Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-04-17
LOCUSTS IN ALGERIA
DO Inestimab1e DamaGe-Governmen
Troops Ala IN KininG Them

DO IneS0mnb1e MISREPRESENTATION
TROOPS Ala IN Kining Them
America will have a visitation OF
17-year locusts this year. Fortunately
the plague will not be an severe as the
sort that occur In Algeria, wildly de-
scribed in the following communication
to the National Geographic society:
1T IL impossible for any one that has
not seen a plague Of locusts to realize
their size and numbers and the horrors
Of living for weeks at a time in a coun-
try where locusts ny into your face.
enter your house. and even drop into
your food
"A south wind blew. and the iocusts
came. They were probably the same sort
as In the days Of Pharaoh and the
plague. At first they came In small
swarms. Men. women and children were
impressed to help battle against this ter
/ rible foe, for wherever the locusts alight
nothing green remains when they pass
on.
THE fertile plain, rich vineyards. and
verdurs are in a few hours turned into
q barren desert, with only stumps and
tree trunks with the leaves gone and tho
bark all of.
'"It was a curious sight to see hum
dreds Of Arab and Spanish iaborers. ovdt-
seers. and even wealthy French land
owners themselves, and seml-naked
Arab children walking abreast in an
almost straight line, each beating an
old wooden pail, an empty box. vege-
table can. or a drum and blowing tin
trumpet or twirling a policeman's rat
tie. Each person or child walks In a
furrow to himself, and the deafenins
noise keeps the locusts from settling.
Frequently the owners OF the plantations
build fires and make them smoke to keep
away the swarms of locusts.
.-When the locusts have alighted late
in the afternoon, nothing can drive them
on. They take wing the following morn
ing, shortly after sunrise, unless the time
has arrived for the female locust to las
her eggs
'"rhe females excavate holes in the
earth two and three inches deep, ir
which they deposit from 81 to g eggs
enveloped In glutinous secretion
shaped like an ear Of wheat.
Men have to plow and spade every
inch Of ground. for the nymphs are
more destructive than the locusts, ant
the only way to prevent the eggs from
Matching is to uncover them and leave
them in the sun.
'The period of incubation Is Il days
thein tiny creatures--called nymphs-
crawl out. They remain quiet for tive
days and then begin to eat. They ea'
and eat and eat.
''Men with torches burn the nymphs
by the millions. but they crawl out Of
the earth faster than the hand Of mar
can destroy them. The first one to come
out takes the lead, and the others follow
in swarms many feet wide. They make
a curious noise. like the sound of the
sea.
1T seems incredible that a thing Sc
small and insignificant is SO difficult tt
destroy. Build great Ares and the swarm:
of crawling, wregling nymphs vii
smother them. those in front being
burned by millions, and those in thu
rear pushing on and passing over thu
burned bodies Of the leaders. They vii
block and all up a sluggish African
stream, and the millions in the rear vii
pass over unframed
The government sends troops to ait
lin the defense, for it means ruin ant
starvation TO thousands Of people. besides
heavy money lossss. Great trenches ar
dug and the nymphs fall in. and whe,
three-fourths full kerosene oil Is poure'
on them and they are set afire. or els
, earth IL thrown on them to depth
about two feet. They can crawl out o
the earth IL only covered with few
inches. but when deeply covered the,
smother to death.
1.-The young locusts are most destruc
tive, selecting the choicest vegetables o
tender shoots and green leaves. 1t take
weeks for them TO develop from tiny
black nymph into a full-sized locust. bu
they increase rapidly in size. and on
can almost see their legs and wings de
velop.
Saint John the Baptist is spoken o
: as having lived on locusts and wilt
, honey. From the earliest times the tribe
. that dwelt on or near the great desert
of Persia, Arabia, and Africa hav
eaten dried locusts as food, and they will
, keep on doing so as long as huge swarm
fly out Of the desert.
ARABS cat the flesh Of locusts whel
killed by themselves. but refrain IL thei
death has been caused by cold or tn
hand Of an inndel. as they are then con
sidered impure. Locusts are eaten afte
the legs. wings and heads have beel
picked of.
They ars either drilled or boiled an
prepared with native wheat. II dre'
in the sun they are ground to powds
and mixed with goats or camels' mill
and cooked in fat or butter and salt
Almost every animal devours locusts
even camels appear to like them as food.
OUR KALEIDOSCOPE