El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-04-10

THE hoppers frequently strip large trees
OF their bark leaving nothing but the white
skeletons standing Where they attack the
ripe fruit you may see the peach stones
still hanging and the bark Of the tree com
pletely taken away They clean the grass
from the ground and cut the wheat IN the
fields that the earth looks as though It
were burnt At times they cover the ground
to a depth Of two three inches, hopping
one over the other in their return 70 the
north. There will be millions and millions
Of these hopping locusts, and when they fly
they darken the sun
Size of SWarms Varies
The size Of the locust sw1rms varies
said DR.. Smith. Sometimes they may cover
but a few acres, and at others they may
shade the land for many square miles
recently passed through locust swarm on
a railroad train For more than an hour
We rode through cloud Of locusts which
extended far out on both sides OF the car
It was almost 200 feet high. The lOcusts
were not in one solid mass and as they flew
they looked like snowstorm, their trans
parent wings catching the sun and having
the appearance OF snowflakes- After a time
we passed out OF that swarm and into an
other. The latter was thick, for the locusts
were about 10 settle down for the night
They Usually stop over night.
This last swarm was about 1000 feet
wide, 50 feet high and mile long. When
I saw II In the distance IL was 50 black
that thought a storm was coming and
asked the porter about the cloud. He re-
piled that the clOudaWas the 'langosta-" or
locust. a little later our cars dashed into
the swarm and I found he knew what he
was talking about The lOcusts were flying
high enough not 10 affect the movement OF
the train, and we went right through them
This is not always possible When they
fly near the ground they sometimes cover
the track and the cars crush them, making
the rails 50 greasy that the wheels will not
catch. They Just fly around and around
while the cars stand still In such cases
two Of the brakemen often sit on the cow
catcher, holding hrooms on the rails, 70
brush of the Iocusts as the cars move
Sometimes they sand the rails TO make the
train 60. The swarm Of which spoke so
dimmed the light that We seemed to be
travelling under tent and not in the open
No One Knows Origin
where do the locusts come from!' I
asked 8ir. Smith.
Brazil, some from Bolivia, some from Para
quay and the Argentine Chaco. We only
know that they come from the north and
northwest. They come in August and Sep
TENDER. They get as far south as the prov
inces Of Salta and Jujui and the territories
Of Formosa and Chaco. and from there they
spread over the republic.
after a time there are other swarms
formed by the young Matched from eggs LETT
by the first syFarms, and as the weather
grows warmer there are still other sWarIIls
until the whole territory is overrun. II
seems to me that the only way 70 combat
the iocusts is by going to the country OF
their origin and studying their life history
there Scientists should investigate the bio
logical history Of the insect in Bolivia and
Brazil, and seek TO find some means OF
as best We san, but We are working In the
dark" q
what means are used TO combat the
Millions spent in Fight
I've have long had laws FOR the eLter-
nination Of iocusts, and the government is
lOw spending from one TO five million dol
ars year in fighting them We attack
hem in the sWsrms and in the egg, and
when travelling as young over the country
The fliers are caught in bags and cloths
Turing the hours Of low temperature and
destroyed. The places where they settle are
Ired and where they have laid their eggs
he whole zone is often plowed up. In other
places the eggs are dug up with picks and
the ground Is wet animals are driven over
he soil TO destroy them At times they are
-athered in sacks. and It is not uncommon
0 have 500 wagon loads OF sacked locusts
brought in one Of the receiving stations in
Jays IS or 20 cents a sack and a man may
make SIS night catching locusts. The
aCkinE is usually during the mating season.
when they do not fly"
Another method OF protecting the grain
ieIds is to surround them with little fences 3
s inches or two feet in height but 10 is Z
impossible for the young locusts 70 crawl /
yer them. They will come in hOrdes 10 /,
he fence and then travel along IL in both I
irections At every 800 feet holes about a D
ard deep are dug. and these are so Dor I
he holes and cannot get out The agrlcul- I
urai department has spent millions Of dol Z
lrs for such means Of defence, and il has I
ow or hand enough Of such barriers 10 ]
each half way around the world. There I
re also other locust traps In places the Z
"a wlers are scOOped UP with scrapers and I
iled and attempts have been made TO