﻿PACKARD.] 
  THE 
  LOCUST 
  IN 
  NEBRASKA 
  IN 
  1876. 
  611 
  

  

  seems 
  to 
  me 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  national 
  importance, 
  as 
  settlements 
  must 
  retrograde 
  unless 
  

   the 
  locusts 
  are 
  checked. 
  They 
  came 
  down 
  upon 
  us 
  July 
  26-27, 
  doing 
  much 
  damage, 
  

   but 
  left 
  without 
  consuming 
  everything. 
  August 
  5 
  they 
  re-appeared 
  in 
  great 
  numbers, 
  

   looking 
  in 
  the 
  distance 
  like 
  great 
  clouds 
  of 
  smoke. 
  Nearer 
  and 
  over 
  our 
  heads 
  the 
  

   air 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  filled 
  with 
  snow-flakes. 
  Locusts 
  were 
  around, 
  on 
  us, 
  and 
  on 
  every- 
  

   thing, 
  literally 
  " 
  covered 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  earth." 
  They 
  began 
  to 
  come 
  about 
  4 
  p. 
  m., 
  

   and 
  the 
  next 
  day 
  they 
  had 
  our 
  fine 
  field 
  of 
  corn 
  stripped. 
  It 
  was 
  like 
  resisting 
  fate 
  

   to 
  fight 
  them. 
  We 
  tried 
  smoking 
  them, 
  covered 
  vines 
  and 
  portions 
  of 
  our 
  garden 
  

   with 
  hay 
  and 
  blankets, 
  giving 
  the 
  insignificant 
  creatures 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  hand-to-hand 
  fight, 
  

   in 
  which 
  they 
  won 
  by 
  sheer 
  force 
  of 
  numbers, 
  and 
  made 
  us 
  glad 
  to 
  retreat 
  into 
  the 
  

   house. 
  They 
  brought 
  with 
  them 
  an 
  omnivorous 
  appetite, 
  eating 
  things 
  which 
  they 
  

   passed 
  by 
  in 
  1874 
  — 
  vines 
  of 
  melon, 
  cucumber, 
  squash, 
  pumpkin, 
  &c. 
  

  

  They 
  took 
  our 
  tomatoes, 
  potato-tops, 
  indeed 
  all 
  our 
  garden. 
  They 
  ate 
  our 
  straw- 
  

   berry-plants 
  and 
  young 
  fruit-trees 
  ; 
  also, 
  our 
  few 
  flowers. 
  Not 
  content 
  with 
  such 
  a 
  

   varied 
  bill 
  of 
  fare, 
  they 
  forced 
  their 
  way 
  into 
  the 
  house 
  and 
  ate 
  the 
  house-plan 
  ts- 
  

   They 
  staid 
  with 
  us 
  five 
  days, 
  until 
  they 
  had 
  ended 
  their 
  large 
  meal 
  by 
  finishing 
  up 
  

   everything. 
  Then 
  while 
  we 
  were 
  planning 
  to 
  catch 
  them 
  and 
  barrel 
  them 
  up 
  to 
  fat- 
  

   ten 
  our 
  poultry 
  and 
  swine, 
  a 
  friendly 
  (?) 
  northwest 
  wind 
  carried 
  them 
  off. 
  Owing 
  to 
  

   the 
  drought 
  the 
  small 
  grain 
  was 
  a 
  failure; 
  the 
  locust 
  harvested 
  the 
  remaining 
  crops, 
  

   leaving 
  the 
  farmer 
  no 
  reward 
  for 
  his 
  toil. 
  They 
  have 
  visited 
  the 
  country 
  every 
  year 
  

   since 
  the 
  settlers 
  have 
  come 
  in, 
  but 
  only 
  in 
  1874 
  and 
  1876 
  doing 
  serious 
  injury. 
  They 
  

   have 
  been 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  most 
  numerous 
  this 
  year. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  an 
  extremely 
  hot, 
  dry 
  

   season, 
  the 
  prevailing 
  wind 
  south, 
  often 
  hot 
  as 
  from 
  a 
  furnace, 
  and 
  undoubtedly 
  the 
  

   unusual 
  season 
  has 
  had 
  much 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  unusual 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  locust. 
  Farmers 
  

   with 
  their 
  crops 
  harvested 
  are 
  like 
  Othello 
  with 
  his 
  occupation 
  gone. 
  Many 
  have 
  lost 
  

   faith 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  and 
  are 
  leaving 
  in 
  "prairie 
  schooners." 
  We 
  are 
  about 
  70 
  miles 
  

   from 
  the 
  Union 
  Pacific 
  Railroad. 
  Some 
  turn 
  toward 
  the 
  setting 
  sun, 
  others 
  south- 
  

   ward, 
  and 
  others 
  still 
  go, 
  they 
  scarcely 
  know 
  where, 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  employment. 
  It 
  

   seems 
  like 
  a 
  "sorry" 
  going 
  off 
  to 
  seek 
  one's 
  fortune 
  — 
  a 
  journey 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  supply 
  of 
  

   hope 
  and 
  enthusiasm 
  is 
  needed. 
  

  

  A-ccording 
  to 
  the 
  Monthly 
  Weather 
  Eeview, 
  grasshoppers 
  were 
  seen 
  

   at 
  Eichmond, 
  Nebr., 
  flying 
  north 
  on 
  July 
  2 
  and 
  3, 
  and 
  flying 
  with 
  the 
  

   wind 
  26th, 
  27th, 
  29th, 
  30th 
  and 
  31st. 
  August 
  5, 
  at 
  North 
  Platte, 
  Lincoln 
  

   County, 
  entire 
  corn-crop 
  destroyed, 
  and 
  in 
  Dawson 
  County 
  one-fourth 
  

   of 
  crop 
  destroyed 
  ; 
  came 
  from 
  Dawson 
  County 
  to 
  Bufiialo 
  County. 
  10th, 
  

   Clear 
  Creek, 
  flying 
  southwest 
  ; 
  11th, 
  northwest 
  ; 
  arrived 
  in 
  immense 
  

   numbers 
  18th, 
  and 
  remained 
  rest 
  of 
  month. 
  11th, 
  alighted 
  in 
  immense 
  

   num 
  bers 
  at 
  Fremont, 
  Dodge 
  County, 
  and 
  commenced 
  in 
  the 
  corn 
  ; 
  country 
  

   near 
  Elm 
  Creek, 
  Buffalo 
  County, 
  cleaned 
  out; 
  column 
  moving 
  in 
  a 
  north- 
  

   west 
  direction, 
  not 
  many 
  miles 
  wide. 
  12th, 
  very 
  thick 
  at 
  Columbus, 
  

   Platte 
  County; 
  came 
  down 
  the 
  valley 
  from 
  North 
  Platte, 
  doing 
  but 
  

   little 
  damage. 
  At 
  Grand 
  Island, 
  Hall 
  County, 
  loss 
  small. 
  13th 
  to 
  26th 
  , 
  

   at 
  Omaha, 
  numerous 
  at 
  times, 
  flying 
  in 
  all 
  directions. 
  18th 
  to 
  31st, 
  at 
  

   De 
  Soto. 
  23d, 
  at 
  Lincoln, 
  Lancaster 
  County, 
  in 
  vast 
  numbers, 
  but 
  not 
  

   so 
  numerous 
  as 
  in 
  1874; 
  passing 
  south 
  and 
  southeast 
  in 
  clouds; 
  corn 
  

   considerably 
  damaged. 
  24th 
  to 
  31st, 
  at 
  Plattsmouth. 
  25th, 
  in 
  York 
  

   County; 
  have 
  left 
  nothing 
  but 
  harvested 
  grain. 
  Plattsmouth, 
  flying 
  

   about, 
  September 
  1 
  to 
  15. 
  Eichmond, 
  flying 
  north 
  4th 
  and 
  6th, 
  north- 
  

   east 
  20th, 
  northwest 
  21st. 
  York: 
  The 
  grasshoppers 
  have 
  called 
  on 
  us 
  

   again. 
  They 
  came 
  down 
  August 
  10, 
  from 
  the 
  northeast, 
  and 
  staid 
  two 
  

   weeks 
  to 
  a 
  day. 
  August 
  24 
  they 
  left, 
  going 
  southeast. 
  They 
  have 
  eaten 
  

   almost 
  everything 
  green, 
  destroying 
  all 
  garden-vegetables 
  and 
  taking 
  

   the 
  leaves 
  oft" 
  the 
  trees. 
  The 
  fruit-trees, 
  such 
  as 
  apple, 
  cherry, 
  and 
  

   plum, 
  are 
  leafing 
  and 
  blossoming 
  again. 
  The 
  plum-trees 
  have 
  ripe 
  

   fruit 
  and 
  blossoms, 
  which 
  is 
  something 
  I 
  never 
  heard 
  of 
  before. 
  Furnas 
  : 
  

   Came 
  down 
  in 
  dense 
  clouds 
  from 
  the 
  northeast, 
  so 
  thick 
  as 
  to 
  darken 
  

   the 
  sun, 
  having 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  vast 
  clouds 
  of 
  smoke. 
  Nothing 
  of 
  

   the 
  kind 
  has 
  equaled 
  this 
  raid 
  since 
  the 
  earliest 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  

   Some 
  have 
  laid 
  eggs. 
  We 
  are 
  compelled, 
  as 
  in 
  1874, 
  to 
  note 
  an 
  almost 
  

   total 
  destruction 
  of 
  corn 
  and 
  all 
  late 
  vegetables. 
  Knox 
  : 
  Entirely 
  de- 
  

   stroyed 
  the 
  corn 
  and 
  garden 
  products 
  and 
  the 
  oats 
  so 
  badly 
  that 
  many 
  

   fields 
  were 
  not 
  reaped. 
  Osage: 
  Came 
  August 
  24, 
  and 
  are 
  still 
  here. 
  

  

  