The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-07-05
JUST As IT WAS PREDICTED.
The Terrible seventeen-fear Locusts have
Arrived on Time.

CHICAGO, June 2l.-The much dread.
ed seventeen. year locusts have arrived on
time, and dispatches from all sections Of
Illinois and Iowa show that the air is
full of them. The first invasion that
created CONSERVATION vas in 1854 and
again, seventeen wears later, in 1871, the
pest made its appearance with increased
numbers. The insect t1ow comes to
time, Just da. il was expected, and the
farmers are Mortified at the Overwhelming
army of ruthless plundefers Chat huns and
sings about their ears, waiting calmly
for the crops to get il condition to be
eaten.
The locust is as we'll known as if be
were yearly visitor, and his appearance
is predicted with precisely the same Ger.
tainty as the planets in their orbits. The
entomologists all know him intimately,
and have never made a mistake in put
ting their fingers on the year when the
pest will make It's appearance. The
seventeen year locust Is large insect
which is born, lives and dies without
travelling much. In 1854 they made
their appearance in EHingham County,
III. They came from the ground in such
numbers that holes 6r perforations ou!
of which they came were 80 thick as to
almost intersect one another. Even the
margins Of pretty hard roads would show
the clean. cut holes of the travellers bound
for daylight. Reaching the surface, the
dirt. brown adventurer carefully felt its
way to the first perpendicular object
weed, shrub, bush or trunk of tree
Crawling up q distance of six to eight
inches, its feet were glued fast to what.
ever it was clinging, and then Of sudden.
| and sometimes with distinguishable
sound, space of over an inch opened
along the back, and out OF, this soon
| came the fullwinged locust, prepared to
fly, to sing and to die. The timber tracts
| were the homes of the ephemeral visit
ors, and their united song was painfully
| monotonous, varied only by cadences o.
| rise or lull in the bre' le. While eating
nothing themselves, except foliage and
tender parts of shoots of trees and shrubs
they we're, nevertheless, eaten with avid
| ity by hogs. It did not take much i'm
| agination to discover we'll. defined
letter "W" on the wings Of these locust'
at that time, and, by the wiseacres of the
! the day, that was interpreted to be
sign of war before the next locust com
ing.
The female locust is supplied with {
"chisel" and is also born with knowl
edge of how to use it. The "chisel," o.
sting, as some called it in those days
was half inch in length, attached to thu
under part of the body and extending
backward. It was the size of stou
needle, nearly as hard, and terminated il
a sharp point. Taking position on tn
under side of the twig selected for punct
uring, the locust would "back up" unit
an incision was made downward and in
ward nearly half inch then moving
far enough ahead for another, it wa
made in the same way, and so on to th'
end of the twig, with almost mechapica
precision. The eggs deposited were
oval.oblong in shape, white in color ant
about the size of clover seed. Unde
the invasion of foreign substance th'
twigs die and break of. While on th'
ground the Larvae hatch from the egg
and crawl into the ground, where the.
thrive and grow for seventeen years
Reaching maturity, the pupa emerge
from the ground, climbs the nearest tre
or shrub and attaches itself to the bark
Then its back splits open and the winge'
insect works its way out to liberty, leav
ing the lifeless case attached to the shrub
Within an hour or two from the time tn
bug crawls out of the ground and up
tree the locust is in perfect shape t
begin its work of destruction. Th
insects hatch out in the evening usually
and when the farmer wakes up in th
morning he finds his fields, orchards ant
crops covered with them. They ar
numberless and there is no use to try t
fight them.
Belva Locckwood's Way.