342 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



1863, 1864 and 1866. In this latter year the parish of Tallulab 

 La. lost over 200 head of mules, and upward of 400 mules and 

 horses were killed within a few days in the parishes of Madison,. 

 Tensas, and Concordia, all in the same state. In other states 

 they also did great damage. In 1868 many mules were killed 

 in the lowlands of Davies county, Ky. Although frequently caus- 

 ing more or less trouble and loss, they did not appear again in 

 such overwhelming numbers until 1872, 1873, 1874, 1881, 1882, 

 1884, 1885 and 1886. In 1872 it was reported that the loss of 

 mules and horses in Crittenden county, Ark., exceeded the loss 

 from all diseases. In 1873 they caused serious injury in many 

 parishes in Louisiana. In 1874 the loss occasioned in one county 

 in southwest Tennessee was estimated at |500,000. The gnats 

 have been especially injurious since the Mississippi floods of 

 1881, and 1882; in the latter year they were more destructive 

 to stock than ever before, appearing in immense numbers in 

 eastern Kansas, western Tennessee and western Mississippi, and 

 the great destruction of cattle, horses and mules caused by them 

 added greatly to the distress of the inhabitants of these sections 

 of the country caused by unprecedented floods. Many localities 

 along the Mississippi river in Arkansas also suffered severely. 

 In 1884 buffalo gnats appeared again in great numbers and were 

 fully as destructive as in 1882. In Franklin parish. La., within 

 a week of their first appearance, they had caused the death of 

 300 head of stock. They w^ere equally numerous throughout 

 the whole region infested, and for the first time in the his- 

 tory of the pest they attacked horses and mules on the streets 

 of the cities of Vicksburg and Memphis. No general outbreak 

 took place in 1885, yet gnats appeared in sufficient numbers 

 to kill quite a number of mules in various parishes of Lou- 

 isiana, especially in Tensas and Franklin. Buffalo gnats ap- 

 peared again in immense numbers in 1886, and extended 

 throughout the entire lower Mississippi valley, and swarm» 

 were even observed and doing damage far away from the re- 

 gion usually invaded. They came very late in the season, and 

 consequently animals were in tetter condition to withstand 

 their attacks. The damage was great however in many local- 

 ities where planters had not taken steps to protect their stock. 

 Besides the actual loss by death to their stock, planters lose 

 much valuable time in preparing their fields for the crops. 

 It so happens that the gnats appear at a time when the ground 

 becomes fit to be prepared for cotton, and, as it is very impor- 

 tant to give that plant as much time as possible to mature, 

 every day is very valuable in early spring. Planters owning- 

 large estates have to use their mules for plowing, notwith- 



