﻿LOCUST 
  RAVAGES 
  IX 
  CALIFORNIA. 
  253 
  

  

  These 
  observations 
  may 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  early 
  lift 
  here, 
  as 
  in 
  most 
  in- 
  

   stances, 
  is 
  very 
  tenacious, 
  and 
  is 
  carefully 
  guarded 
  by 
  nature. 
  Such 
  is 
  the 
  force 
  with 
  

   which 
  the 
  atrocious 
  villain 
  presses 
  in 
  its 
  mantle 
  or 
  pellicle 
  — 
  a 
  writhing 
  maggot 
  — 
  that 
  

   plowing 
  under, 
  to 
  be 
  effectual, 
  must 
  be 
  deep 
  and 
  thorough. 
  

  

  Harrowing 
  the 
  eggs 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  in 
  autumn, 
  with 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  locust, 
  is 
  

   said 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  effective. 
  The 
  females 
  deposit 
  with 
  the 
  eggs 
  a 
  sebific 
  or 
  waxy 
  sub- 
  

   stance 
  that 
  keeps 
  the 
  eggs 
  in 
  place, 
  suitable 
  for 
  hatching. 
  Brought 
  to 
  the 
  surface, 
  

   they 
  are 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  rigors 
  of 
  winter, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  birds 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  our 
  val- 
  

   ley, 
  with 
  its 
  regular 
  spring 
  freshets, 
  they 
  would 
  be 
  floated 
  off 
  into 
  the 
  sloughs, 
  feed- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  trout, 
  The 
  eggs 
  that 
  survive 
  all 
  these 
  conditions 
  would 
  become 
  addled, 
  or 
  at 
  

   least 
  the 
  insect 
  would 
  be 
  too 
  weak 
  when 
  hatched 
  to 
  be 
  feared. 
  

  

  THE 
  RED 
  OR 
  LOCUST 
  MITE. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  pan 
  of 
  earth 
  and 
  locust 
  eggs 
  there 
  happened 
  to 
  be 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  mite 
  (the 
  

   Trombidium 
  locustarum 
  Riley), 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  a 
  full-grown 
  female 
  under 
  thin 
  glass 
  for 
  mi- 
  

   croscopic 
  study. 
  My 
  specimen 
  is 
  6 
  hundredths 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  long, 
  about 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  a 
  

   flea. 
  It 
  was 
  very 
  fortunate 
  to 
  find 
  this 
  locust 
  pest 
  accompanying 
  our 
  species 
  as 
  it 
  

   does 
  the 
  spretus. 
  In 
  some 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  the 
  abandonment 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  by 
  

   locusts 
  is 
  charged 
  entirely 
  to 
  the 
  attack 
  of 
  this 
  parasite. 
  They 
  often 
  teem 
  until 
  the 
  

   ground 
  is 
  tinged 
  a 
  bright 
  scarlet 
  color. 
  It 
  preys 
  upon 
  both 
  eggs 
  and 
  mature 
  insects. 
  

   On 
  the 
  full-grown 
  insect 
  they 
  fasten 
  beneath 
  the 
  wings, 
  suck 
  the 
  locust 
  to 
  a 
  dry 
  shell, 
  

   then 
  drop 
  to 
  earth 
  to 
  undergo 
  transformation 
  peculiar 
  to 
  the 
  species. 
  

  

  Instinctively 
  the 
  fear 
  of 
  this 
  red 
  or 
  locust 
  mite 
  is 
  conveyed 
  from 
  parent 
  to 
  child, 
  

   for 
  a 
  region 
  once 
  infested 
  by 
  it 
  the 
  locusts 
  avoid 
  for 
  years 
  after. 
  This 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   most 
  singular 
  phenomena 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  locust 
  problem, 
  to 
  wit, 
  how 
  the 
  young 
  

   swarms 
  from 
  abroad 
  know 
  that 
  a 
  certain 
  section 
  in 
  advance 
  of 
  them 
  is 
  infested 
  by 
  

   their 
  deadly 
  enemy. 
  They 
  turn 
  from 
  such 
  country 
  with 
  evident 
  fear. 
  Borne 
  along 
  

   by 
  the 
  wind, 
  perhaps, 
  as 
  they 
  approach 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  mites, 
  they 
  face 
  about 
  in 
  

   a 
  mass, 
  or 
  if 
  the 
  wind 
  is 
  too 
  strong 
  they 
  drop 
  and 
  crawl 
  hastily 
  back 
  in 
  mortal 
  fear 
  

   and 
  tumult, 
  without 
  feeding. 
  

  

  Some 
  such 
  " 
  check 
  " 
  is 
  sure 
  to 
  arrive 
  in 
  time 
  to 
  drive 
  off 
  or 
  destroy 
  our 
  foe. 
  So 
  let 
  

   the 
  farmer 
  take 
  courage. 
  The 
  most 
  disconsolate 
  appearances 
  at 
  the 
  East 
  have 
  been 
  

   changed 
  to 
  rescue 
  and 
  safety 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  night 
  by 
  these 
  "checks/' 
  adroitly 
  brought 
  in 
  

   by 
  old 
  mother 
  Nature, 
  kind 
  at 
  last 
  to 
  all, 
  if 
  we 
  but 
  give 
  her 
  time 
  to 
  complete 
  the 
  

   cycles 
  of 
  her 
  mysterious 
  progress. 
  In 
  proof 
  of 
  this 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  cited 
  that 
  the 
  locust-smit- 
  

   ten 
  localities 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  are 
  really 
  the 
  most 
  prosperous 
  in 
  the 
  Union. 
  The 
  locusts 
  

   eat 
  up 
  certain 
  noxious 
  weeds, 
  and 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  harvests 
  follow 
  their 
  ravages 
  of 
  

   the 
  year 
  before. 
  But 
  there 
  is 
  this 
  difference 
  — 
  the 
  spretus 
  never 
  flourishes, 
  from 
  various 
  

   causes, 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  year 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  in 
  one 
  place, 
  being 
  an 
  emigrant 
  from 
  the 
  Rockies; 
  

   ours, 
  the 
  atrox, 
  is 
  indigenous 
  here. 
  Favoring 
  circumstances 
  have 
  multiplied 
  them, 
  so 
  

   that 
  they 
  moved 
  slowly, 
  year 
  by 
  year, 
  along 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  food. 
  May 
  the 
  powers 
  of 
  

   earth 
  and 
  air, 
  birds, 
  insects, 
  and 
  protozoa, 
  the 
  devices 
  of 
  man, 
  and 
  the 
  love 
  and 
  skill 
  

   of 
  nature, 
  speedily 
  conspire 
  to 
  check 
  this 
  terrible, 
  atrocious 
  locust 
  ! 
  

  

  Wednesday, 
  April 
  9, 
  1879. 
  

  

  Have 
  just 
  been 
  over 
  a 
  locust 
  patch 
  of 
  eggs 
  on 
  the 
  ranch 
  of 
  B. 
  F. 
  Lemmon, 
  and 
  was 
  

   pleased 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  "red 
  locust 
  mite" 
  in 
  abundance. 
  It 
  was 
  running 
  over 
  the 
  ground 
  

   only 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  eggs, 
  and 
  thus 
  leads 
  the 
  searcher 
  for 
  eggs 
  at 
  once 
  to 
  their 
  

   locality. 
  This 
  parasite 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  its 
  mature 
  state, 
  is 
  often 
  so 
  large 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  distinctly 
  

   noticed, 
  and 
  is 
  commonly 
  called 
  the 
  " 
  red 
  spider." 
  It 
  seeks 
  out 
  the 
  locust 
  eggs, 
  de- 
  

   posits 
  its 
  own 
  therein, 
  besides 
  eating 
  freely; 
  then, 
  as 
  the 
  young 
  locust 
  hatches, 
  it 
  is 
  

   menaced 
  by 
  the 
  larval 
  forms 
  of 
  this 
  louse 
  until 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  season. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  hoped 
  that 
  this 
  auxiliary 
  aid, 
  thus 
  brought 
  in 
  by 
  nature, 
  will 
  be 
  efficacious 
  in 
  

   averting 
  the 
  scourge. 
  

  

  The 
  dreadful 
  locust 
  ravages 
  and 
  their 
  menaces 
  in 
  future 
  are 
  still 
  the 
  all-absorbing 
  

  

  