The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-21

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stretch Of one and one-fourtl miles. in
layers more than foot thick
Clouds of grasshoRpers SIM ines pass
over the extensive plains or thc northwest,
where there Is little inducemtl BOG for them
TO halt. at the rate OF ~ ana even SJ
miles a day. GrasshOppels nave uumer-
Gus enemies. Among them is tle 1uIchef
bird which impales the insects Hpou horns
and upon the sharp barbs Of harned-wire
fences. In driving along sueA fence n
Is no uncommon thing 10 see hundreds OF
"hoppers' thus treated Wll.in short
space. There IS a small rspl.g OUT west
known as the fence lizard which
catches and eats a great many grosshOp~
pers. Black wasps are dean on grass
hoppers. The female wasp dies her bur
row in the earth and PROVISIONS IL with
choppers" which she catches on he
wing. She paralyzes them sunsins
them, and lays her eggs in the holes
where she buries them, 50 thar the young
wasps have plenty of food when they are
Matched.
The Hessian fly is doing an immense
amount Of damage at present in Michigan.
This insect destroys 40,0m.Ooo bushels OF
wheat annually in this country. Ii Is
minute. dark-cOlOred gnat, somewhat re-
sembling a mosquito. The larya. which is
a fOOtless maggot, does the mischief, feed
ing on the juices of the plant This fly is
an importation from Europe, and Is be-
lieVed TO have been brought over I'm straw
with the Russian troops, during the war
of the revolution. Equally injurious is
the familiar cinchbug, which i'm 1874, de-
Voured $40 900, 600 worth of wheat, cornand
oats in seven states. The cinchbug is max
ing much trouble just now throughout the
western states 1t lays its eggs on the roots
of the infested plant and the young grubs,
as soon as they are Matched, insert their
beaks into the growing stalk, ana heBlh
to suck the sap. Sometimes the bugs mi-
crate in enormous swarms. The farmer is
almost helpless against the insects, which,
in a bad season, are so numerous that MS
corn is literally black with them.
Blister beetles have made their appear
ance in extraordinary numbers. All
through the east, as far south as Georgia
they are making havoc among the pota-
toes, tomatoes, and beets. There are about
200 species of the blister beetles in the
United States All of them possess more or
less of the peculiar blistering quality OF
the Spanish fly, which Is due 10 the pres
ence in their bodies of a substance called
"cantharidin." Nearly all OF them, IN the
larval stages, feed on the eggs OF grass
hoppers. Consequently, when grasshop-
pers are abundant, blister beetles are like
ly to be prevalent. So far they are TO be
approved OF, but the adult blister beetles
attack the garden crops. They do great
deal of damage to chysanthemums in the
fall. In certain respects, these beetles are
very remarkable insects. Their metamor-
phoses are most curious Instead of one
larval stage, they have several. Blister
beetle feed on the larvae Of bees and on
the honey in hives.
News comes that the destructive elmleaf
beetle has made its appearance In West
Virginia having crossed the Blue Ridge
in its steady march westward. This insect
Is imported from Europe where It is a
well known depredator. In this country
its spread has been comparatively slow,
though wherever IL has appeared IL has es-
tablished itself thoroughly. II Is the worst
known enemy of the elm, frequently so
dishguring the trees as to make them use
less for shade and hideOus rather than
ornamental. The small, yellowish-brown
beetle appears first, and fills the leaves
with small, irreglar holes, while the fol-
lowing broods of sluglike yellow and black
larvae skeletonize the leaves In irregular
spots between the veins. causing them 10
assume a dry, brown appearance.
The potato bug has recently made its
way into South Carolina, Alabama nd
Mississippi, where II is causing no little
alarm. In the northern states however,
It is not so abundant formerly, per-
haps owing to the persistent use of paris
green. That remedy practically controls 1t.
The potato bug origina ted in the noun
tains of Colorado. where 1t fed on species
of wild potato known as the sand burr. -
This plant spread eastward through mans
agency, and was conveyed across the
plains into Missouri where 1t fiourished.
incidentally. the bug which It nourished
Travelled in the direction of the Atlantic
ocean. In 1861 the potato bugs, which had
already acquired a taste for the cultivated
tuber, invaded Iowa. During 1864 and 1866
they crossed the Mississippi river. In
March, 1871, they swarmed on the wing
in the streets of ST. Louis, and the follow
ing summer saw the Detroit river literal
ly alive with them. At the same time they
were crossing Lake Erie by myriads on
ships, boards, and other floating objects.
By 1873 the advance guard Of the vast
army had appeared on the Atlantic sea-
board, and the ocean beaches were thick
ly covered with them. At some places in
Connecticut they were washed ashore in
such numbers as to poison the air. Rail
way trains were stopped by them. They
accomplished their march across. the con-
tinent at the rate of fifty to ninety miles
a year.
Potato bugs spend the cold season few
inches below ground When the earth
thaws they issue from winter quarters.
AS soon as the potato plants have appear
ed above ground the female beetles begin
TO lay their larvae on the under side OF the
leaves. Each female lays from 800 to 1000
eggs. The potato bug armies travel chiefly
by flying. The insects have large wings,
which are folded when they are at rest.