Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-06-13
COLUMBUS, OHIO, SATURDAY MORNING, JUNE 49, 1863

wind upon the land all that day and all tha
night; and when 1t was morning, the east WinC
brought the locusts" And Joel says: "Wha
the palmer worm hath left hath the locus
eaten"
This locust was q grasshopper, TO which ouI
most common kind bears an exact resemblance
differing only In size, and is found In nearly all
countries, but especially troublesome In hot, dry
climates, and being larger as you approach the
equator. Specimens from Central Americs
measure five and half inches n length, sni
eight inches when the wings are expanded
The common grasshopper of our fields In The
fall ia about one and half inches long; that o
Egypt and Syria is medium size between thes'
extremes.
TIE number Of these locusts or grasshopperl
In some countries is incredible to us. We haV,
no insect plague at all to compare with them
Thompson, the missionary, gives most vivit
descriptions Of the destruction caused by them
realizing in one day the Language Of joel
where he says:
"The land is ss the garden of Eden before
them, and behind them desoiate Wilderness
yea, and nothing shall escape them"
He says that on one occAs on he saw the Young
locuste 30 thick on the side of mountan, thai
10 their attempts to get out Of the way OF ais
horse thev rolled down the decliVity 30 as to re-
semble the ovelfowing OF bed Of soft mortar
These are the migratory lOGusts Of the Eapt
and are the terror OF the ATabisns. If they
are 90 numerous az to cor,ume al their feed
before tIeir winge bave grown, they march as
an army in pursuit of more. The people some.
times dig Trenches to stop their progress. The
Emperor Of Russia once sent an army of thirty
thousand men TO fight thom. After their wings
have grown, If food fails them they take flight
simultaneously, and such are their numbers that
the sunlight is obscured.
They have been known to fall into the sea in
such numbers that when washed ashore the
stencil from their decaying bodies has caused
pestience.
We have nothing of this kind to fear from
our locust. The female, In making provision
for the future of her race, has an instnc! that
teaches her to depoeit her eggs in the twigs Of
trees. The punctures she makes for this pur-
pose sometimes kill these branches, aud are al
ways detormities, but are soon 0utgr0wn.
Farmers who have young fruit orchards are
often greatly alarmed at the advent OF the
Iocusts, and we gee in some of the papers
elaborate instructions given how to manage the
trees. Theae editors and farmers are more
frightened than they will be hurt. Cultivate
and manure your young orchards as they should
be, and your trees will soon outgrow these
wounds; but If badly punc!ured, treat them aH
you would your grape vines-prune severely
cut off the injured branches, and your trees will
be the better for it.
The writer Of this watched the locusts 10
1851, with surpassing interest, and only regrets
that 1t will be go long before another visit.
INSTINCT OF THE LOCUST.
Ia this world OF wonders in which we live
nothing is more wonderful than the instincts o.
insects, and the locust oan teach us many les
SONS. How can they know, after cropping abou
in the dark, far under ground, for nearly sew
ehtetn years, the exact day when all are Il
come up2 How should they know that it i
best to CINE in the dusk Of the EVENING" Wit
tells them that in the critical time of thei
transformation-Nhile casting off their subter.
ranean coat-they will be helpless; that for I
| time they will be white, aud thus be peculiarl.
exposed to their enemies, the birds, but that II
the night the birds will be asleep7 Who tell
them that as coon as they emerge from th
ground they must dlre,t their course towar
the neareBI tree2 And who teaches them hoV
to know tree7 Eyes 10 them, for the seven
teen years of their lives, had been as useless
to the fishes in the Mammoth Cave, but stil
they know that when that old coat is cast oi
their wings will be liberated land to give them
better chance to expand, they must be in sue
position that gravity may help to unfold them
During this process, lasting about half On hour
the locust always stands erect, the fluids of tn
body seem to rush into the cells of the wings
and the weight unfolds them. Place them in
| different position ard this delicate process
often spoiled.