﻿LOCUST 
  RAVAGES 
  IN 
  CALIFORNIA. 
  249 
  

  

  VICINITY 
  OF 
  SIERRA 
  VILLE. 
  

  

  The 
  brothers 
  H. 
  P. 
  and 
  William 
  Robbins 
  suffered 
  slight 
  losses 
  of 
  grass 
  and 
  grain. 
  

  

  A. 
  J. 
  Flint 
  got 
  ahead 
  of 
  the 
  tireless 
  harvesters 
  with 
  four 
  mowers, 
  securing 
  his 
  hay, 
  

   but 
  a 
  small 
  patch 
  of 
  wheat 
  was 
  munched 
  as 
  a 
  dainty 
  morsel 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  hours. 
  

  

  Mrs. 
  Chandler 
  was 
  relieved 
  from 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  finishing 
  a 
  field 
  of 
  grass 
  that 
  stood 
  

   well 
  at 
  eve 
  ; 
  ere 
  noon 
  of 
  next 
  day 
  it 
  was 
  full 
  of 
  locusts, 
  shearing 
  it 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  

   ground. 
  

  

  D. 
  D. 
  Newman 
  lost 
  75 
  acres 
  of 
  oats 
  and 
  much 
  fall 
  feed. 
  A 
  small 
  field 
  of 
  rye 
  was 
  not 
  

   attacked, 
  so 
  he 
  takes 
  the 
  precaution 
  to 
  sow 
  all 
  his 
  grain 
  land 
  to 
  this 
  cereal. 
  

  

  Jonah 
  T. 
  Jones 
  lost 
  but 
  part 
  of 
  his 
  oat 
  crop, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  late 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  scourge. 
  

   In 
  his 
  granary 
  I 
  obtained 
  mutilated 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  (they 
  had 
  been 
  through 
  

   the 
  thresher 
  and 
  fanner) 
  that 
  confirmed 
  my 
  suspicions 
  of 
  the 
  true 
  character 
  and 
  

   name 
  of 
  the 
  species. 
  

  

  George 
  P. 
  Haine 
  suffered 
  but 
  little, 
  being 
  mostly 
  beyond 
  the 
  last 
  stragglers 
  of 
  the 
  

   army. 
  Has 
  had 
  occasion 
  to 
  pass 
  among 
  the 
  ranches 
  near 
  Adams's 
  Neck 
  during 
  sum- 
  

   mer 
  seasons. 
  Has 
  observed 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  ; 
  correctly 
  distinguishes 
  between 
  

   them 
  and 
  the 
  full-fledged 
  grouse 
  locust, 
  often 
  mistaken 
  for 
  them. 
  Saw 
  young, 
  half- 
  

   grown, 
  wingless 
  locusts 
  once 
  seeking 
  fresh 
  pastures 
  on 
  Moffatt's 
  ranch. 
  Stopped 
  by 
  

   a 
  stream, 
  they 
  retracted 
  the 
  flanks 
  of 
  their 
  column, 
  and 
  crossed 
  a 
  bridge, 
  as 
  thick 
  on 
  

   the 
  ground 
  as 
  they 
  could 
  be 
  and 
  move 
  ; 
  were 
  four 
  days 
  crossing 
  ; 
  thinks 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  

   ditched, 
  * 
  

  

  Merritt 
  Harding, 
  being 
  fond 
  of 
  tempting 
  trout 
  from 
  his 
  streams 
  with 
  grasshoppers, 
  

   made 
  a 
  most 
  important 
  discovery. 
  The 
  insect 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  iufested 
  by 
  a 
  little 
  

   red 
  louse. 
  When 
  carrying 
  six 
  to 
  eight 
  of 
  these 
  blood-sucking 
  enemies 
  the 
  locust 
  

   looked 
  sickly 
  and 
  was 
  very 
  weak. 
  These 
  were 
  late 
  comers. 
  

  

  T. 
  S. 
  Battelle, 
  Peter 
  Olsen, 
  B. 
  F. 
  Lemmon, 
  the 
  Himes 
  Brothers, 
  and 
  Jack 
  Campbell 
  

   have 
  each 
  their 
  quota 
  of 
  eggs 
  deposited 
  by 
  the 
  last 
  vanguard 
  of 
  the 
  army 
  late 
  in 
  

   July 
  and 
  August, 
  menacing 
  their 
  own 
  and 
  adjoining 
  ranches 
  this 
  summer. 
  

  

  The 
  reported 
  damages 
  foregoing 
  foot 
  up 
  : 
  Grain, 
  $15,000; 
  hay, 
  $5,250 
  ; 
  feed, 
  $1,400; 
  

   vegetables, 
  $600 
  ; 
  total, 
  $22,250. 
  This 
  should 
  be 
  increased 
  about 
  one-third 
  by 
  the 
  

   addition 
  of 
  those 
  farmers 
  not 
  reported 
  — 
  $30,000. 
  

  

  The 
  damages 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Beckwourth 
  and 
  the 
  Summit, 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  west 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  and 
  the 
  interior, 
  was 
  perhaps 
  half 
  as 
  great, 
  which, 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  

   above, 
  gives 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  damage 
  of 
  $45,000 
  in 
  Sierra 
  Valley 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  1878. 
  

  

  Now, 
  what 
  is 
  this 
  fell 
  destroyer 
  ? 
  What 
  its 
  relatives, 
  its 
  habits, 
  its 
  enemies, 
  and 
  

   how 
  can 
  its 
  attacks 
  be 
  averted 
  ? 
  

  

  From 
  examination 
  of 
  specimens 
  with 
  a 
  microscope 
  and 
  comparisons 
  with 
  descriptions 
  

   and 
  illustrations 
  in 
  my 
  possession, 
  I 
  have 
  determined 
  that 
  this 
  locust 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  ter- 
  

   rible 
  migratory 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  locust 
  of 
  the 
  interior. 
  Added 
  to 
  which 
  all 
  the 
  facts 
  

   given 
  concerning 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  this 
  insect 
  prove 
  it 
  different. 
  In 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  scien- 
  

   tific 
  names 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  kinds 
  of 
  locusts, 
  the 
  unscientific 
  will 
  notice 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  

   aptly 
  conferred. 
  The 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  locust 
  is 
  called 
  Caloptenus 
  spretus. 
  The 
  first 
  

   •or 
  generic 
  name 
  means 
  " 
  beautiful 
  wing," 
  and 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  bright 
  silvery 
  sheen 
  of 
  the 
  

   wings 
  when 
  seen 
  at 
  great 
  heights 
  in 
  flight, 
  resembling 
  snow-flakes 
  ; 
  the 
  last 
  or 
  specific 
  

   name 
  means 
  "despised," 
  "hated." 
  This 
  locust 
  has 
  its 
  permanent 
  breeding 
  grounds 
  

   mostly 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Rockies, 
  from 
  the 
  parks 
  of 
  Colorado 
  northward 
  200 
  

   miles 
  beyond 
  the 
  boundary 
  between 
  the 
  States 
  and 
  British 
  America. 
  It 
  makes 
  irreg- 
  

   ular 
  forays 
  eastward 
  or 
  southward, 
  devastating 
  large 
  areas 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  so 
  forcibly 
  

   described 
  by 
  the 
  prophet 
  Joel: 
  "The 
  appearance 
  of 
  them 
  is 
  as 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  

   horses, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  horseman 
  so 
  shall 
  they 
  run. 
  Like 
  the 
  noise 
  of 
  chariots 
  on 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  

   mountains 
  shall 
  they 
  leap 
  ; 
  like 
  the 
  noise 
  of 
  a 
  flame 
  of 
  fire 
  that 
  devoureth 
  the 
  stubble 
  ; 
  

   as 
  a 
  strong 
  people 
  set 
  in 
  battle 
  array. 
  The 
  land 
  is 
  a 
  garden 
  of 
  Eden 
  before 
  them, 
  be- 
  

   hind 
  them 
  a 
  desolate 
  wilderness." 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  three 
  years 
  from 
  1874 
  to 
  1877 
  the 
  damage 
  done 
  to 
  the 
  border 
  States 
  was 
  

   estimated 
  at 
  the 
  enormous 
  sum 
  of 
  $300,000,000. 
  This 
  "hated" 
  spretus 
  moves 
  in 
  vast 
  

  

  