Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-03-01


One of the most effective de-
lenses against the German invad-
- ers has been Marshall Budenny's
<scsntSe parched earth" policy
SENT4J AS often a Nazi drive has
Ek~yj won some Russian territory the vic
"a So tors are shocked to discover how lit
W tie they have won at terrific cost
- All crops In the field have been
~ burned IN the cities every factory
and every bit of useful material has
III been removed or destroyed The Ger
LiI man "locusts' come to devour and de-
stroy find the job done for them For
- onee,-they cannot live on the country
- Entomologists have urged the peasants
OF India to-use- Similar tactics against
| the insect destroyers, leaving them to
\ stafve on the parched earth
| But the native cannot bring himself
TO Kill the crops on which he must live
though If he does not do so, the locust will
produce the parched earth anyhow
%Some peasants adopted blitzkrieg meth
DDS when the hoppers appeared, and used
home made rollers of wood or stone drawn
by elephants or camels or buocks or even
by women and children, to crush the creatures
as they swarmed over the dry earth pro
ducing effective but limited results
Many states of Asia have combined into
a sort of League of Nations, to keep the
common enemy within bounds Though they
have accumulated considerable knowledge
mus far, like the other League they have
oeen powerless TO take vigorous action In
the deserts of Asia where these insect have
nots' belong, the victims have set of spies
The spy may not live dangerously but it
Is life of lonesome hardship
A long string of tiny huts has been
stretched across the deserts in places In
each lives lonely man. who for several
months at time. keeps a day and night
watch on locust habits and customs from the
cradle to the grave
one of his jobs is to send warning of signs
of increased activity One of these observers
mace the curious discovery, later confirmed
by others, that the locusts seem suspicious
even OF the unobtrusive study by lone man.
Ihey showed 1t by migrating to other breed
ing grounds
Gradually it has been learned that there
are two distinct types of locust One. and the
more numerous. is of the totalitarian per-
suasion, herding together in peace and war.
The other, is a rugged individualist who.
between migrations, likes to live alone. des-
plsng the common herd. Unfortunately
when the swarmng madness seizes the totali-
tarians, the individualists Join the plunderinp
The solitarian is usually green in color
with striped eyes, while the others range from
white to black, through a series of vellows
but are satisfied with a standard eye.
This contrasty dressing is useful. especially
when the individualists decide to gang I'm with
he others, thus revealing that general mo-
oillzaton is under way, foreshadowing war
one might think it hopeless for a man on
oot 10 follow the migration of little swarm
II locusts TO some new breeding spot far away
u another part of the desert The thing is not
.asy and requires s0ue luck but it has been
zone many times The observer first goes
around with a tiny paint brush. to add his
'wn touch TO Natures already gaudy cos
uTne with this extra decoration he will
recognize any of them on sight anywhere
Then one day, he finds the spot deserted
Iot locust in sight.
But he has his clues Like the Arabs an
heir camels the locusts. on tour are careful
o take a route that. will go through as MANY
lamp spots as possible (oases to the insect).
ne observer follows some of the likeliest Of
hese routes and, if he visits the right damn
pot, will identify some of his personally-dec-
rated friends
And there, in its native desert breeding
pots, is the place to exterminate the locust
r at least keep il from becoming numerous
nough to burst forth in devastating invasions.
BY ring-trenching the breeding places and
ming the trenches with some form Of glossy
noleum, the hoppers can be confined 90 their
ursery and most of them ultimately starved
, death Some, however, resort TO canni-
alism and eat their dead brothers and sisters
hen green-stuff runs out So the complete
of swarm depends upon
neither they all be starved before they
row their wings