﻿PACKARD.] 
  THE 
  LOCUST 
  IN 
  COLORADO. 
  599 
  

  

  from 
  the 
  north, 
  i. 
  e., 
  Wyoming 
  ; 
  while 
  those 
  hatched 
  earlier 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  

   on 
  the 
  plains, 
  went 
  southward. 
  "Signal-service 
  observations 
  made 
  at 
  

   Denver 
  show 
  that 
  from 
  tl)e 
  20th 
  of 
  July 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  August 
  swarms 
  

   repeatedly 
  passed, 
  and 
  invariably 
  Irom 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  northwest, 
  not- 
  

   withstanding 
  that 
  the 
  prevailing 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  wind 
  was 
  from 
  the 
  

   south." 
  (Riley's 
  report.) 
  

  

  1 
  also 
  add 
  a. 
  letter 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Meeker, 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  

   Tribune 
  : 
  

  

  Greeley, 
  Colo., 
  May 
  S.'). 
  

  

  We 
  are. 
  trying 
  every 
  way 
  Tve 
  can 
  think 
  of 
  to 
  drive 
  away 
  the 
  grasshoppers, 
  ami 
  we 
  

   are 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  the 
  battle, 
  but 
  the 
  wounds 
  of 
  the 
  conflict 
  are 
  mainly 
  inflicted 
  

   by 
  the 
  insects. 
  Oidiuarily, 
  the 
  grasshoppers 
  are 
  not 
  hatched 
  out 
  of 
  their 
  eggs 
  until 
  

   the 
  1st 
  of 
  June. 
  Before 
  this 
  period 
  the 
  ground 
  is 
  so 
  wet 
  and 
  cold 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  

   the 
  spring 
  rains 
  that 
  the 
  insects 
  are 
  not 
  hatched 
  out. 
  This 
  year 
  we 
  had 
  no 
  spring 
  

   rains 
  to 
  speak 
  of, 
  hence 
  the 
  ground 
  was 
  warm 
  and 
  dry, 
  and 
  the 
  insects 
  appeared 
  about 
  

   the 
  '2K)ih 
  of 
  April. 
  At 
  this 
  time 
  the 
  wheat 
  was 
  just 
  starting, 
  and 
  the 
  insects 
  ate 
  it 
  as 
  

   fast 
  as 
  it 
  grew. 
  Oar 
  wheat 
  is 
  sown 
  in 
  February 
  and 
  March, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  superior 
  

   quality, 
  better 
  than 
  the 
  winter-wheat 
  of 
  tlie 
  Eastern 
  States. 
  If 
  there 
  had 
  been 
  the 
  

   usual 
  spring 
  rains 
  it 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  foot 
  high 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  grasshop- 
  

   pers 
  appeared. 
  

  

  Wheat 
  that 
  is 
  starting 
  is 
  greatly 
  injured 
  by 
  being 
  irrigated, 
  and 
  usually 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  

   need 
  irrigation. 
  If 
  the 
  soil 
  is 
  light 
  the 
  water 
  quickly 
  cuts 
  gulches 
  which 
  constantly 
  

   deepen, 
  and 
  flooding 
  the 
  ground 
  all 
  over 
  is 
  impossible, 
  especially 
  if 
  the 
  land 
  iuclinea 
  

   any 
  way. 
  Bat 
  after 
  the 
  grain 
  has 
  grown 
  to 
  some 
  height 
  its 
  roots 
  fill 
  the 
  surface-earth 
  

   and 
  the 
  water 
  cannot 
  cut 
  through 
  them, 
  and 
  it 
  forces 
  its 
  way 
  hither 
  and 
  thither 
  among 
  

   the 
  blades 
  of 
  grain, 
  much 
  as 
  one 
  is 
  obliged 
  to 
  do 
  in 
  a 
  crowd 
  of 
  men. 
  So 
  it 
  spreads 
  

   over 
  the 
  field 
  and 
  evenly 
  with 
  a 
  little 
  aid. 
  When 
  wheat 
  is 
  in 
  this 
  condition, 
  and 
  the 
  

   young 
  gr'isshoppers 
  are 
  hatched 
  in 
  sandy 
  places 
  open 
  to 
  the 
  sun, 
  they 
  cannot 
  eat 
  the 
  

   wheat 
  as 
  fast 
  as 
  it 
  grows, 
  and 
  besides 
  it 
  is 
  an 
  easy 
  matter, 
  by 
  irrigating 
  the 
  fields, 
  to 
  

   drown 
  them, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  to 
  keep 
  their 
  numbers 
  small. 
  But 
  even 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  eating 
  

   the 
  wheat 
  in 
  a 
  half 
  a 
  dozen 
  fields, 
  or 
  in 
  a 
  dozen 
  fields 
  in 
  one 
  neighborhood, 
  as 
  fast 
  as 
  

   it 
  grows, 
  there 
  will 
  be 
  many 
  other 
  fields 
  where 
  the 
  wheat 
  is 
  not 
  molested, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  

   time 
  the 
  jtests 
  are 
  grown 
  and 
  have 
  wings 
  to 
  fly 
  a 
  large 
  breadth 
  of 
  wheat 
  will 
  be 
  strong 
  

   and 
  vigorous, 
  and 
  conseqiiently 
  will 
  maitnre. 
  Usually, 
  therefore, 
  the 
  young 
  grasshop- 
  

   pers 
  — 
  which 
  came 
  to 
  our 
  fields 
  only 
  once 
  before, 
  two 
  years 
  ago 
  — 
  do 
  but 
  little 
  damage, 
  

   and 
  the 
  average 
  yield 
  of 
  wheat 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  mentioned 
  was 
  as 
  great 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   Eastern 
  States; 
  while 
  in 
  ordinary 
  years 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  than 
  double. 
  In 
  this 
  place 
  and 
  all 
  

   through 
  Colorado 
  the 
  gardens 
  are 
  as 
  bare 
  as 
  in 
  Januarj^ 
  ibr 
  no 
  attempt 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  

   to 
  plant 
  vegetables. 
  The 
  grasshoppers 
  do 
  not 
  tonch 
  pease, 
  however, 
  and 
  these 
  aie 
  

   growiiig 
  fast. 
  

  

  But 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  mourning 
  is 
  about 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  wheat-fields. 
  AVe 
  have 
  on 
  

   the 
  northwest 
  about 
  4,000 
  acres 
  sowed 
  with 
  wheat, 
  and 
  owned 
  by 
  thirty 
  or 
  forty 
  farm- 
  

   ers. 
  The 
  wheat 
  is 
  all 
  gone, 
  and 
  that 
  region 
  looks 
  like 
  a 
  desert. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  there 
  

   are 
  a 
  few 
  fields 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  left, 
  but 
  we 
  espect 
  to 
  hear 
  every 
  day 
  of 
  their 
  destruction 
  

   northeast 
  and 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  railroad 
  and 
  along 
  what 
  is 
  called 
  Free 
  Church. 
  The 
  owneis 
  

   are 
  c(mstautly 
  on 
  guard. 
  When 
  an 
  advance 
  detachment 
  of 
  grasshoppers 
  appears 
  it 
  is 
  

   attacked 
  with 
  fire 
  and 
  water, 
  and 
  thus 
  for 
  the 
  present 
  the 
  enemy 
  is 
  kept 
  at 
  bay. 
  On 
  

   this 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  all 
  the 
  five-acre, 
  ten-acre, 
  and 
  twenty-acre 
  lots 
  are 
  without 
  vege- 
  

   tation. 
  To 
  the 
  south 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  hundred 
  acres 
  of 
  wheat 
  where 
  the 
  wheat 
  is 
  

   over 
  knee-high 
  and 
  growing 
  as 
  if 
  in 
  arace 
  for 
  its 
  life. 
  We 
  may 
  save 
  5.00 
  acres 
  of 
  wheat 
  

   out 
  of 
  5,000, 
  which 
  will 
  give 
  us 
  bread, 
  but 
  we 
  expected 
  to 
  have 
  obtained 
  $150,000 
  

   from 
  this 
  year's 
  crop. 
  Meanwhile 
  we 
  are 
  waiting. 
  Corn 
  will 
  be 
  planted 
  in 
  hundreds 
  

   of 
  fields 
  within 
  ten 
  days. 
  All 
  kinds 
  of 
  garden-vegetables 
  are 
  now 
  growing 
  in 
  boxes 
  in 
  

   the 
  houses, 
  waiting 
  their 
  chance 
  to 
  appear 
  with 
  safety 
  in 
  the 
  outer 
  air. 
  I 
  expect 
  to 
  sow 
  

   half 
  an 
  acre 
  of 
  beets 
  and 
  get 
  a 
  large 
  return. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  seed-wheat 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  ; 
  

   if 
  there 
  were 
  a 
  crop 
  could 
  be 
  grown; 
  and 
  there 
  is. 
  scarcely 
  corn 
  enough 
  for 
  seed. 
  

   There 
  is 
  no 
  barley, 
  nor 
  have 
  the 
  farmers 
  money 
  to 
  buy 
  any. 
  

  

  All 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  fair 
  description. 
  As 
  a 
  people 
  we 
  are 
  certainly 
  better 
  oflf 
  than 
  those 
  fur- 
  

   ther 
  east, 
  because 
  we 
  have 
  water 
  at 
  our 
  command, 
  because 
  our 
  stock-range 
  is 
  preserved, 
  

   giving 
  to 
  those 
  keeping 
  cattle 
  their 
  usual 
  returns, 
  while 
  our 
  mines 
  of 
  silver 
  and 
  gold 
  

   are 
  unfailing. 
  But 
  these 
  resources 
  do 
  not 
  help 
  our 
  farmers 
  at 
  all. 
  There 
  are 
  some 
  

   families 
  now 
  utterly 
  destitute. 
  Every 
  dollar 
  they 
  had 
  or 
  could 
  borrow 
  was 
  put 
  into 
  

   the 
  ground, 
  and 
  it 
  will 
  never 
  return. 
  Friends 
  of 
  such 
  in 
  the 
  East 
  should 
  help 
  them 
  if 
  

   possible. 
  Probably 
  county 
  commissioners 
  can 
  give 
  some 
  relief; 
  the 
  legislature 
  may; 
  

   Colorado 
  is 
  entirely 
  out 
  of 
  debt. 
  The 
  grangers 
  can 
  do 
  nothing 
  for 
  each 
  other, 
  for 
  all 
  

   are 
  involved. 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  destruction 
  of 
  crops 
  between 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  and 
  the 
  Eocky 
  Mountains 
  is 
  

   appalling, 
  and 
  I 
  estimate 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  people 
  afdicted 
  is 
  nearly 
  three 
  mil- 
  

  

  