, 1874-09-12
SPARKS OF SCIENCE.
LoCUSTH.

SPARKS OF: SCIENCE.
LoCUsTs.
Tho, e,dostruesiye lnseots that for sesoral JctrH
lave 'doyaBtated the Western Station, bctwcon
tho Nooky A1ountalnB and tho Miaslaappl. arc,
according to Harris. improperly callod grasa-
hoppera. They arc In reality locuste, and should
he 80 designated. Tho trne grnBshnppor leads
SOLITARY life novor collecting III Hwar1lls Or NIL
grat'1'E from place to place. It hnH four joints
in ita fcot. whereas tho locust Inns three lis
leap III much 1cns powerful, mud its flight is
short aitu unsteady. One Of i.s boBt-known
brocioH III tito common hasydid. whscl, fcw
probably over think oi III tho light of grase-
hopper.
Tho name locust is dorivol from tho Latn
socus and ttstas, nnd, sisnifying burnt place, ia
Expressive Of tho doHolntion tho insect leaves
behind It. A epecios Of locust (Caloptenns
{c7',s''41f'unl) infcBts tho Halt-mnrsllcs Of Nov
ENGLAND and occasionally abounds In sl,ch n,lu,-
,ela nn to prove arublo calamity. Harris stateH
that " In l7I9 mil 1854 thoy wcro yorv NUMEROUS
atu voraoloua; no Vegetables escaped those greedy
troopa thoy even devourod tilo potato-topa;
aG,t and IN l7aa ann 175o thoy covered tho whole
thing greon. Indeed, 10 great wna tic
alarm tlioy, occasionod among tho pooplo
TINT DAYS Of fasting and:rraycr woro appointed"
10 nrfcat the' pla8no. foftfoHH Of Now UAmp-
shire, Vermont, anl Massachusetts hayo nj varti-
o.,s times been tayagcd by t1icm. In 1858 tho
vicinity Of Baltimore suffered from m invasion
of vast lorlos, %hich were 40 doatruc,iyp
tliat the negroes wcro employed in whipping
locnst occasionod groas tninry to tin graBa.erop
in Ataino. It has also nrarned In CatnGa Tho
locunt which abonntls on tllo Western rlainH ID
tho cdlortcnus snretus of uhlcr. Descriptions
OF its ravagca have filled 80 much space III tho
nftnr That nm
tion Of tllom need bo maao hero.
Harris and Packard, two eminest authorities,
mite in saying tint |ocuate can bo Bubdncl only
by tito concerted action Of farnlnra. "Iu tic
business ut certain soaBona'of the year ,[prob-
ablY IN tic autumn and lnto in tho BprinS) Of
collecting locuata aud tholr ogse,-.tho latter
being turned out Of tho ground Ii, little masaeB
which they are enyoloped by tha i1aaccts. 1t Is
atatcd tl,at an active hoy can collect from 13 to
Is pounds Of eggs per day. ''1cho loc,,sts arc
taken by. meaua Of rioco OF stout cloth,
cnrricd hy four poraous, two Of wltonl
draw 1t rapidly. along, 30 tl,at tho oago
may awoop ovor tho surface OF tile soil and the
two others hold up tho cloth ut MI nngloof d5
degree. Thla coutrivallco seems to operate
srcls into wiarows or noaps, from which they
| arc speedily transferred to largo sachs."
It IL stated in tho Mem England Farmer (vol.
% that IL July, 1920. farmor iu Epaom, n. H.,
collected in Hingle evening, hotwcen tho hours
,of and r. firo bushels and three pecls Of
'locusts from his own and ne1ghboss' Ae1ds. Ills
lmodo of catching thom was by attaching two
sheets together, avd fastening than, to d polo,
which was sod as tho front pnrs Of tho drag. Tho
pole extended beyond tue width Of tho sl,eets, 80 ns
to admit porsons Mt both eides to draw it for
ward. At tho sitlc Of tho drag braces extended
from tho pole to raiso tho back part considerably
from the ground, 10 that tho gEasshoppesB to-
cuHts) should not escapo. Aftor running tho
n MI rrrff1 I'm
braces wore takcn out and tho Blloets doubled
oyer; tho gsaaslonpers wero then swept from
'each end towards tho contro Of tie sheet, whero
WIS 1dft an opening to tho mouth OF bag which
up, tho drag was again oponod and ready
to proceed. When this bag wAs filed
10 aa to become btlrtensomo- Qlleir weight
IL about thas Of the sau.o measure OK corn}, the
hoppers received into n new deposit. The drng
can bo used only In tho oyonins, when the grnsa-
lopporg nre rerclaoA upon tho top OF the grain.
lliH manner Of destroying thom WHs by dipping
the lnsga hnss into !" kettle Of boiling water.
Whcn boiled. they had a reddish nppearnuce,
| and ma1o d tlno feast for the far1narH' lloga."
Among tho natural means appointed to koop
| locuhts in check ayc violent Winds an1 stosne
which, sometimes sweep thom nway, or drown
thona ia larga numbors. They aro aiao subject
to certain Parasites, as tho 'lmir-worm, which wo
have described in roo or four Of
| which sometimes take UP their ahotlo IN single
locust and feed OIL Its juicoa little red mito
also infoats tho locust Ton or dozen may
often be found fastened to its body, and sueking
| Its lifa-blood like ya,nntroH. Tho insect Aoon
fallH exhausted by thie drain on its ByBtcm.
! Domestic fowls, especially turkeys, feed with
avidity upon locusts. It might bo advisable for
| farmers in Iocuat-ritldon districts to turn their
attention to raising poultry for season or two,
aud let loose upon their fields aocks large enough
to consume all tho locnsts tllat may 10 latcAed
in tho whole country round abont.
| THE wAx-1SsEcr.
| In tho family Of scae-insocts (Coccilae) With
which oyory lady who keeps louse- plants Inns
somo acquaintance. there is d most interesting
species called tho -inscct Which is cultivated
extensively in China on account of tho WAX
which It aecrotcs. Tlls wax ia described by
Prof. slliman as resembling spcrmacoti iu mp
poasanoe, With a dazzling wtiteness and . orys-
talline structure. IN tho Province Of Szcl,nan,
China, whore the insect is raisod, ts product is
a great soslrco Of wealth. aud second
in Importance only to elk The ogga
| Of tho insect alu annually imported
nan, wAese their culture forms special oecupn-
| tion and where tley arc Roll by merchants wIio
deal csclusivcly in pa-!a-tan. or "white wax
! oggs." Tho ogg -clusters aro about tho size Of q
| pea, and aro transported in Baskets carefully
packed among leayos Of tho pa-la-shu. '.wlito
| wax trgc, which resembles priyet-sl,rub -
aud arrive in S2olluan in March. by this time
tho Va-la-sha ttecs, Oh which tho iusect is 10
feed, have begun to unfold their leaves. aud tho
clusters Of oggs-inclosed in ba,la Of tho young
loavcH-aro suspended fron, their now aud ton
dor Shoots l>y the en<l Of March tho lary,s eago
the eggs, mud Boon attain the size of = wnglesB
louse-ily. They are ouyo!eped in Il wLite down,
aud hnvo plumo-lika appeudago ouryins from
the sail over tho back. They R,e SO abundant
GU the t1eoH that tlo latter now appear AZ though
covered with feathery snow. III July tho lary,p
undergo tho transformation into the csigysa!is
1l1tsk fliotaI