The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-04-12
ALOCUsT SCOttRGE.
Kansas knows How to sSmpathixe With
Chineses

1
Province of Klang 500 is being devastated
by locusts. Consul Jones at Ching .Kiang
sends the State Department an account
of the curious effort made by the afflicted
sections to dispel the scourge. Some Of
the methods resorted to are as striking as
the suggestions offered to the Kansas
people when they we're suffering from
similar visitation some years ago. When
the locusts make their appearance in one
of these Chinese districts there is con-
sternation among the unfortunate peas
antry, who assemble In the fields with
wild clamor and din of gongs, armed
with long banboos with streamets at.
ttached and vainly endeavor to drive off
terrible invaders who are settling down
in myriads and devouring their crops be.
fore their eyes. Every leaf and twig is
covered thick, giving the appearance of
some hideous yellow fruit OF plant. A
faint sour smell like that of fermenting
vegetable matter is always perceptible in
the neighborhood. It comes, no doubt,
from the droppiDgs Of the insect.
There Is curious and widespread be.
lief among the Chinese in the existence
of "king locust"-"wang," he is called
of COLOSSAL size and quasi supernatural
character, who hovers invisible in the
upper regions Of the air, directing and
controlling the migrations of the differ
ent swarms. At some places the leading
officials have publicly sacrificed and
made offerings to the king of the locusts
in order that he might be influenced 10
spare their localities.
The eggs are deposited in holes drilled
by the female an inch or more deep in
the ground. The time required for batch
ing depends entirely on the temperature.
In very hot weather the new blood be-
gins to make its appearance at the end
of week. At this stage they are very
small, black, and as active as Aeas, max
ing extraordinary bounds by means of
their muscular hindlegs. At q little dis.
tance they suggest the idea of swarm of
black ants seized with sudden insanity.
In shape they are the exact copies of
their parents, save for the want of wings.
They are greedy feeders, and grow rap
idly. By the eighth or ninth day their
wings have budded and the color begins
to change, yellow spots appearing, and
in about three weeks or month they are
full grown.
The destruction, by suitable measures,
of this formidable pest, involving, as it
does, the prevention of famines, fever ep.
idemics and riots, is matter of grave
public concern. One constantly hears of
mandarins losing their buttons and being
disgraced as the penalty of remissneas or
failure to destroy the enemy.
Consul Jones says the Chinese consider
that the visitation of the locusts is "ca-
lamity from heaven, and that there is no
help for it," Chinese records chronicle
many instances of the appearance and
the calamities inflicted by locusts in
former times, but they have no pecu.
liarly effective methods of destroying
them. The government usually issues
proclamations ordering out the soldiers
and encouraging the farmers to destroy
them. The latter are given bounty for
their destruction.
The soldiers are used against the To-
Gusts, with their officers at their heads, as
against an adverse army in the field. In.
stead of gun or lance, however, each
soldier is armed with a coarse hempen
bag, attached to a bamboo pole, which
with wideopen mouth is waved back and
forth among the swarms until filled, when
they are killed and the action renewed.
"In this section of the province"
writes Mr.. Jones, "the army has taken
the field, and the district magistrate has
taken up his quarters in the country
where the locusts are thickest to over.
look the work of destruction and pay the
farmers the bounty.
"The farmers use large brooms made of
bamboo twiggs and other bushes, and
each armed with this weapon goes forth
to slaughter. When killed and collected
they are paid for by weight, which is at
the rate of 40 cash, or cents per pound.
The locusts' eggs are dug up and paid for
on similar scale.
During walk on the hills one day, l
cameupo q spot more than usually GOV.
cred with locusts. At distance I saw
two O, three men and as many boys
directing the march of small army of
ducks, which they do by the use of long
bamboo poles and the voice. 1t is aston.
ishing to see the absolute control they
exert over the movements of the ducks
and the apparent intelligence of the lat
ter. From the opposite direction small
boy, about twelve years of age, stark
naked and burned by the sun to dark
bronze, 1.-the and beautiful as a young
gladiator, bounded upon the scene. He
saw the locusts aud with shrill yell
called to the men directing the ducks.
In few moments the ducks came up.
They fell upon the locusts, and in less
than minute every locust-and there
we're millions of them-had been gobbled
up. The army of ducks seemed more
ef6cacious in their destruction than the
army of Chinese.
"In one district near by it is prohib-
tied to kill the ducks at such times, not.
withatanding their value in the markets,
and they are kept to use against the To-
Gusts. This district has one flock of
$500 ducks"