The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-09-08
GRASSHOPPERS.

Our country, says the Ohio Farmer, has
great number of native species, farnliarly
known as grasshopper, and the damage
which they commit yearly is considerable.
Last Spring, the inhabitants of Minnesota
Territory suffered greatly by the ravaSes of
immense numbers of these insects. They
destroyed, in many places, all hope
of a crop of any kind; for unfortunately.
all the members of this family of dcStroyers
appear to be Indifferent as to the kind of
food which they devour. We have known
them to eat up a mans shirt in a short time,
in this Western Reserve; and providing it
is living, green, vegetable matter, wheat,
oats, or the produce of the garden or orchard
all share alike.
In the other hemisphere, laws have been
passed and enforced compelling the people
to destroy locusts in the egg, Larvae and per
feet winged states. Such law is in force
in China, similar ones in portions of India and
Africa, and at one time the Bashaw of Tri-
poll raised an army of 1000 men to fight
the locusts, and ordered all to be hanged
enemies.
The Territory of Utah has suffered al
most every season from the locusts, one of
the species of which, according to Halde-
man, in "Stanbury's Expeditions to the
Great Salt Lake." is very nearly related to
L. Migrdtorid. Whether it is this or an
other species that has proved so injurious to
the corps of Minnesota, we are not aware.
All the Locusiide deposit their eggs in
masses, in a small cavity near the surface of
the ground, so that those acquainted with
the localities where such eggs are deposited
can easily collect large number. This is
done in France, where the government
gives a considerable reward for the eggs,
by weight, and also for the grown insects.
The latter are caught generally with long
drag nets, formed of piece of common
cotton cloth, ten or twelve feet long, with
the lower edge held close to the ground,
the upper held back slan!ing, forming a
bag. When the insect jumps, it falls into
the bag, and its efforts to escape, either by
Jumping forward or upward, are rendered
abortive. Two men are required to handle
this net, one at each end and it has to be
passed over the ground rapidly. When a
sufficient number of the insects are caught.
they are put in canvass bag, and the pro-
cess repeated until the field is cleared
The bags containing the locusts are then
plunged for minute or two in boiling water
which Immediately kills, and partially cooks
the insects. They may then be fed to hogs
or chickens, as they are very nutritious;
in many countries men eat them. They
were accounted by the Lcvitical law as
clean, the Jews and other nations in the
vicinity ofJu considering them delicious.
In Africa dogs eat them, and so do many of
the inhabitants. Their taste is said to re-
semble that of prawns. We believe, if
these insects should increase to any great
extent, that our State governments should
take action on the subject, either by offer
ing rewards, as in France, for the eggs and
insects or by some other available means
to reduce the numbers of these pests. At
the present time it would be difficult to
say what amount of damage is done YEARLY
in Ohio alone by these insects, but amounts
I" a very large sum This every farm knows
by his own bitter experience.