The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-02-22
were valueless.

Robertson asserted that this was the first
time he had ever seen the screw worm in
Louisiana 1t had evidently come over
from Texas. Upon inquiry afterwards he
learned that coons, 'possums, fox squirrels
hogs, dogs, and all kinds of cattle were in
fected with them. "Why," said he, 'they
tackle the blacks. l heard of a negro who
was filled with them.n
A northern Congressman sought informa-
ton concerning the screw worm. Robert
son said that as long as the skin of an ami
NAL remained unbroken it was safe. In
going through the scrub, however, cattle
were frequently scratched by br:ers and
underground. Wherever trace of blood
appeared it attracted fly that deposited
Larvae. He at first said that the fly left be-
hind it tiny grub of unusual activity.
At this Judge Moore fired up. Nothing
of the kind,'' he said. 1.-The fly lays an egg:
the egg matches into worm, and the worm
bores into the hide, and keeps on growing
and burrowlng, and burroWing and grow
ing, till it gets to be grub nearly as big as
your thumb. We've always had 'em in
Texas"
Possibly you are right" responded
Colonel Robertson. ''But if the fly deposits
an egg, the egg matches nearly on the in
slant have seen worm wriggling like
skipper within ten seconds after the fly dis
appeared. When the worm once gets to
work, there seems to be no remedy The
hog is the only animal that can get shut of
them. If his hide is perforated he plunges
into bed OF soft mud and wallows there.
The mud plugs up the holes in his hide and
sutfocates the grub. Let drop of blood
appear upon the nose of horse, the leg of
sheep the back of mule, or the face of a
man, and the fly will be there. a negro in
the Gros-e-tete country got drunk, ran
against a tree and set his nose bleeding
Not long afterward he lay down and went
to sleep. A fy crawled into his nostrils
and deposited its larvae. The screw worm
made its appearance, forced its way into
his BRAN, and the negro died in horrible
agonies."'
The colonel said that in certain places in
Louisiana the fly had appeared in extra
ordinary numbers. 1t had deposited its
larvae in great beds Of mud. The eggs had
batched and the mud was alive with grubs.
This again aroused the Texas Congress
man. He began anew to descant upon the
achievements OF the Lone Star screw worm
He said that in Texas they had found only
one remedy when cattle were infested with
them. They packed with dry buffalo or
COW chips the holes made in the hide by the
worm. The moisturei in the wound swelled
the substance, excluding all air, and the
worm persisted and dried up.
The two distinguished gentlemen had
quite discussion as to how the worm prop
agated. They finally agreed. however, that
after certain period of life it dropped out
upon the ground and turned into a chrysa-
lis. Afterward the fly was evolved, aud
pernicious as ever, began to look for blood
Colonel Robertson was asked whether the
screw worm troubled birds. He replied
that he did not know. The northern Con-
gresham, who sought the information, said
that he had killed cat birds in the spring in
northern thickets, and at certain times
found their bodies filled with grubs. He
faucied that they might be similar to the
screw worm.
THAT" remarked the colonel, "undoubt-
edly robs you OF delightful dish. The
cat bird in the south, near the beginning of
the year, is great delicacy. 1t feeds upon
the young buds of the magnolia until it is
permeated with the exquisite aroma of the
flower. When cooked the bud gives the
flesh delectaOle flavor. Vitellius would
have goneinto ecstacies over it. Sam Ward
SAID 1t was dish fit for the gods.
Gradually the conversation turned from
the scew worm to the grasshopper The
Texas Judge told some amazing stories He
had seen grasshoppers piled many feet deep
around homesteads in Texas. Everything
green had been destroyed by them. They
had eaten up the saw grass, devoured half
grown peaches, stripped the bark from the
pecans, and ''chauked upn even Spanish
bayonets. They came in clouds that OBJ
scureo the light of the sun, and chased the
chickens to roost. They destroyed great
fields of grain, entered dwellings and ate I'D
everything within reach in pantry and
celler
'sOne time," said the Judge, ''when they
appeared near my place. determined to
save my garden truck if possible l got out
all the bed quilts and blankets spread them
over the vegetables, and fastened down the
corners and edges with heavy stones. This
was early in the morning. When came
oack in the afternoon, I'll be DANCED if
there was anything but the stones left.