Date: 1857

"Spring came late, but the surge of life could be felt in everything. Trees put on new leaves, there were wild flowers. Minnie (the Daughter) became enchanted with pussy-willows, and Katharina Danzel (a neighbor) brought them to life by giving her a small kitten which she named "Schneeschuh".

The news of the grasshopper plague, and the extreme poverty of the emigrants had reached the east, where charitable groups arranged to send seed wheat for spring planting. Some reached St. Joseph, where it was rationed, the poorest of us received two bushels each, the others more. But I was grateful, and taking my two bushels, I carried it on my back the three miles to our farm. (about 12 lbs.) We planted it in the ground we had cultivated with a grub hoe, and grubbed more land for corn, potatoes, and cabbage. Everything grew. It was a pleasure to see, but as always - our pleasure was brief. With warm weather the grasshopper eggs hatched and hordes of insects again ate every living thing.

One crop the grasshoppers could not destroy. God's blessing came on the 14th of June with another daughter who was christened "Barbara" by our fellow traveler, Father Brunno Riess (who traveled to Minnesota with the Kulzers as an immigrant). Metch and Maria Fruth stood for her. Barbara seemed to bring good fortune. Though our crop was destroyed, our luck increased. Work was more plentiful, and I earned enough to buy the most necessary things - food and some cloth for new clothing. The danger of starving during the winter was gone.

The grasshoppers were also gone! They left on the first of July, as they had come, rising in a great black cloud, darkening the sky, flying off, clattering."

	1. If you had been living on a farm during the grasshopper plague, what steps would you have taken to protect your crops and food supply?
	2. Farmers tried making nets, building fires, and using tar to capture the grasshoppers in the 1850's and 1870's. What environmentally safe methods would you try today?