The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-06-28
THE COTTON CATERPILLAR.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEWS.


have received volume of Commercial Re-
ports which were furnished by her Britannia
Maiesty's Consuls during the year 1863, and In
looking over them I perceive one which may
perhaps be of service to our sea island plant.
ers. 1 therefore hasten to lay before you the
following extract. It is taken from the CON-
mercial report of Edward Henry Walker, Esq,
her Britannia Majesty's Consul at Cagliari in
the Island of Sardinia, and has reference to
the year 1868, viz:
REPORT BIZ MR.. CONSUL EDWARD q. WALKER
on THE TRADE AND COMMERCE. OF THE IS
LAND OF SARDINIA, DURING THE YEAR 1868.
The commencement of last year opened very
gloomily over the Island of Sardinia. in res
pect to her agricultural prospects. The year
previous the whole of the crops, with few
exceptions, were completely devastated by the
immense inroad of locusts from the coast OF
Africa, which alighted on the wheat and bar
lev crops that promised to yield most abun-
dant harvest, and; with few exceptions, not
only eat the ears Of grain, but also the straw;
in fact. no green herbage was free from their
attacks, and even the houses were visited by
them in shoals, and every piece OF drapery
they alighted upon was Immediately riddled
through and through. The consequence OF
this ffightful visitation was, the poor classes
had nothing to subsist upon but herbs and
roots. which they gathered In the mountains
and forests, and being attacked with fever In
the unhealthy season of the year, their frames,
owing to privation, being too completely re-
duced, and consequently unable to resist or
throw off these attacks, they succumbed, and
hundreds died not only from disease, but also
from starvation.
Government remained inactive until 1t was
too late, no measures having been taken to
destroy the locusts; however, the lesson taught
was severe one, and last year the Imperial,
as well as the local authorities, at last reused
themsel,e es from their inactivity, and grant
was made from Florence for the destruction OF
the locust. The different municipal corpora
tions, also, subscribed various sums according
to their means, two francs the hectolitre was
generally given for the collection Of the locust,
and very often the whole Of village, men.
women and children, would be seen to turn
out for the purpose Of sweeping the locust
into large sheets, and then burning them ID
pits made for the purposes through these pre-
cautions the locusts were got under In an In.
this. have travelled through villages where
the roads and sides o. the houses were COM
pletely black with these insects. The only
plan to adopt is to try and collect them prevl-
Gus 10 their being able to fly, for once their
wings having grown, 1t ID then utterly lmpos'
siole to destroy them.
The following statement will give an idea Of
the sums of money expended, and the quantity
Of flocusts captured:
Quantity of locusts captured or destroyed,
10,950, ,l07.00 hectolitres, l35, ,494, 90 kilo-
grammes; approximate quantity OF locusts
burnt or destroyed without being weighed,
2O,9s2.l9 hectolllres, 3l9, 1851 kilogrammes;
subsidy granted by different municipal authori-
ties, 56, 7T9 francs IS centimes; sums expended
for capture and destruction of locusts, 352,7l4
francs l2 centlmes. Value of the damages
caused on products by inroad of locnsts-pas-
lures, 60,449 francs; grain, 538,s37 francs 70
centimes; barley, III, Az francs; beans, 43,23l
francs so centimes; linseed, pulse and heritage,
1854 francs so centlmes; different fruits,
29,660 francs.
Iremain, dear sir,
Your obedient servant,
Fl. P. WALKER,
II. NJ. Consul.