﻿LOCUSTS 
  IN 
  INDIA. 
  [75J 
  

  

  race 
  is 
  aided 
  by 
  tte 
  small 
  extent 
  of 
  conntry 
  in 
  whicli 
  the 
  locnsts 
  can 
  lay 
  their 
  eg(^3 
  

   undetected, 
  in 
  doing 
  something 
  to 
  put 
  them 
  down. 
  Here, 
  however, 
  everything 
  is- 
  

   against 
  this. 
  'Patches 
  of 
  uncultivated 
  country, 
  of 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  extent, 
  are 
  to 
  he 
  

   found 
  almost 
  everywhere; 
  the 
  people 
  want 
  energy, 
  and 
  are 
  so 
  wedded 
  to 
  their 
  own? 
  

   ideas 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  try 
  nothing 
  that 
  is 
  suggested 
  to 
  them. 
  

  

  I 
  believe 
  myself 
  that 
  with 
  a 
  line 
  mesh-net 
  so 
  made 
  as 
  to 
  bag 
  in 
  the 
  center, 
  and 
  put 
  

   across 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  a 
  field 
  attacked 
  by 
  locusts, 
  the 
  insects 
  might 
  easily 
  be 
  beaten 
  iuto- 
  

   it 
  and 
  destroyed 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  hopeless 
  to 
  expect 
  natives 
  to 
  do 
  this 
  kind 
  of 
  thing. 
  It 
  

   must 
  be 
  under 
  the 
  superintendence 
  of 
  a 
  European 
  ; 
  and 
  thus 
  the 
  crop 
  at 
  stake 
  will 
  

   cost 
  more 
  than 
  it 
  is 
  worth. 
  

  

  Protecting 
  fields 
  with 
  fires, 
  or 
  destroying 
  locusts 
  by 
  this 
  means, 
  is 
  a 
  measure 
  which 
  

   cannot 
  be 
  elected 
  in 
  southern 
  India. 
  The 
  spots 
  where 
  I 
  have 
  in 
  Cuddapah 
  seen 
  the 
  

   locusts 
  doing 
  the 
  most 
  damage 
  are 
  those 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  hardly 
  enough 
  fuel 
  to 
  be 
  ob- 
  

   tained 
  for 
  cooking 
  purposes. 
  

  

  . 
  J. 
  F. 
  PRICE, 
  

   Acting 
  Collector, 
  CMngleput 
  Districts 
  

  

  PalmanaiRj 
  June 
  22, 
  1878. 
  

  

  Locusts 
  have 
  not, 
  as 
  yet, 
  made 
  tlieir 
  appearance 
  in 
  this 
  district. 
  The^ 
  

   accounts 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  published 
  and 
  circulated 
  by 
  the 
  board 
  of 
  

   revenue 
  show 
  very 
  clearly 
  that 
  human 
  efforts 
  are 
  powerless 
  to 
  cope 
  

   with 
  the 
  calamity 
  of 
  a 
  visitation 
  of 
  a 
  swarm 
  of 
  locusts 
  in 
  the 
  mature 
  

   state 
  when 
  their 
  locomotive 
  powers 
  are 
  fully 
  developed, 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  

   to 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  swarms 
  that 
  our 
  attention 
  must 
  be 
  

   specially 
  directed. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  little 
  doubt 
  that 
  when 
  once 
  the 
  people 
  are 
  made 
  thoroughly 
  

   aware 
  of 
  the 
  terrible 
  loss 
  that 
  will 
  be 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  apathy 
  or 
  iudrffer- 
  

   ence 
  on 
  their 
  part, 
  they 
  will 
  combine 
  to 
  kill 
  the 
  insects 
  j 
  this 
  may 
  best, 
  

   be 
  effected 
  — 
  

  

  1st. 
  By 
  bringing 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  plows 
  together 
  and 
  as 
  speedily 
  as 
  pos- 
  

   sible 
  plowing 
  up 
  the 
  lands 
  where 
  the 
  old 
  insects 
  have 
  alighted 
  and 
  de- 
  

   posited 
  their 
  eggs, 
  while 
  the 
  women 
  and 
  children 
  search 
  the 
  furrows^ 
  

   and 
  collect 
  the 
  bags 
  of 
  eggs, 
  and 
  for 
  each 
  basket 
  so 
  collected 
  to 
  pay 
  a 
  

   reward 
  of 
  2 
  annas. 
  

  

  2d. 
  After 
  the 
  young 
  locusts 
  have 
  emerged 
  from 
  the 
  ground 
  the 
  swarms 
  

   of 
  crawling 
  insects 
  to 
  be 
  swept 
  into 
  heaps 
  and 
  burnt 
  with 
  straw, 
  brush- 
  

   wood, 
  and 
  rubbish 
  placed 
  upon 
  them 
  or 
  else 
  driven 
  into 
  deep 
  trenches 
  

   to 
  be 
  dug 
  for 
  the 
  purpose, 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  which 
  fire 
  may 
  be 
  kept 
  burn- 
  

   ing, 
  and 
  they 
  can 
  thus 
  be 
  destroyed 
  in 
  large 
  numbers. 
  This 
  latter 
  will 
  

   probably 
  be 
  found 
  the 
  most 
  ef&cacious 
  remedy 
  ; 
  or 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  buried 
  

   as 
  the 
  trench 
  fills 
  by 
  the 
  excavated 
  soil 
  that 
  should 
  be 
  heaped 
  on 
  the- 
  

   further 
  side 
  from 
  the 
  swarm. 
  

  

  3d. 
  By 
  sweeping 
  the 
  young 
  insects 
  into 
  sacks 
  with 
  wide 
  mouths. 
  

  

  Much, 
  of 
  course, 
  depends 
  on 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  locality 
  where 
  the 
  

   locusts 
  are 
  found, 
  and 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  collecting 
  people 
  in 
  sufficient 
  

   numbers 
  to 
  exterminate 
  them. 
  In 
  this 
  district, 
  where 
  there 
  are 
  such 
  

   extensive 
  tracts 
  covered 
  with 
  thick 
  jungle, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  difficult 
  to 
  get 
  at 
  

   the 
  spots 
  where 
  the 
  females 
  deposit 
  their 
  eggs. 
  

  

  W. 
  S. 
  WHITESIDE, 
  

  

  Collector 
  of 
  North 
  Arcot. 
  

  

  Yedarnilur, 
  June 
  15, 
  1878. 
  

  

  This 
  district 
  has 
  hitherto 
  been 
  free 
  from 
  the 
  scourge 
  of 
  locusts. 
  

  

  In 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  question 
  what 
  step 
  should 
  be 
  taken 
  to 
  rid 
  the 
  

   country 
  of 
  this 
  plague, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  easy 
  to 
  write 
  with 
  certainty; 
  much 
  

   will 
  depend 
  on 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  insects 
  first 
  settle, 
  

   and 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  wind. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  in 
  some 
  instances 
  be 
  possible 
  to 
  light 
  fires 
  to 
  windward 
  of 
  

  

  