The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-06-04
A LOCUST PLAGUE.
THE FARMERS STARTLED.
How the Insects Destroy Val
liable Crops.


On the nrst day Of June, after an absence Of SEVEN
teen wears the much dreaded locust made lis appear
ancs In the state Of New Jersey. and already the
whole OF the Orange Mountains Is teem
ing with these unfamiliar insectA II may well DO
imagined that alarm and have taken possession
or the whole people OF this region who fear that their
fields and gardens may BIO swept away before the de-
vouring army which has SO unexpectedly invaded tho
state Public attention had scarcely been called TO
tho probable appearance Of these pests but on the
ponsed day manifested themselves regard
less Of what the newspapers might or might not 90
saying concerning them They came out OF the ground
in such numbers that IL wonder even the bravest
Jersey frightened especially a. their hrss
impulse seemed 10 be to devour whatever vegetation
was to be found in that not too luxuriantly fertile
country. .sIn less than twenty minutes after they
break from the SHE'LL" writes ustonshsd native 10
the HERALD, they begin TO feed and rythng they
strike dies They arc abundant enough to destroy
every pieco Of shrubbsry in New Jersey" There Is,
porhaps little reason fcar that their devastaons
Will be in any way so complete As tho imaglnations OF
excited Jerseymen would make the world believe;
but that they will do at least as much damage US
would DO inflicted by invading army can scarcely
be gansaid.
THE BIBLE DESCRIPTION
especially in the East be formed than from tho
description Sf them written by the Prophet Joel "A
fire dcvoureth before Thorn, !" says The prophet ''and
behind them fame burneth; the land 10 ~ the Gar.
den Of Eden before them, and behind them cesolatc
wilderness; yea and nothing shall escape them. The
appearance of them is the appearance Of horses,
and as horsemen shall they rum Like the noise Of
chario,s on the tops Of mountains shall they leap like
the noise OF fame OF fro that devoureth the stub
BILE, as q strong people set in battle array. Before
their lace the people shall be much panied; all faces
shall gather blackness. They shall run like mighty
mon; they shall climb tho wall ike mon Of war, and
they shall march every ono Gu his ways and they
shall not break their ranks neither shall thrust
another; they shall walk every in bis path; and
when they fall upon tho sword they shall not bs
wounded They shall run 70 and Iro IN the city; they
shall run upon Inc wall; they shall climb up upon tho
houses; they shall enter in At the windows like .
thief" Tue magnincencs Of this description can only
reoollsot,on Of an invasion BY an army OF
locusts. They indeed come a. . inlet 10 az
desolato wilderness behind them; without warning
they come out the earth and what they cannot de-
nsy ns n n"h hath tho
eaten, and that which the cankerworm hath ieis nath
the caterpillar oaten."
ruE SEVENTEEN YHAR LOCUST.
Unfortunately for this splendid description, but for.
tunateiy mo security Of Jersey garden plots and
cabbase BEDS the seventeen year locust, which has
lust made ITS appearance is only the harvest n.y. and
not the orthopter0us insect OF the nny tocusttd6
which inspired Inc no ss nover Of eapux IKE
the real locusts described by Joel, or even like the
grasshopper which Is y member Of the same family,
but they can n.y. and female Is able 10 sung They
appear IN the same locality but once in seventeen
years. being fact that is pretty we'll established
state Their only mission the perfect state seems
to beaet their young and DIE, although II canno
glorious existence The long ttmo required In bring
Ing them maturity, and their appearance IN swarms
ko that which sson,sn nS.,,y New Jersey On 20
| the belief that they are really identical with
tho Eastern locusts which cause SO much
destruction through their fearful ravagea rhese arc
the genuine Egyptian loousts, writes the Jerseymun
already quoted then he carefully puts three mag
nihcont specimens Of the harvest fly into box with
| glass cover and sends .hom the HERALD. This In
sect does appear In every part OF Tho country IN
the same year. Blu. the lineal descendants Of each
lar locality. Tho New Jersey variety which are now
having n aD IN sso oo'dny s1assn S
vania they appeared Ia 1858 aud 1870 In Louisiana
they appeared In 1885. in 1882 and 1869 These facts
clearly demonstrate the seventeen years theory and
tho insect ought to DO as familiar as the grasshopper
| and certainly more familiar than the potato bug,
| which is comparatively newcomer
TnE LOCUST IN PENNSYLVANIA.
There Is better place for The seventeen year locust
than Tor sns insect mas asS,oea Pas,
Evergreens not 70 The TASTE OF the harvest nv and
the usually avoids tho pine woods Neither ls
found ailuvial lands, which accounts for lis
appearance this In the high grounds VI Now Jer-
sey, whc the marshes clear OF It's presence Tho
wrcr OF this article well remembers tho appearance
OF the locust Pcnnsylvania twentyfour years ago.
and It's stil fresh hts memory As II u had
coming Of tho swarm was almost simultaneous. The
earth seemed 70 open only TO exude insects, ana
soon the woods and fields werc strcwn win their
cast on shells who the mir and the trees were thick
with lying and drumming locusts. All day long tho
ar was icd with their noises. They were curiosity
| men and children handled them until many persons
| were stung by them. The trees and shrubs every
where bore evidences, not OF their rayages properly
speaking for Tho locust is not great feeder, as IS
PLAIN from tho absence ot anything ike digestive APP
paratus but Of the incisons made Tor the purpose q
then, although II was still midsummer, the great oak
forests seemed 10 have been behtcd ~ the rosts
OF October. Tho tops Of the trees showed only dead
breaking branches or rather twgs, which IN time
tell on and dropped 10 The earth. Wherever
| the eggs were laid the decay OF the branch began
| aud in the economy Of nature this completed
the iarva tell 10 earth for It's seventeen years OF
reposc at tho exact moment apparently when IL was
ready Tor its long burial An egg is only about
/ thlrtcth OF In diameter and 1t grows 10 It's
full IN these seventeen years OF suberranenn Develop
mcni. How TAR the insect penctrntcs the ground IS
questionable but Tor year or two before the rcappear-
/ aucc OF the swarm il ~ no uncommon thing Tor tho
10 up rarc specimens IN tho urrow These
course still IN the chryaIis state ana this con-
dion maintained until the appearance Of the insect
ground whom The shell Is At once shaken OH aud
| tho perfect ny revealed
| DESCRIPTION LOCUST
s.The ocusts appear IN she'll writes tho jersey
man above alluded to, and whom VIC quote SO often
because no represents tho average lmont on tho
subject, and then 80 Tor tree or bush ana IN less
than twenty minu after they break they commence
TO feed; Now ac ieodng Is the least part Of the
OF this insect and their whole business alter
| their appearance above ground is 10 procrcato tho
succeeding generation, take u butterfly holiday and
die The perfect insect energies from the ground
from February TO tho middle OF June, according 10
the warmth OF tho season, and disappears
before the early trusts IL Is OF black color und It's
wings arc transparent, with zgzag line tho tips
In no form oil the letter W. which tho supersttious
suppose to mean the occurrences Of war within tho
| next seventeen years. In this way the Mexican war
was prcsagcd lS43 ana tho rebellion In 1860 Their
eyes large and prorudng, being rod, with metallic
reflections. Tho rings OF the BODY nfc edged with
dull orange and the legs are oil tho Same color
Tho cxpansc OF the Wings u from AZ TO 81 inches
The males die first, the female living longer because
work not yet complete and being provided with
a digestive system which tho male lacks, she feeds SO
as TO nourish her young and complete nor maternal
duties In order to deposit her eggs In the twig she
borcs hole under the bark hong enough Tor about ak