Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1872-04-18

Let me begin by repeating what has been
SAID to print thousand times before. but
what ii seems very difficult for people 10
rencmher-'hat our destructive gra>>hop-
pers are loeusts. true American repre>eu-
tatives OF the yoraciou> Insects that from
the earliest tines have rayaged Syria.
Esvpt aHd other countries Of the East
The so-called ''locust>" of the United
States are not loeusts, but harvest dies"
or tscs"adas," OF which We have Tn Maine
two species, both harmless insects.
According TO = convenient distinction in
common use a few wears since. hut not
much observed of late. The name OF grass
hspper was reserved for certain species
that q, Mt collect in swsrlns. for they are
not num-Tous,) aud are chiefly active ST
night. Such are the kaiydids of Massa-
chu>ett~. Connecticut and more southern
States, IS we'll rs our hong horned, green
gras>happers, aud curious. pale brow D.
spotted wingtess insect I! ut never llNe> 80
gfass, but i ionnd iu rotten J. - and under
stones in our woods. None OF these do
All, considerable harm.
BY the distinction above mentioned. the
name locu>ts Is Appropriated these ra>>-
happ.r- thai are best known 10 n from
II n greater numbers and because thry
Q active nv dav, and more vigorous
lraprr> and fvers than the for ner. The ~
are the devouTerS that during the lat wear
made such havoc with the crops and profits
OF Malne farluers- And whether the 9th
ers are riIhtly called -rasShoppers or mo-,
t#e~e deserve the name OF ipcu>t~. Tor ttcN
q q 2 bot Incl more from the original aUG
famous fhgcl.n locu-t> than Dc America
me rom Aslaiic men. Bus a, {, seems
generally nc,t 81 u~r the name Av which
a5tthiug is aosi Familiarity knewn, Nc vii
ta 80 iu tbis case. II being understood.
hiwrrcI. thai. when in the rest OF This ar
tc.e We LAY crasshoppers, We mean lo-
Gusts. A. above dchn d.
According to the cafalogua OF Mr.. : /
Sm.th. nativs Of Oxford county, hui nn~
an Instructor 81 the sheffield Scientific
School 81 Yaie College. we have IN Maine
from sixteen 20 twenty species Of locu>ts.
though fortunately not more than a third
Of hem are ever 50 abundant rs TO do .r-a
mischief II ! NOT necessary II speak Of
the r7,arance or habits of any ~ the
species. fm your readers are only too wen
acquainted with these already But there
j. Iced that correct Information be circu-
lated respecting the mo ic IN which era
happers are pr9rsSatel. since pre-, alcnt
notions upon the subject are grossly incaT-
r-,t. notwithstanding all that ha> been
written GA i.
A -ra~shoppcrs are produced from egg
- 4r-c - n he quite conspicuous. IL
sought f1r iu "a. right places. far 'hry ayc
from->At a twelfth 70 nearly QuaTter inch
IN length. having the shape 81 slvnacr cti-
intrrs rounded or polluted at the rud- r.
They are Lard more commonly IN adhesive
clusters. of from dnv to one hundred. In
holes bored ~ the remAle'in the ground To-
t.~ dep "a 81 all inch or more. one species
has bccn Observed BY the uaturali>, before
named ~ deposit - Eggs IN hoie- which I'd
eYcav-te~ b Gil logs or pieces Of salt wood
l1lu. among the grass. And n-iehhor "i
u---e. 30T many years a p actiCal farmer.
once found grasshoppcr LAYING her c2--
iu iHe char and dust that hsd collected
the crack OF barn h,pr The most tr5ub-
Ia>orlc species pair a. late = 0cfohrF au.t
very soon las their egg aui dic: for i4sc
other insects thea do NOS hong survive the
completion of he reproductive process -
Iher.gs hatch Ia the spring. and The Of
--.l. coming 70 maturity during the
mouth or uis -" ready fsr rlSo40gs ac-
tion through August anil september TIN,
l. true 81 tile small EcI-.c=Sgd species.
49, unusually P.vngy iast season.
All b, prrhgp, the mo-t estTactivc Eri->-
Hopper found IN Name. Dr. Harris H.
sects injurioas - We -rta;ipn =. l13) >ss-
OF 1t that, ''it sreins 10 Constitute those
large migrating swarns whose .ht hA>
been observed aud rec rdcd IN various
parts OF this country" Il abound- iu al
the a,ss east Of the Mississippi and ia
Canada. aud before me are TWO specimen
Of II which took upon the very summit o'
Nj. katshdin on The 18Th Of August last -
This species has been NJ Intervals. c,ci
since New Eng and WAS settled, grca
rayaser OF salt marshes
Another species, the Goat headed locus
tai Is common. Iehy M dry pastures
for some two months from the middle o.
May. lays It's eggs 10 July. The y,ug. ar,
h.icbed IN the tall, and .Teud the wiutc
In an immature state. Specimen brfbr,
me. probably Of this kind. were taken Mar
"a. 1865. FROM The sunny side OF ! grant,
boulder in n pasture. Tuclr vii = Ar
mere sprouts. ami Il the youugstcr, ike,
they must have rcqalred some weeks NOR,
Of growth 70 have reached fun conditions.
Tits species (hrrr may perhaps be two
nearly al ke,) Is ordinarily np' trouhi,
some. but IL so4aeIi4D,s AFT cr a dry >pri =.
increases 20 much .ss to be destructive fi
Feds aud gardens during June. l. wou.J
seen 10 be the one 10 which Williams pI
refers. m hts History Of Maine. vol l. 70
!021 ~ having heen, 81 June, iiis and -
'NrrH numerous and very yoraciol>: DC
vegetables escaped these greedy troops
They even d-yourrd The potato tops"
served our gra.siIoppers closely. that Their
are more than one species that are common
Ia Apui aud May and aga in late Angus
aud September. In the interval none sucl
arc .sen, until near the close OF july, wher
the youns w their earliest stage begin :.
be found. and careful search would doubt
les discover them AZ he same stage lat,
10 the fall. Mr.. Smith enumerates Al leas
t4ree OF these species that appears twice
IA year. They seem To require less titE-
than others to pass from the egg to th,
inatu e state, and thus tley produce yearl'
I~a broods, OF which the second winter,
In The immature condition. They are III,
Grouse lOcusts. and are Lot known to be
vcrS insurions. Tho grs~~hnppers of whicl
you SPEAK 10 your letter as found last sprin:
''in great numbers a. early as March. upol
fences and building would seem NOR,
probably to have belonged 10 one or NOR,
OF these species. rather than 10 the Goat
headed kind before spokes OF.
Fortunately for our State. it is only 4
Ion. intervals that grasshoppers are her
50 numerous as . become a public calam
ity. Other regions OF our country. "a vel
a many foreign ones, are by 10 means :
free from these pests a. Maine Is. eli
Z~n OF Wateryille, Il successful and Int al
gent farmer from 1928 down TO the preseu
Lime. aud who has kept exact records :
rs QOln8s anu ObeefNatlOns. tells me tina
since ISIS there have been only two wear
when the .rasshoppers have been destruc
tire in this vicinity, namely. the years ls5
and ISL That is. out of foriy-four year
there have bren only two ''grasshoppe
years" in Kennebec county. The Who'll
country from the Mississippi TO the Pacif
Is subject TO be oyerrGn 1T short interval
by xrasshopper very oioseiy related 1
our Red-legged species, and 50 nearly Xix
II 10 size and general appearance that non
but those who make study OF insect
won detect any difference between them
friend II ours found ina 1867. these spec
les devoring immense fields of grain /
Central Iowa. Some districts OF Southern
France are said to be frequently devastated
for several years In succession, by gras,
hoppers OF various species And that q
the crops may be saved. large sums OF mon
ey are paid out In bounties COR the destruc
4ion Of the insects and their eggs So ex
pert do the people become from practice
that DIR. Harris says az active boy can col
leet from thirteen TO fifteen pounds Of egg
IN day.
II grass hoDpers were for s,teeessiye Yea r