The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1885-08-06
THE LoCUsr.
A Rambling but Truthful Comment on
tho Most Wonderful Of all Insects.

The thirteen-yoar locust has made
his appearance in Arkansaw. The To-
Gust always wears his shirt open in tho
back. and a recent article in the Scicn-
ttfc InSecteteriSt, declares that the To-
Gust led to the discovery that shirts
which opon in the back are the most
convenient. There arc two species Of
locusts. Ono class is seventeen years
old at the time of birth, the other class
only shows u registration of thirteen
years. There is very little difference
between the two classes. that is. human
investigation developes but little differ
ence, but the locusts themselves main
tain social breach which years have
failed to bridge over. A II locust and
q 13 locust, although their clothes arc
cut in very much the same fashion, do
not Hngcr in each others society.
The locust does not eat corn, cabba-
gcs or cucumbers, but goes into the
woods and splits rail timber. How he
can split pieco Of wood that would
iaunt the courage Of tho professional
! rail-makor has not been explained. He
may havo an improved maui and
wedge which he keeps carefully con-
cealed from the meddlesome eye of the
curious. While at work he sings Il
low, droning song, never attempting
to change his tune, but with his un-
winking eyo on the business in hand,
he does his best to prevent his neigh
Dor from singing more discordantly
than he himself is doing.
One time, in Tennessee, locusts wero
| so numerous that the farmers turned
them under with a plow to fertilize the
| ground with them. Tho farmers con-
| graduated themselves on the richness
Of their coming crops, but, when in
| the spring, they plowed the fertilized
| land, they were astoniShed to find, not
q sign of increased richness, but six
teen round holes to the square inch
Since that time the land has produced
nothing but holes. This has rendered
| the land practically worthless rs no
market for the product can be found.
The greatest damage done by the To-
Gust results from the attention which
he pays to young apple trees. lie
would rather split young apple tree
than to lead the festivities ut german,
and although this illustrates perni-
cious nature, yet sensible people do not
blame him.
AS an article of diet, the locust has
found but little favor in America, but
in central Australia, the Bushmen eat
them with great relish. If locusts must
be eaten, it is said that they do best in
boarding-house soup, for then you get
SO few OF them.
There is no affinity between the
grasshopper and tho locust Tho grass.
hopper is, in the broadest sense, a
vegetarian. He illustrates the fallacy
of the vegetarian principle for every ono
who has studied entomology knows
that the grasshoppcr is not SO vigorous
US the mosquito or the wood-tick.
The digestion of the locust is won.
derful. Although having filled him.
self with hard oak timber, he is not
irritable, like Carlyle used to be, but
sings as merrily rs though his nav
were as empty as the stomach of q
man who has partakcn OF refreshments
at the lunch counter of a church fair.
The locust can be traced back to the
days of John the Baptist. John, it is
said. ate locusts and wild honey.
At one time it WAS thought that il
you planted locust, Il locust tree
would spring up, but Il recent paper,
published in the NOrih american Re.
UieO, exploded this idea.
! What the future of the locust will be,
no man can tell. Prof Donnelly, who
confirms the rumor that Bacon wrote
the plays attributed to Shakespeare,
says that the locust, with his great idea
OF mathematics, will, during years tc
come, continue 10 multiply under the
face of the earth. lie claims TO have
discovered Il cyphcr by which he can
plainly demonstrate this theory. He is
ut present engaged il Il book devoted
The sales OF the w0rl
large, but the as
rNOf of thf