The Hickman courier., 1868-07-11

The seventeen year locusts, which are
common ia pArticular seasons. in some
parts of this country, and which made
their last appearance in this region in the
spring of 1851, are again showing them
selves. Although they appear about
every seventeen years, it is thought pro-
bable that the periods Of their return
vary according 10 the heat Of the climate
and other circumstances. However the
dates of their two last appearance cor
respond very nearly, according to state
ment which appears in the York (Pa)
Democrat, upon the authority of Mr.
Daniel Lehman, an old resident of FORK,
who seems to have made the habits Of
this species of locusts a special study,
Gas did formerly the late Gideon B.
Smith, of Baltimore0 aud has kept
record Of the last three periods of their
appearance. He says that they appeared
in 1917, on the 23d day of May; in 1884
abont the same time, and in 1851, on the
Goth of May. He had also ascertained
that many of them have died in the
ground this spring on account of the fire.
quent rains, and that most of them are
now about FIVE inches below tie surface
Vi tAS N1tbl1f Nh~AA pAShiaStSo
attributed to the continued wet weather.
These insects emerge from the greNd
toward the end of April, and on II ,ir
first coming out are in the pupa state but
the perfect fly soon after makes Its ap-
pearance. They begin to lay eggs about
the end Of May, which are deposited in
the tender twigs OF trees, and soon as the
Young attain their growth, in rhe grub
state, they fall to the ground, and make
their way two or three feet underneath
E9e surface, in order to undergo their
change into the pupa form, after which
last transformatien they are found in
great numbers over large districts of
country Mr.. Lehman claims to have
ascertained by experiments that they
never descend further than six feet into
the earth, and that the eggs must come
in e@ntact with the earth before they
will advance toward life. In some places
they have been known to penetrate from
thei. underground dwelling between the
bricks OF pavement They are gener-
ally found ia the woods and shaded pla-
ces, net in the open fields, aud uotwith-
standing the common idea that they are
Injurious to vegetation, it appears from
high authority that they are not so, ex
cept from the damage done by the female
in depositing her eggs. The female To-
Gusts have stiugs, which when bruised or
irritated, they use with fatal effect. Sew
eral persons we're killed in Bucks eoun-
ty, Pennsylvania, by locust stings in
1851, and one or .wo children stung,
who were cured in cutting live chickens
90 half and applying their warm flesh to
me place punctured. Locusts are favor
lie food Tor hogs, squirrels, and some OF
the larger birds, aud are tavorlte dish
with the Indians when fried. These re-
marks apply particularly to the seven
| teen year locusts, there being many 9TH
er species in the United States, though
this is the most remarkable. Several
entomologists have included locusts sfd
American grasshoppers under the genG
ic name "locusts."
The grasshoppers have sometimes
proved very destructive in their vista
tions to some parts of the country, both
east and west, and III New Epgland, at
one time, they not only ate up all the
grass in fields, but actually attacked fen
ces and clothing. 1t is believed by some
however that most of the devastation at
tributed to grasshoppers really belongs
to locusts. and most often to the red leg
ged species which have proved specially
destructive TO the grass Of sslt meadous
clover, corn and vegetables. They were
SO abundant in northern New Englsns
toward tlae middle of the eighteenth ce,