﻿PACKARD.] 
  THE 
  LOCUST 
  IN 
  KANSAS 
  IN 
  1876. 
  615 
  

  

  severe 
  and 
  continuous 
  since 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  March. 
  We 
  have 
  had 
  a 
  few 
  showers 
  ; 
  but, 
  

   except 
  immediately 
  along 
  Platte 
  River, 
  these 
  showers 
  have 
  rarely 
  been 
  of 
  length 
  

   enough 
  to 
  wet 
  the 
  ground 
  more 
  than 
  to 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  one 
  inch. 
  I 
  may 
  say, 
  I 
  think, 
  

   with 
  perfect 
  safety, 
  that 
  for 
  two 
  years 
  past 
  we 
  have 
  not 
  had 
  rain 
  enough 
  to 
  saturate 
  

   the 
  ground 
  to 
  thei 
  depth 
  of 
  3 
  feet, 
  while 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  snow 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  season 
  has 
  been 
  

   very 
  light. 
  In 
  this 
  connection 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  in 
  digging 
  wells 
  we 
  find 
  

   the 
  soil 
  drj' 
  as 
  an 
  ash-heap, 
  almost 
  from 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  to 
  the 
  water-line 
  on 
  a 
  

   level 
  with 
  low 
  water 
  in 
  our 
  rivers, 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  divides 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  sometimes 
  140 
  to 
  60 
  

   feet. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  easy 
  to 
  understand 
  the 
  eftect 
  of 
  continual 
  dry 
  weather 
  upon 
  our 
  crops 
  

   and 
  pockets. 
  

  

  I 
  do 
  not 
  think 
  that 
  any 
  of 
  my 
  near 
  neighbors 
  will 
  complain 
  or 
  take 
  me 
  to 
  task 
  if 
  I 
  

   again 
  say 
  that 
  a 
  poor 
  man 
  with 
  a 
  family, 
  and 
  but 
  little 
  means, 
  should 
  think 
  twice 
  be- 
  

   fore 
  attempting 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  home 
  especially 
  in 
  Western 
  Nebraska, 
  for 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  this 
  

   is 
  in 
  print 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  eight 
  out 
  of 
  twelve 
  families 
  living 
  near 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  west 
  

   of 
  me 
  will 
  be 
  on 
  the 
  way 
  to 
  Iowa 
  and 
  Missouri 
  — 
  some 
  having 
  already 
  departed 
  for 
  

   the 
  Pacific 
  slope. 
  Some 
  are 
  selling 
  their 
  claims 
  and 
  all 
  their 
  stock 
  for 
  less 
  than 
  half 
  

   their 
  value, 
  while 
  others 
  are 
  leaving 
  their 
  claims 
  to 
  hoppers, 
  and 
  to 
  settlers 
  desiring 
  

   to 
  try 
  their 
  luck. 
  Many 
  of 
  my 
  readers 
  may 
  think 
  over 
  in 
  their 
  minds 
  the 
  old 
  adage 
  

   that 
  a 
  " 
  rolling 
  stone 
  gathers 
  no 
  moss," 
  but 
  permit 
  me 
  to 
  ask 
  a 
  question 
  : 
  How 
  much 
  

   moss 
  can 
  a 
  stone 
  gather 
  when 
  visited 
  continuously 
  by 
  drought, 
  bugs, 
  and 
  hoppers 
  ? 
  

  

  Generally 
  speaking, 
  you 
  can 
  rarely 
  find 
  a 
  more 
  energetic 
  race 
  of 
  men, 
  both 
  English 
  

   and 
  German, 
  than 
  those 
  who 
  are 
  leaving 
  us 
  now. 
  Some 
  of 
  them 
  came 
  here 
  with 
  money. 
  

   They 
  have 
  sunk 
  it 
  all 
  in 
  their 
  farms, 
  in 
  efforts 
  to 
  live 
  and 
  make 
  a 
  living, 
  only 
  to 
  see 
  

   it 
  all 
  swept 
  away 
  in 
  a 
  day. 
  There 
  seems 
  at 
  present 
  to 
  be 
  no 
  remedy 
  except 
  stock- 
  

   raising, 
  and 
  this 
  cannot 
  be 
  done 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  without 
  capital. 
  To 
  commence 
  with 
  

   a 
  cow 
  or 
  two, 
  and 
  live, 
  clothe 
  a 
  family 
  and 
  school 
  them, 
  is 
  almost 
  an 
  impossibility. 
  

   One 
  of 
  my 
  neighbors 
  declares 
  that 
  he 
  " 
  will 
  not 
  live 
  in 
  a 
  country 
  where 
  he 
  has 
  got 
  to 
  

   die 
  in 
  debt 
  to 
  his 
  stomach." 
  

  

  F. 
  N. 
  C. 
  

  

  THE 
  LOCUST 
  IN 
  KANSAS 
  IN 
  1876. 
  

  

  In 
  Kansas 
  the 
  locust 
  visitation 
  was 
  less 
  formidable 
  and 
  did 
  not 
  ex- 
  

   tend 
  so 
  far 
  east 
  as 
  in 
  1875, 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  by 
  the 
  following 
  letter 
  of 
  

   Professor 
  Snow, 
  dated 
  University 
  of 
  Kansas, 
  Lawrence, 
  Kans., 
  October 
  

   4,1876: 
  

  

  Your 
  ijostal 
  card 
  reached 
  me 
  upon 
  my 
  return 
  from 
  Colorado, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  delayed 
  

   replying 
  to 
  your 
  inquiries 
  because 
  I 
  wanted 
  to 
  know 
  what 
  the 
  locust 
  was 
  going 
  to 
  

   do 
  for 
  us 
  before 
  writing 
  about 
  him. 
  I 
  came 
  through 
  Kansas 
  from 
  Colorado 
  (Denver) 
  

   on 
  the 
  5th 
  and 
  6th 
  September. 
  Caloptenus 
  spreius 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  extended 
  about 
  100 
  miles 
  

   east 
  of 
  the 
  mountains, 
  last 
  of 
  which 
  point 
  no 
  trace 
  of 
  it 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  during 
  daylight 
  

   on 
  the 
  5th. 
  Next 
  morning 
  we 
  struck 
  locusts 
  in 
  small 
  numbers 
  at 
  Brookville 
  (Saline 
  

   County), 
  180 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  Kansas 
  City 
  ; 
  in 
  full 
  force 
  at 
  Salina, 
  12 
  miles 
  farther 
  east; 
  

   and 
  found 
  the 
  east 
  front 
  of 
  this 
  line 
  4 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  Abilene, 
  in 
  Dickinson 
  County, 
  and 
  

   about 
  150 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  Kansas 
  City. 
  Observing 
  and 
  inquiring 
  at 
  the 
  stations 
  in 
  this 
  

   30-mile 
  belt, 
  I 
  invariably 
  learned 
  that 
  the 
  flight 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  was 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  

   not 
  from 
  the 
  west 
  as 
  two 
  years 
  ago 
  (in 
  1874). 
  

  

  Four 
  weeks 
  have 
  now 
  passed 
  and 
  the 
  locust 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  reached 
  Lawrence, 
  its 
  eastern 
  

   line 
  being 
  abovit 
  20 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  Lawrence, 
  only 
  about 
  100 
  miles 
  farther 
  east 
  than 
  it 
  

   was 
  four 
  weeks 
  ago. 
  This 
  eastern 
  line 
  extends 
  across 
  the 
  State 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south, 
  

   the 
  entire 
  State 
  west 
  of 
  this 
  line 
  having 
  been 
  visited. 
  In 
  many 
  places 
  the 
  pest 
  has 
  

   come 
  in 
  immense 
  numbers, 
  while 
  in 
  many 
  other 
  places 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  but 
  a 
  light 
  

   sprinkling. 
  Little 
  damage 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  thus 
  far, 
  almost 
  none 
  at 
  all 
  in 
  comparison 
  

   with 
  two 
  years 
  ago, 
  it 
  being 
  so 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  that 
  the 
  crops 
  of 
  this 
  year 
  were 
  

   secure. 
  The 
  fall-wheat, 
  however, 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  generally 
  eaten 
  down, 
  but 
  has 
  come 
  

   up 
  again 
  when 
  drilled 
  after 
  the 
  departure 
  of 
  the 
  hordes 
  which 
  remain 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  

   in 
  a 
  place. 
  Wheat 
  sown 
  broadcast 
  has 
  been 
  generally 
  killed, 
  having 
  been 
  eaten 
  down 
  

   to 
  the 
  kernel. 
  The 
  great 
  danger 
  to 
  be 
  feared 
  now 
  is 
  the 
  spring-hatching 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   which 
  have 
  been 
  deposited 
  in 
  varying 
  abundance 
  in 
  the 
  eastern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  

   visited. 
  It 
  is 
  agreed 
  on 
  all 
  hands 
  that 
  the 
  present 
  visitation 
  is 
  far 
  less 
  numerous 
  than 
  

   two 
  years 
  ago. 
  The 
  locusts 
  are 
  everywhere 
  reported 
  to 
  be 
  heavily 
  parasitized 
  by 
  the 
  

   red 
  mite 
  and 
  the 
  Tachina 
  fly. 
  Can 
  it 
  be 
  that 
  these 
  hordes 
  are 
  the 
  "spring-hatch" 
  

   from 
  Iowa, 
  Minnesota, 
  and 
  Wyoming? 
  While 
  in 
  the 
  South 
  Park 
  in 
  July, 
  I 
  found 
  great 
  

   numbers 
  of 
  young 
  spretus 
  along 
  the 
  streams 
  from 
  the 
  mountain-sides. 
  When 
  on 
  the 
  

   summit 
  of 
  Pike's 
  Peak 
  July 
  28 
  and 
  29, 
  the 
  winged 
  results 
  were 
  flying 
  due 
  east 
  as 
  high 
  

   up 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  as 
  the 
  eye 
  could 
  reach. 
  They 
  did 
  not 
  descend 
  upon 
  us 
  at 
  Manitou 
  until 
  

   the 
  12th 
  of 
  August. 
  

  

  