THE LOCUST IN VICTORIA.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1453, 11 January 1887, Page 3

THE LOCUST IN VICTORIA.

The plagues of the modern agriculturist are quite as numerous, if, happily, not so severe, as those which fell upon Egypt m the days of Moses. Rust and caterpillar, sparrows, drought, and nor'westers m their turn afflict him, and only too frequently destroy the golden promise of his harvest. Yet, taking season with season, year with year, we have gratefully to acknowledge that the promise fails not, and that the generous earth continues to yield abundantly both seed to the sower and bread to the eater. Indeed, as m the case of the sparrow pest m New Zealand, some of our troubles are of our ovrn making, while as regards the five scourges we have mentioned, orte at least may be conquered by the importation of insectivorous birds. Even as it is, the importation of small-birds has apparently put a stop to the raids of the caterpillar, and it is our own fault if, by a mistaken choice of birds which are grain and seed eaters as well as eaters of insects, instead of such as are insect-eaters only, we have substituted one pest for another. But as every mistake of the kind has to be dearly paid for, and comes into the category of those blunders which are worse than crimes, it behoves us to keep our eyes open to other threatened dangers which it may by proper precaution be found possible to avert, lest the number of our scourges be multiplied, and the^ troubles of our agriculturists augmented. For this reason, the Legislature has done well ip making provision against the devastation of our orchards by the importation of the codlin moth, and, more recently, to prevent the usurpation of the soil liy the Californian thistle, bur we are sorry to see that another danger far

greater than either of these is loomng iup m unpleasant proximity to our shores, and to fend off which from New Zealand no effort can possibly be too great. For, according to late Victor kn papers, that learful plague the locust has been acclimatised m that colony, and is already playing hn voc indifferent directions. A correspondent of the Melbourne Leadct says :— "The locusts i are still doing great damage m this locality, especially m the Wallaloo district. The farmers are driven to their wits' ends as to what they shall do with their stock until the summer is past, i The drought was bad enough, but the j locusts have proved a worse pestilence. Hundreds of acres of crops have been eaten down to the ground, and hundreds of other acres partly destroyed. Reading and Sons, m one day, had 50 acres of crop, expected to yield 20 bushels to j the acre, half destroyed, and 100 ceres g'eatly damaged. In Irtss than one veek they had three selections of good grass levelled to the ground. S. Andrews hud about 70 acres of wheat crop greatly damaged. During the time tho reaper was cutting his oat crop ?he locusts ate more than half of it, and m afew dayscleared his two selections of all grass. George Maunder had 60 acres of wheat badly injured and his oat crop nearly eaten up. Two reapers could not cut down the crop fast enough to keep pace with the destruction of the pest. John Maunder had 30 acres of oats eaten up, stalk and stump, and his wheat crop was greatly injured. Messrs A. Main, T. Aldred, and several others have been great sufferers. The district looks like a barren waste. On the Wallaloo station there is not sufficient grass to feed the sheep. Fortu- | nately, m some instances, the whent ! crops were so far advanced that both stalk and grain were too hard for the pests to do much damage, any further than eat off the low heads. Consequently, a few good crops ate left standing, -but these are few and far apart. Marnoo, Banyena, Cope Cope, Swanwater, Darkbonee, and other localities have suffered greatly. The locusts travel m companies about two miles wide, from two to three miles m length, and are from one to two inches thick upon the ground. They are clearing everything before them at the rate of about three-quarters of a mile each day. Myriads of the insects have also visited the Great Western, where a number of young vines were destroyed." This is very serious news, but it is very much to be feared that it is only the beginning of the trouble, and that m future seasons these voracious insects will be infinitely more numerous and their ravages correspondingly extensive. It would appear that the locust is not indigenous to Victoria, and it is obvious, therefore, that it has been introduced from other countries — probably by the importation of the eggs with packages of grain or seed. If so, the like danger threatens New Zealand, ■ and it is highly desirable that the Government should seek the best . scientific advice as to how it may be possible to detect the presence of the ' embryo insect, and what, if any, precautions can be exercised to guard against its introduction into this colony. The matter is one which calls for prompt and careful attention.