The Irish standard., 1891-08-22
LOCUSTS IN INDIA.
A Graphic Description Of Battle
with the Pests.
Tho Natives Turn Out with Cannon and
Firearms But Arc Unable to Stem
the Terrible Tide Of Ad-
vancing Insects.

I see by, the foreign kilograms that
north Africa is threatened by swarm
of locusts, which reminds me, says an
India correspondent of the st. Louis
Globe-Democrat, that saw devastating
attacks of those terrible insects in
southern and northern India. The
first was in the Tinnevally district,
Madras presidency, in the great famine
year. / was finishing my "big break
FAST when the tehsildar came to my
tent and said: eve are going to be
again troubled" "What with?" clio
custs:'' had heard of their visits and
pulled long face. The famine was
practically over. The crops were just
beginning to show their greenery, and
every thing was propitious. The gov
eminent was merely carrying the
natives over till such time as the grain
ripened and harvest commenced. fol-
lowed the tehsildar to the door Of my
tent and saw huge black cloud in the
east.
1t came nearer and nearer, and soon
the sky grew darkened, the sun was
completely obscured and a whirr and
click like many millions of sewing ma
chimes were in the air. The noise was
terrific. Suddenly that great black
animated cloud settled on a patch about
mile distant and gave us breathing
time against their assault The tehsildar
hurried back to the village. My serv-
ants stripped the huge tents of their
verandas and placed the awning care
fully over a young row OF green peas.
Vegetables were similarly covered.
In the village all was turmoil. The
women were wailing and the men and
boys rushing aimlessly about with tom
toms, guns and other noise-producing
instruments. The tehsildar had given
orders to charge full Of gunpowder an
ancient fie1dpiece, relic Of the days of
Dutch supremacy. The fat stone roofs
were covered with men carrying arms
and whistles and the great parapets of
the huge temple were alive with human
beings.
On came the locusts. The guns
barked, the cannon numbered, the
whistles blew, the tom-tom clashed,
women screamed and men shouted, dogs
snarled, but it was of no avail. The in
sects settled down on the fields adjoin-
ing the village, and on the trees, and in
few hours the place was clean OF veg
citation. I never saw such destruction,
so complete, so absolute, so thorough.
Thousands of the pests were slain, but
the click Of their jaws ceased not, and
when every blade was devoured, on.
they swept. The next time I made the
acquaintance Of the hungry locust was
in Agra. was staying with a gentle
man well known throughout the north
west, whose house on the Jumna road
is much admired for the beauty of the
gardens In it there are magnificent
tamarind trees. noble avenue Of null
berry trees, mango, and other lovely
trees belonging to India.
The locusts attacked the place about
ten a. M, and after they had satisfied
themselves you would have imagined
that a great fort had opened fire ON the
devoted place. Enormous branches had
been broken down by the winged pests,
and in several instances only the parent
stem of the trees was standing. An OUT
house, which was covered with
gorgeous creeper, was literally crushed
in on account of the numbers that set
tied thereon. Agra was bare. Not a
garden was left, not blade of grass,
and the expenditure of gunpowder was
fearful. The locusts are said to be
edible. but never yet found person.
who had initiated John the Baptist.