Newark post., 1911-09-06
THE LOCUST SHELL.

ing around he spled a small brown
shell-like creature on the trunk OF
one of the trees. He was not tlmld
but curious, and he climbed up on
a box to see. The odd little OBJ
iect did not move SO he reached
for it and carried it over to mother
to hear what new thing he had
found.
What have you dear mother
said. "Oh, locust shell. Come
and let me tell you about these
houses that mother Nature builds
around the delicate little bits OF
life, while they need such careful
protection. We must watch to
find mother locust, too, and that
will mean to look closely, ior they
are SO nearly like the color of the
trees on which they stay. These
little mothers lay eggs, some o.
them on the ground some of them
choosing cracks in trees. Anyway
the eggs finally reach the ground
and big changes Immediately be-
gin to slowly take place. One
thick, tough skin after another is
supplied as a covering for the baby
insect. These little wrappings be-
come too tight, split up the back
and finally drop off. After the
growing creatures have worn out
five of these little blankets Mother
Nature thinks it time for the lay
ing aside of baby clothes. The
last one given is the little one you
see nova little shell-like house,
with a CLASSY eye-like window on
each side. The little fellow inside
is getting big and strong-enough
SO to push up through the ground
and crawl over to some fence or
tree. The exercise makes him
stronger still and much too large
for this little home, SO he breaks
the shell and squeezes his body
through the opening, stretches
himself, and finds he has beautiful
new gauzy wings which will carry
him everywhere.
This little fellow has many cou-
sins scattered around in different
parts of the country. Some of
them require seventeen years to
grow into the size of the parents.
As we see them here they mean no
particular harm. We hear their
song in a nearby tree and only
stop to say warm weather, the
locust says" but in some places
their coming is looked upon with
dread.
The Bible tells us the story 0: a
long time ago when greatswarms
of locusts were sent to punish the
Egyptians for treating the Israel
ties so cruelty.
When Grandma was a young
woman she lived in Kansas. In
Philadelphia they were having a
great big fair called the Centen-
nial. 1t was a birthday party for
the whole nation and grandma's
family and many of her neighbors
were very anxious to go. They
had planned to work hard on their
farms during the summer months
and go to the great eastern city to
see the fair i'll the fall.
One day man came to tht
house, saying, Come and see
Our grain is ruined" Fathers ano
mothers, boys and girls ran OH
and gazed at the sky. They looked
toward the sun and saw thin sill
very white shifting cloud. Th
older people all shook their head.
sadly and said, ITS them again.
That meant the locusts had com,
in great numbers, and would make
the people lose great deal o
money. These unwelcome guest
got right to work eating the crop
instead of allowing them to grov
and be sold in the markets 70
hungry boys and girls.
he little visitors were every
where. Thew seemed like som
starving army eating everything
in the land-frst the grains an,
grasses; then the vegetables an,
bushes. the leaves, fresh twigs an
even the barks of trees.
The people did not know ho,
to protect themselves from the in
sects. They plowed the groun
to destroy the eggs, or rolled heav
rollers over fields to crush then
Their coming made the farmer
feel SO poor that very few Of ther
were able to go to the fair tha
they wantedsso much to see.
5000
The talk had led tO the twjlioh