308 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 

 NOTES ON LOCUSTS AT AND ABOTJT FOLSOM, CAL. 



By AXBERT KOEBELH. 



Alaiveeda, Cal,., August 6, 1885. 



Dear Sir: In accordance with your instructions, I went to Folsom, 

 wheuec I could visit the place of the Natoma Water and Mining Com- 

 pany, which company has done the most in the destruction of locusts. 

 I also visited other places along the foot-hills, especially White Rock 

 and its surroundings, which are known everywhere as the breeding- 

 grounds of the locusts. The Indians visit this place yearly for the pur- 

 pose of hiying in a supply of locusts. 



It will not be necessary to relate in detail the mode in which locusts 

 aie collected by the Indians, but, in brief, it may be said that a funnel- 

 sLiaped hole is made in the ground, the walls of which are smoothed 

 with clay, and the insects are then driven into it and killed with boiling 

 water, after which they are dried, and thus may be preserved for use at 

 any time. The water is heated by plunging hot stones into it. 



All these places, where the locusts were so destructive, are situated 

 just along the foot-hills of the Sierra Nevada. These hills are generally 

 bare and very dry. The best breeding-place I have seen (White Eock) 

 consists of hills from 100 to 150 feet in height, entirely destitute of trees 

 and shrubbery, rocky on some of the highest parts, with red, sandy 

 soil, which in most places is only a few inches deep, resting on solid 

 rock, the greatest number of locusts always issuing in such places. 



The Natoma Water and Miniug Company's land lies about 5 miles 

 west of this. This company owns 8,700 acres. About 3,350 acres of 

 this are under cultivation; 200 in fruit orchard, consisting of plum, 

 peach, and pear trees ; 1,050 in viueyards, and 1,200 in grain; the rest 

 is broken and waste land. On the eastern side this laud rises to 75 feet 

 in height, sparingly covered with oaks, and well situated for breeding- 

 grounds; yet the most of the young locusts have hatched between this 

 and the vineyard, on a bare slope. Many trees and shrubs grow along the 

 river to the west, and very few locusts were ever noticed there ; yet 

 they appeared about the middle of March in large numbers along the 

 roads, and especially along the railroad, which runs through these 

 grounds, and were noticed especially issuing after every rain. They 

 began to migrate about the middle of April, and wore then from three- 

 eighths to five eighths of an inch in length. The I^atoma company iit 

 once set to work to destroy them. Along the roads and on the waste laud 

 straw was set on fire, as the " hoppers" continually came anew from the 

 hills. This fire was kept up or renewed every few days uutil about the 

 middle of April, when the insects became winged. Each new swarm 

 would feed on its dead and roasted companions, and if a living indi- 

 vidual were unable to rise, a half-dozen locusts would at once jump at ir, 

 and in less than five minutes nothing but the legs would be left. JUn 

 especially employed for the purpose placed straw along the waste la;.- 1 

 and along the roads, drove the insects into it, and set it on tire on both 

 sides. In this way large quantities of locusts were destroyed. 



A channel about 10 feet wide runs along the eastern part of these 

 lands, and as the movement of the locusts was such that nothiug could 

 binder it, they jumped right into the water all along this channel, and 

 were swept down-stream, to be collected in traps constructed for this 

 purpose. The tr^-ps were made of a box 6 feet long, 3 feet broad, and 

 3 feet high, with strong screens on the sides to allow the water to pass. 



