Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1911-02-25
SEVENTEEN YEAR
LOCUSTS COMING
Warning Is Issued by the Agricultural
pcpartr1ent-Desc eruption Of
Species.

In view cf the fact that a warning
has just been given by the Agricultur-
al department OF the return OF the
seventsen-gear locusts the coming
summer. description Of the destruc-
tive insect will be Of intere ST. In its
general acce Dtance the term locust"
Is strictly appficab BILE only to certain
insects OF the order Orthoptere' of the
4 head was crushed and the body horri-
family Acrydidea, having the atrri-
eute of migra ton,
The biology OF the insect map be
'briefly described The females exea-
uate holes in t6e earth, in which the
eggs are deposited, regularly arranged
iir hong cylindrical mass. developed
in glutinous secretion. The young
larvae hatch and Immediately begin
| their destructive career. They i'm
| crease rapidly in size, and as they APP
proach the state of full development
the rudiments of wings begin to APP
| pear. Naturally, in this state they are
| Incapable of flight. but their loconAa-
| tive powers are nevertheless extern
siye, for their vcracity is great.
Once winged and perfect, the pow
ers become infinitely more disastrous,
redoubied by the development of the
| migratory instinct. While the laws
regulating this instinct are not yet
perfectly understco9, food and temper
ature are known to have much TO do
| with 1t, and there Is a tendency for
the flights to take a particular direc-
ton, varied by the physical circum-
| stances OF the breeding istricts It Is
| likewise certain that each species has
its area of constant Iecar5aa, in which
! it always exists, and its area Of extra
ordinary migration to the extremes of
which it only occasionally extends
Perhaps the most feasible of the
suggestions as to the causes of the mi
gratory impulse is that Tocusts natu-
rally breed in dry, sandy districts in
which food is scarce. and are thus inn
| PEELED to wander in order to procure
the lecessaries of life, but against
this it has been argued that swarms
bred in highly productive district,
in which they have temporarily set
tied, will seek the barren home of
their ancestors. Another ingenious
suggestion is that migration is init
mately connected with dry condition
of the atmosphere, urging them to
move on until compelled to stop for
food or provocative purposes.
Travel Long Distances.
The distance particular swarms
may travel depends upon a variety of
circumstances, but one thousand miles
may be taken as moderate estimate;
some times it is very much more. AS
rule. the progress is only gradual,
and this adds vastly to the deyastat-
ing effects, which may be lihened to
those caused by foreign army spread
ing destruction throughout an invaded
country. When an extensive swarm
settles in a district all vegetation rap
i6ly disappears, and then hunger
urges the insects on another stage.
Such is their voracity that they have
been known to attack dry animal sub
stances, and it is claimed that even
cannibslism is the outcome of the fail
ure of all other kinds OF food
The size OF swarms varies greatly
and there are authentic accounts OF
such large ones that the light of the
sun was temporarily obscured.
Ravanes Uncheckable.
AS to methods OF checking the raw
ages of locusts, unfortunately little
can be said. Some little can be q ne
by destroying the eggs and the younG
insects before they develop wings, but
infinitesimally little can be done with
the winged hordes having the migra-
tory instinct upon them. Starvation,
the outcome of their ow1 work, does
much. 1t has been fund that with all
migratory locusts the breeding places
or true homes, are comparatively bar
rem ditricts. usually elevated plateaus.
! Hence the progress of civilization,
| with its concomitant necessity for
converting these heretofore barren
plains into areas OF fertility may and
probably will gradually lessen the
evil
| Birds Are Enemies.
Locusts, like all other animate, have
their natural enemies. They are
sreedily devoured by many birds, and
it has many times been noticed that
migratory swarms Of the insects were
closely followed by myriads OF birds.
Predatory insects of other orders also
attack them, especially in the UNI
winged condition, and they have dead
! y parasite foes.
Although they are to us al unmixed
| evil tho lOcuetS are considered deli