﻿LOCUSTS 
  IN 
  INDIA. 
  [79J 
  

  

  We 
  proceeded 
  to 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  swarms. 
  The 
  rollsmen 
  threw 
  their 
  straw 
  

   Tolls 
  around 
  an 
  occupied 
  tract 
  and 
  completely 
  encircled 
  it; 
  the 
  torchmen 
  

   immediately 
  set 
  fire 
  at 
  difierent 
  points, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  insects 
  moved 
  to- 
  

   ward 
  the 
  center, 
  kept 
  pushing 
  the 
  burning 
  straw 
  with 
  sticks 
  slowly 
  be- 
  

   hind 
  them, 
  killing 
  many 
  during 
  the 
  process. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  insects 
  quickly 
  

   'escape 
  whenever 
  the 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  burning 
  material 
  are 
  extinguished. 
  

  

  The 
  ryots 
  granted 
  that 
  our 
  method 
  was 
  successful,^ 
  but 
  they 
  betray 
  

   their 
  shortsightedness, 
  as 
  they 
  cannot 
  see 
  the 
  necessity 
  of 
  working 
  

   about 
  insects 
  in 
  a 
  field 
  which 
  does 
  not 
  belong 
  to 
  themselves. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  A. 
  PINTO, 
  

   Acting 
  Talisildar 
  of 
  Coimhatore. 
  

  

  Jellipatty, 
  3Iay 
  19, 
  1878. 
  

  

  I 
  regret 
  to 
  report 
  that 
  a 
  very 
  great 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  taluq 
  is 
  infested 
  

   ^ith 
  young 
  locusts, 
  whose 
  ravages 
  are 
  very 
  ditstressing. 
  The 
  southern 
  

   half 
  of 
  the 
  taluq 
  appears 
  to 
  suffer 
  most, 
  and 
  the 
  further 
  south 
  we 
  go 
  

   they 
  are 
  more 
  numerous. 
  All 
  the 
  grass 
  is 
  eaten 
  up 
  and 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  

   .garden 
  crops. 
  They 
  must 
  have 
  bred 
  on 
  the 
  Anamallays 
  and 
  found 
  

   their 
  way 
  down, 
  for 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  them, 
  and, 
  

   having 
  eaten 
  up 
  all 
  the 
  pasturage, 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  marching 
  deliber- 
  

   ately 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  villages. 
  They 
  are 
  also, 
  so 
  the 
  forest 
  overseer 
  told 
  

   me, 
  eating 
  the 
  young 
  bamboos. 
  

  

  Arrived 
  at 
  Dhully 
  I 
  rode 
  out 
  to 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  near 
  Tiroomoor- 
  

   thypovil. 
  Here 
  the 
  ground 
  was 
  literally 
  covered 
  with 
  them. 
  I 
  collected 
  

   .about 
  100 
  people, 
  and 
  when 
  1 
  saw 
  a 
  large 
  swarm 
  I 
  threw 
  some 
  straw 
  

   over 
  them 
  ?nd 
  set 
  fire 
  to 
  it. 
  Some 
  perished, 
  but 
  they 
  were 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  

   out 
  of 
  the 
  millions 
  and 
  millions 
  there. 
  In 
  other 
  cases 
  I 
  lit 
  a 
  tire 
  half 
  

   around 
  them 
  and 
  got 
  the 
  people 
  to 
  drive 
  them 
  in. 
  

  

  In 
  Dhully 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  village 
  where 
  I 
  am 
  at 
  present 
  encamped, 
  they 
  are 
  

   ■even 
  in 
  the 
  houses, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  the 
  people 
  have 
  been 
  obliged 
  to 
  

   leave 
  their 
  houses. 
  The 
  destruction 
  done 
  by 
  these 
  locusts 
  is 
  enormous 
  

   .and 
  distressing, 
  when 
  we 
  consider 
  that 
  the 
  cholum 
  now 
  being 
  eaten 
  is 
  the 
  

   third 
  crop 
  the 
  i^oor 
  ryots 
  have 
  attempted 
  to 
  grow. 
  The 
  cholum 
  stalks 
  

   .are 
  now 
  calculated 
  to 
  feed 
  the 
  cattle 
  for 
  a 
  year, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  all 
  gone; 
  so 
  

   what 
  will 
  the 
  cattle 
  do, 
  as 
  the 
  grass 
  is 
  also 
  eaten! 
  

  

  J. 
  H. 
  COOK, 
  Esq., 
  

   Special 
  Assistant 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  State 
  Belief 
  Worlds. 
  

  

  Eawalpindi 
  Diyision, 
  Punjab, 
  July 
  29, 
  1863. 
  

  

  The 
  young 
  locusts 
  have 
  begun 
  to 
  be 
  hatched 
  at 
  Lahore 
  itself, 
  where 
  

   there 
  was 
  previously 
  no 
  suspicion 
  even 
  of 
  eggs 
  having 
  been 
  laid, 
  as 
  

   also 
  in 
  the 
  Gurdaspur 
  district, 
  in 
  vast 
  numbers. 
  The 
  old 
  locusts 
  have 
  

   been 
  laying 
  their 
  eggs 
  at 
  Sirsa, 
  Hissar, 
  Eohtak, 
  Patiala, 
  and 
  other 
  

   I)arts 
  of 
  the 
  Sutlej, 
  while 
  they 
  are 
  stated 
  to 
  be 
  laying 
  them 
  broadcast 
  in 
  

   Bikauer 
  and 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  Eajputana. 
  In 
  the 
  Derajat 
  and 
  Peshawar 
  

   • 
  divisions, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  Eawalpindi, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  feared 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   Salt 
  Eange 
  and 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  the 
  north, 
  the 
  same 
  process 
  api^ears 
  to 
  be 
  

   going 
  on 
  J 
  so 
  it 
  appears 
  certain 
  the 
  coming 
  crops 
  must 
  be 
  devastated 
  far 
  

   .and 
  wide 
  — 
  more 
  especially 
  the 
  cotton 
  crops, 
  which 
  have 
  already 
  begun 
  

   to 
  suffer 
  — 
  if 
  the 
  most 
  resolute 
  efforts 
  be 
  not 
  made 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   ,and 
  young 
  broods 
  before 
  they 
  attain 
  to 
  maturity. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  quite 
  certain 
  that 
  the 
  only 
  stage 
  at 
  which 
  these 
  destroyers 
  can 
  

   ■be 
  effectively 
  contended 
  with 
  is 
  while 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  still 
  in 
  the 
  ground, 
  

   or 
  verj^ 
  shortly 
  after 
  the 
  young 
  have 
  been 
  hatched. 
  The 
  most 
  effective 
  

   ■mode 
  of 
  destroying 
  the 
  former 
  appears 
  undoubtedly 
  to 
  be 
  to 
  plow 
  up 
  

  

  