
addition the committee handled 265
carloads OF provisions OF all kinds, the
total value of the assistance rendered
being $235, 108.47. This included SODA
rations and clothing for S,077 men,
9758 women and 16,452 children.