The Lincoln County herald., 1868-06-25
History OF the Lscust-lis Destructive.
ness ret Very Dangerous. The Pres
cnt Visitation,

/
Many have supposed that the insects
with which the woods and fields Of the
country, the trees and gardens Of the city
are so rapidly filling, were the cicoda or
harvest.Hy. This however, is a misap-
prehcnsion. 1t is the real locust that is
now uron US. Tho cicad0 subssts on the
leaves Of trees and other vegetable sub
stances. They are furnished with hard
proboscis capable Of boring wood. This
insect is common in some sections of the
country, appearing annually.
Our present visitors are what are known
as the seventeen years locusts, from the
fact that they make their appearance 10
certain sections of the United States, and
probably elsewhere, evcry.scvcnteen ysar.
The seventeen. year locusts begin to
emerge from the ground about the latter
end Of April but if the season be cold
and backward, they sometimes do not
begin to appear until about the middle of
May, as was the case this year.
On their first coming out Of the ground
they are in the pupa state; but the back
soon bursts and the perfect locust soon
appears. They begin to lay their eggs
about tho end of May or in the second
week Of June, according to the heat of
the season. These eggs are deposited in
close lines Of two inches long, in the ten.
der tvigs of trees.
AS soon os the young attain their growth
in the grub state, they fall to the ground,
and make their way two or three feet
underneath the surface, in order to under.
go tho change into the pupa form. Soon
after attaining their last transformation
they are found in great numbers over
large districts Of country. They appear
every seventeen years, though it Is prob
able, according to some writers, that the
periods Of their return vary according to
the heat Of the climate and othor circum.
stances.
1t is stated by writer that these in
sec,s have been known to make their ap
pearnce in Philadelphia, Boston and other
cities in great numbers, penetrating from
their subtorancan residence between the
bricks Of pavement.
Notwithstanding the unusual idea these
seventeen years locust are in any way
injurious to vegetation, except in the dam.
age done by the female In depositing her
eggs. In 1851 fields Of young corn. oats
and wheat. were literally alive with them,
the ground being completely covered by
them and yet not corn blade or spear
Of wheat or oats was injured. In the
woods, however, it was different. The
tenderest leaves were nearly oil eaten
from the trees upon which the leaves were
slightly acidualat
The seventeen year locusts nre the favor.
ite food of various species Of animals.
Immense numbers are destroyed by
hogs before they emerge from the ground,
and they are also, in their perfect state ca.
gerly devoured by squirrels. All our
Did hunters will call to mind how abun-
iant and fat the squirrels were in 1851.
Most Of the larger birds feed upon these
locusts and the Northwestern tribes of
Indians consider them q rare dclcacy
when fried. The locust is never found
in the pine woods. They will neither
light upon or deposit their eggs in tue
limbs Of the pino tree.
The locusts commenced making their
appearance in this section about the 25th
,f May. Their numbers have been stead.
ly increasing every day since, and they {
will probably remain with US until the
middle Of July or FIRST of August, when
hey will disappear as suddenly as they
made their advent. |,