INSECTS. 93 



when fully grown. During dry seasons, they often appear in great 

 multitudes, and are the greedy destroyers of the half-parched her- 

 bage. In many parts of the United States these locusts appear in 

 myriads, and their devastations in dry seasons are horrible. The 

 locusts may be taken by means of a piece of stout cloth, carried by 

 four persons, two of whom draw it rapidly along, so that the edge 

 may sweep over the surface of the soil, and the two others hold up 

 the cloth behind at an angle of forty-five degrees. This contrivance 

 seems to operate somewhat like a horse-rake, in gathering the in- 

 sects into winrows or heaps, from which they are speedily trans 

 ferred to large sacks. When these insects are very prevalent, it 

 will be advisable to mow the grass early, so as to secure a crop be- 

 fore it has suffered much loss. The time for doing this will be de- 

 termined by the period when the most destructive species come to 

 maturity during the latter part of July. If then, the meadows are 

 mowed about the first of July, the locusts, being at that time small 

 and not provided with wings, will be unable to migrate, and will 

 consequently perish on the ground for the want of food, while a 

 tolerable crop of hay will be secured, and the marshes will suffer 

 less from the insects during the following summer. This, like all 

 other preventive measures, must be generally adopted, in order to 

 prove effectual ; for it will avail a farmer but little to take preven- 

 tive measures on his own land, if his neighbors, who are equally 

 exposed and interested, neglect to do the same. Many birds de- 

 vour them, particularly our domestic fowls, which eat great num- 

 bers of grasshoppers, locusts, and even crickets. Young turkeys, if 

 allowed to go at large during the summer, derive nearly the whole 

 of their subsistence from these insects. The great increase of these 

 and other noxious insects may fairly be attributed to the extermi- 

 nating war which has wantonly been waged upon our insect-eating 

 birds, and we may expect the evil to increase unless these little 

 friends of the farmer are protected, or left undisturbed to multiply, 

 and follow their natural habits. Meanwhile, some advantage may 

 be derived from encouraging the breed of our domestic fowls. A 

 flock of young chickens or turkeys, if suffered to go at large in a 

 garden, while the mother is confined within their sight and hear- 

 ing, under a suitable crate or cage, will devour great numbers of 

 destructive insects ; and our farmers should be urged to pay more 

 attention than heretofore to the rearing of chickens, young turkeys, 

 and ducks, with a view to the benefits to be derived from their de- 

 struction of insects. 



