Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1916-12-07
PLAGUE Of LOCUSTS
is DESTROYING THE
CROPS OF COUN TRY

BUENOS AIRES. Dec THE plague
of locusts that has assailed the crops
Of the northern provinces of the re-
public is slowly working it's way
southwark. These insects, togethe
with an unprecedented drought, threat
en- to reduce the crops by half, and in
some sections by an even greater per-
centage.
The locust comes from some part of
the unexplored region of southern Bra
I'll and pours over the country in great
streams so thick and long as to often
darken the sun, From Pena today
there comes despatch saying that a
stream extending over 30 kilometers
has settled upon the fields and left no
gfireen thing in that part The young.
hatched from the million eggs deposit
ed, have in places covered the railway
SC thickly as to impede traffic and
trains have been stalled until the in
sects have been shovelled from the
tracks and dumped in bitches.
The government is waging vigor
GUS fight but seems to be making little
Roadway. The Department for Agri-
culture Defense has 100000 meters
of metallic barriers for the purpose of
penning swarms which are then burn
ed, trampled by farm animals or buri-
ed. This is accomplished because the
young locust is without wings. 1t
much resembles a young grasshopper
except its coloring is much brighter,
red and yellow. black and green, pre-
dominating.
From the eggs of the flying locusts,
which are always deposited on the
hard roads, millions of these bright
hued, hopping insects come to assault
the fields on either side. Besides the
wire barriers the government is also
using an apparatus which resembles a
gasoline blow pipe. The farmers are
being instructed to dig trenches about
their field, drive the hopping locusts
into them and with the aid of the gas
oline blowpipe burn the mass Millions
have already been thus destroyed but
Geographic reports from all over the
northern half of the republic report
other millions arriving.
So serious has become the situation
that the government has threatened. to
fine all farmers who fail to maintain
corps of men for the purpose of fight
irg the pest, and the railways have
been asked to transport free of charge
all locust fighting apparatus.
Devastated fields threaten to occas-
ion the starvation of many head of cat
tie and the railways, at the request of
the government, have made a % per
cent reduction in the rates for the
transportation of live stock, to remain
until February 2S of next year.
By this means stock can be hauled /
from the devastated regions to prov-
inces of the south. The lives of thous-
ands of thousands of animals will thus
be saved.
The progress of the swarms of flying
locusts is daily being telegraphed |
ahead, direction and spread of uight
being given so that the farms about to
be attacked can prepare. These tele-
graphic notices are published in the
press and have grown to occupy col
umns.
The linseed crop has already gone.
At times million tons of this has
been exported annually to the United
States. The promised shortage of the
wheat crop has caused considerable
advance in the price of bread and the |
Argarian League has petitioned the
government for the imposition Of an
embargo on the shipment Of wheat in
order ito obviate further EXPLOITATION
of the public" This is the first time
any such request has been made in
one of the wheat and meat
storehouses of the world. 4