Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1891-06-13
a PLAGUE THREE FEET DEEP.
The Terrible Ravages OF Locusts In Aus
trallH.


The Terrible Ravages OF Loousts In Aus
trallS.
In order to check, if possible, the an
nual plague of locusts that devours the
herbagc and blasts the hopes of graz
iers, farmers and fruitgrowers to
greater or less extent in December, the
government of Victoria, Australia, pro-
claimed November z and holidays for
scholars and shoolmastcrs in the rural
districts, in order that they might CO.
operate with the settlers in destroying
the young locusts in the carly stage of
their development before they have
been equipped with wings, enabling
them to take fight over the coun-
try 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 Us by beating with branches
the beds in the fields where the as yet
winglcsS creatures were known to exist,
or III narrowing the ground, or turning
floclls of sheep upon the land, and also
by spreading straw over the plague spot
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, says the Glas-
gov Herald, that the raid upon the vcr.
min should have been made somewhat
earlier, as numbers were already so far
advanced as to be on the wing on their
mission of mischief; and, besides, the
attack on them was not so generally
made as was desirable in some districts
Of iofD
comparatively little effort was 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 ravaging
locuStS almost complete scope to prop
agate.
People here can hardly conceive how
serious the locust plaque is in these
colonies. Recently the reports came
that these creatures massed themselves
SO thicllly along some of the lines of
railways that, although the brakes
were Shut down, the trains could not be
brought to stand until they had gone
half mile beyond the stations, owing
to the multitudes crushed beneath tie
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 in
habitants had to close their doors to
keep out the invading 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 outlook is ominous.
In and around Barnawatha, Victoria,
the insects are spreading IN swarms and
causing great destruction. A resident
of that district reports that in travcrs-
ing that part of the country in buggy
the wheels of his vehicle were ccm-
plctely imbeddcd in masses of young
caterpillars and grasshoppcrs, which on
many extensive areas covered the
whole surface to depth of about four
inches, like Il gigantic and undulating
coat of green paint"
Where the country presented any de-
preston it was found impossible to pass
with buggy, ana IN several favorable
localities, such as low-lying lands, etc,
the insects were SURFING about in
masses some two or three feet deep.
The ground in their wake is quite dcSti-
tCtc Of grass. Such arc some of the
i breeding grounds from which the fully
developed creatures take flight to waste
and destroy other parts of the country.
| a Toman'U Wit.
Another grand lady, whose death is an
! nounccd, was the duchess of MalaEoff.