Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-08-01

Two Of these hosts CHANGED TO meet.
one moving eastward and the other
westward, on river blum In the same
locality, and. both turning their COURSE
together, downward from a perpeDdlc
MAR cliff thirty feet high. they passed
over II In sheet six or seven inches
thick with roaring noise Ike that or
a cataract Of water II Is stated ON re
liable authority that grasshoppers havs
been seen 10 swim over the Dnlester
river In Europe, for a stretch of one
and q quarter miles In a layer more
than half foot thick.
Nothing short OF fire viii check the
progress OF an army OF grasshoppers Oh
the march. Water, unless in wide riy
ers, is no bar 10 their progress. Be
fore their advance the unfortunate
farmers are well nigh helpless. The
plague arrives, and 10 as II by magic.
the crops are swept from the face OF
the earth.
AS for the "hoppers" they SOW their
own crop, planting In one season the
eggs which are to be Matched in the
next. The female drills a hole in the
ground with the horny tip OF her alb
domen, and In this she lays about
twenty eggs, which are bound togeth
er In mass with mucus excreted by
me mother insect. The burrow Is
nlled up with mucus, which makes II
watertight,
Now the farmers best chance is to
destroy the Unmatched eggs. and this
ne tries to do in various ways, the most
effective perhaps being to slice of an
inch OF the top soil. dry II and pass II
through sleeves 20 separate the egg
masses, which are buried In deep pits.
In the wheat growing regions burning
machines, which are open CRATES on
runners, filled with lighted ptchplne,
are drawn by horses across the fields.
Another method consists in digging pits.
INTO which the swarms are driven, with
the help or widespread wings Of canvas
stretched on sticks.
The eggs are enveloped In tough lit
tie capsules, not easily broken by pres.
cure between thumb and finger. but
When ready 10 hatch the coat OF the
oVum Is dissolved and releases the in,
sect When new born the young grass.
hopper Is covered with sort of ven.
winch presently splits along the bach
ana Is kicked Off behind SO long a.
there Is plenty OF food In the neigh
borhood he does not move about much.
but when the available proyender is ex-
hausted he starts out TO look for an.
other spot.
IL Is In this way that the great mlgra-
lions are begun, an army of grasshop-
pers on the march being often as much
as a mile Wide. They cover the ground
densely, deyourlng as they go all grass
gram and garden truck. Sometimes
TWO such armies cross each other. but
each Keeps right along in it's own
course.
II Is when grasshoppers develop their
wings that they become really rand I'm
their movements. Some species OF them
are much better flyers than Others
whlle certain kinds have only rudI-
mentary wings. and so cannot ny al all.
Immense clouds OF the insects some
times pass over the plains and thinIy
settled regions Of the Northwest. trav-
eling az rate or two hundred or three
hundred miles day. the wind being
favorable. 's
some grasshOppers are among the
most beautiful Insects In the world.
with wings resembling IN beauty and
delicacy OF hues the petals OF nowers-
PINK green, blue and otherwise tinted.
with many variations.
There are some Of huge size. which
nave spread Of nine inches or more
from wing tp to wing tip. ANYBODY
VINO VIII examine a grasshopper cannot
fall TO admire the beauty OF lis con.
structon, and particularly of the arnor
IN which II Is clad, though Il Is a peace-
aoie creature aud by no means inclined
TO combat.
In China grasshoppers are a fearful
plague al times. and occasionally the
government orders ont the soldiers 10
repel the invaders. Each soldier car.
rles, instead Of gun. coarse hemnen
bag attached to bamboo pole. which
win wide open mouth. II used as n not
A bounty is also paid 10 farmers FOR
the dead insects at forty sens per
pound, and for the eggs they collect
But the most effective destroyers are
ducks, which are driven over the infest.
cd fields In focks numbering thousands
and gorge themselves greedily with the
hoppers.
IN that country there Is a curious ana
widespread belief IN the existence OF
a KING Grasshopper. called Wang. OF
colossal size and quasi-supernatura
character who bovers Invisible in the
upper regions Of the air. directing the
migrating swarms. Sacrifices are made
10 him 10 persuade him 10 spare the
particular locality In which his petit
toners dwell