The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-07-05
AN AUSTRALIAN PLAGUE.
Terrible Ravages Of the Locust
Throughout tho Land.
Desperate Efforts of tho People to De.
stroy tho Pcst-Tholo Colonies Laid
In Waste by tho Dreadful
Insects.

In Waste by tho Dreadful
Insects.
In order TO check, if possible, the an
nual plague of locusts that dcvour the
herbagc and blast the hopes of gra-
zicrs, farmers and fruit-growcrs to n
greater or less extent in December.
says the Glasgow Herald, the govern
ment OF Victoria, Australia, proclaimed
November Tand holidays for scholars
and schoolmasters in the rural districts,
in order that they might cooperate
with the settlers in destroying the
young locusts in the early stages of their
development, before they have been
equipped with wings, enabling them to
take flight over the country to begin
their work of devastation.
With this end in view preparations
were made IN numerous parts of the in
terror to destroy the pest in various
ways, such as by beating with branch
es the beds in the fields where the as
yet winglcss creatures were known to
exist, or narrowing the ground, or
turning floclls of sheep upon the land,
md also by spreading straw over the
plague spots and setting fire to it. In
such ways vast destruction was done to
the armies Of the young locusts in the
early stage of their existence.
1t was seen, however, that the raid
upon the vcrnin should have been
made somewhat earlier, rs numbers
were already so far advanced as to be
on the wing on their mission of
mischief and besides, the attack upon
them was not so generally made as was
desirable in some districts of Victoria,
while north of Murray comparatively
little effort YVES put forth to cope with
the evil, owing to the fact that on the
New South Wales and South Australian
side of the Murray the bulk of the land
is taken up with large squatting runs,
and population is sparse there, thus
giving the Ranging locusts almost com
plcte scope to propagate.
People here can hardly conceive how
serious the locust plague is in these
colonies. Recently the reports came
that these creatures masscd themselves
SO thicllly along some of the lines of
railways that, although the brakes
were shut down, the trains could not
be brought to Il stand until they had
gone half n mile beyond the station,
owing to the multitudcs crushed
beneath the wheels, causing the trains
to pass along as if the rails were
covered with oil. The wheels actually
slid along the rails. In many of the
northern towns the inhabitants had to
close their doors to keep out the invad-
ing hosts. The plague has now fairly
begun work. In the southern parts of
New South Wales and some of the
northern portions of Victoria the out
look is ominous.
In and around Branawctha (Victoria)
the insects are spreading in swarlns
and causing great destruction. a resi-
dent of that district reports that in
travcrsing that part of the country in 4
buggy the wheels of his vehicle were
completely imbcddcd in masses of
young catcrpillars and grnsshoppers,
which on many extensive areas
covered the whole surface to q depth
of about four inches, like n gigantic
and undulating coat Of green paint"
Where the country presented any de-
preston it was found impossible to pass
with buggy, and in several favorable
localities, such as low-lying lands, etc,
the insects were surging about in
masses some two or three feet deep.
The ground in their wake is quite desti-
tutc of grass. Such ere some of the
breeding grounds from which the fully
developed creatures take fight to
waste and destroy other parts of the
country.
In the Ruthcrglcn district (victoria)
the locusts are doing great damage, eat
ing up the grass and invading the OK
tensive vineyards. One vineyard own
CT there having ten acres of vines re-
ports his entire crop as spoiled. Tho
grapes are not yet fully formed, but the
locusts are busy stripping the leaves
and ringing the punches, the result be-
ing that these withcr and die. So dense
are the insects that work has to be sus-
them. Reports come from the Albury
district that the locusts are attacking
the flags on the wheat stalks, and in
some instances the wheat heads have
been eaten off. One report states that
in the locality of Walbundrie, about
thirty miles from Albury, the pest is
travelling southwark, in the direction of
the Murray, in columns several miles
wide, partially obscuring the sky, and
advancing at the rate of ten miles in
twcntyfour hours, resting to dcvour
green spots, and then winging their
way to fresh pastures.
Looking Ahead.
A curious instrument of writing exists
in Dunkirls, Ind. 1t appears that two
Il. E.. 4 r.