DAMAGE BY THE AMERICAN LOCUST. 



By L. O. Howard. 



Fig. 19. — Schistocerca americana, adult — natural size (original). 



The large "American Acridium," as it was formerly called (^cAis^o- 

 cerca americana Drury), tlie popular name of which has been changed 

 to the "American Locust," in view of the change of the generic name, 

 has been figured and described in manyworks on economic entomology, 

 and has always been considered a more or less destructive insect. It 

 occurs throughout the southern States, from the District of Columbia 

 to Texas, and south through Mexico into Yucatan and Central America. 

 It is also found as far north as Illinois and Indiana, and is doubtfully 

 reported from Kew York, while Prof. J. B. Smith tells me that he has 

 taken specimens at Newark and New Brunswick, N. J. Since 1876, 

 when the insect did very considerable damage in Missouri, Tennessee, 

 Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia, and southern Virginia, it has 

 not been reported as having occurred in especially large numbers. 



The present year, however, there has been a local outbreak of a 

 severity jjossibly unprecedented in the history of this insect. This 

 locality comprises the country about Roanoke, Ya., and the outbreak 

 was first called to our attention early in August by Mr. E. C. Moomaw, 

 of Roanoke, who wrote that the locusts made their appearance on July 

 1, and at the time of writing covered a territory of 30,000 acres, destroy- 

 ing everything green. Realizing that with this insect we have a some- 

 what different life history from the majority of injurious locusts, which 

 renders it, on the whole, a more difficult insect to fight, we deemed the 

 outbreak worthy of careful investigation, and therefore sent Mr. Coquil- 

 lett to look the ground over and to consult with the individuals own- 

 ing damaged property and that liable to future damage. His report is 



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