﻿LOCUSTS 
  IN 
  INDIA. 
  [77] 
  

  

  a 
  corner, 
  they 
  there 
  killed 
  great 
  numbers. 
  Meantime, 
  hardly 
  any 
  appre- 
  

   ciable 
  difference 
  could 
  be 
  detected 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  insects 
  still 
  left 
  

   among 
  the 
  cholum 
  ; 
  it 
  was 
  accordingly 
  beaten 
  again 
  and 
  a 
  larger 
  swarm 
  

   driven 
  out. 
  The 
  ryots 
  filled 
  two 
  large 
  cloths 
  with 
  locusts, 
  which 
  they 
  

   burnt. 
  

  

  The 
  field 
  was 
  not 
  large, 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  men 
  engaged 
  in 
  getting 
  

   rid 
  of 
  the 
  insects 
  was 
  larger 
  than 
  most 
  cultivators 
  can 
  employ. 
  The 
  

   result, 
  however, 
  in 
  this 
  instance, 
  was 
  not 
  discouraging, 
  for 
  though 
  there 
  

   were 
  many 
  thousands 
  of 
  locusts 
  left 
  in 
  the 
  field, 
  yet 
  the 
  crop 
  was 
  for 
  

   the 
  time 
  saved. 
  

  

  You 
  have 
  been 
  previously 
  asked 
  to 
  sanction 
  a 
  small 
  reward 
  for 
  each 
  

   basketful 
  of 
  dead 
  locusts 
  brought 
  in. 
  If 
  you 
  should 
  not 
  think 
  this 
  ad- 
  

   visable 
  as 
  a 
  Government 
  measure, 
  I 
  hope 
  you 
  will 
  bring 
  it 
  before 
  the 
  

   relief 
  committee. 
  They 
  will 
  probably 
  make 
  grants 
  to 
  those 
  whose 
  crops 
  

   have 
  been 
  destroyed 
  -, 
  the 
  wiser 
  plan 
  would 
  be 
  to 
  try 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  

   destruction. 
  

  

  Stricter 
  orders 
  have 
  been 
  issued 
  to 
  the 
  revenue 
  inspectors 
  to 
  report 
  

   about 
  locusts. 
  I 
  fear 
  that 
  the 
  real 
  state 
  of 
  matters 
  cannot 
  be 
  under- 
  

   stood 
  from 
  the 
  scanty 
  information 
  at 
  present 
  afforded. 
  

  

  The 
  Board 
  of 
  Kevenues 
  have 
  been 
  addressed 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  

   offer 
  of 
  rewards 
  for 
  destruction 
  of 
  locusts. 
  

  

  A. 
  McC. 
  WEBSTER, 
  Esq., 
  

  

  Collector. 
  

   CoiMBATORE, 
  June 
  3, 
  1878. 
  

  

  April 
  29, 
  1878. 
  

  

  [From 
  J. 
  H. 
  Masters, 
  collector 
  of 
  the 
  Bellary 
  district, 
  April 
  6, 
  1878.] 
  

  

  Eeports 
  of 
  large 
  flights 
  of 
  locusts 
  have 
  been 
  received 
  from 
  the 
  west- 
  

   ern 
  taluqs 
  of 
  this 
  district. 
  They 
  appeared 
  first 
  about 
  the 
  19th 
  of 
  March, 
  

   but 
  the 
  direction 
  they 
  took 
  is 
  not 
  given. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Hadagalli 
  Taluq 
  they 
  appeared 
  first 
  in 
  the 
  Hollal, 
  on 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   treme 
  western 
  border, 
  and 
  took 
  a 
  northeasterly 
  direction. 
  This 
  was 
  

   about 
  the 
  22d 
  of 
  March. 
  They 
  ai)peared 
  at 
  Kudlighi 
  on 
  the 
  3d 
  instant 
  

   from 
  the 
  south, 
  and 
  went 
  in 
  a 
  northeasterly 
  direction. 
  

  

  [In 
  closure.] 
  

   [From 
  J. 
  G. 
  Firth, 
  esq., 
  ex-deputy 
  collector, 
  Bellary 
  division, 
  April 
  3, 
  1878. 
  J 
  

  

  At 
  8 
  a. 
  m. 
  this 
  morning, 
  hearing 
  a 
  great 
  noise 
  of 
  people 
  shouting 
  in 
  

   the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Kudlighi, 
  and 
  learning 
  from 
  a 
  Taluq 
  peon 
  

   that 
  locusts 
  had 
  just 
  began 
  to 
  attack 
  the 
  fields, 
  I 
  galloped 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  

   south 
  of 
  and 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  village 
  where 
  there 
  are 
  about 
  200 
  acres 
  of 
  

   paddy 
  cultivation 
  about 
  half-grown, 
  and 
  saw 
  a 
  large 
  flight 
  of 
  locusts 
  

   about 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  width 
  coming 
  from 
  the 
  south. 
  The 
  villagers 
  stand- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  the 
  paddy 
  fields, 
  waving 
  cloths 
  and 
  dried 
  cocoanat 
  branches, 
  

   shouting, 
  tiring 
  guns, 
  and 
  lighting 
  fires, 
  succeeded 
  in 
  a 
  great 
  measure 
  

   in 
  preventing 
  the 
  locusts 
  from 
  settling 
  upon 
  the 
  paddy 
  fields 
  and 
  upon 
  

   the 
  gardens 
  of 
  vegetables, 
  &c., 
  in 
  their 
  vicinity. 
  But 
  little 
  damage 
  was 
  

   done 
  to 
  the 
  crops. 
  The 
  locusts 
  proceeded 
  in 
  a 
  northerly 
  direction, 
  leav- 
  

   ing 
  few 
  stragglers 
  behind. 
  

  

  The 
  locusts 
  were 
  of 
  a 
  reddish-brown 
  color, 
  varying 
  in 
  length 
  IJ 
  to 
  2J 
  

   inches. 
  

  

  J. 
  H. 
  GARSTIN, 
  

   Additional 
  Secretary 
  to 
  Government. 
  

  

  