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20 per cent of the crops have been damaged by them. In some localities 50 to 75 per 
cent have been entirely destroyed. We think that for this year their damage is 
mostly done. The thing now is to head them off for another year. Farmers are still 
setting out poison and are bound to kill off as many as possible, so as to lessen the 
numberof eggs laid. Plowing and late irrigation will be done.—[H. B. Jackson, 
Colo., August 15, 1892. 
Locusts in Colorado— Another case. 
Recently, while in Colorado, Lincidentally visited Grand Junction, at the request of 
the board of trade of that town, to look into a grasshopper or locust plague that has 
been present in that valley for the past three years. I herewith send you a brief 
report of conditions as they were found: 
About four years ago it was noticed that grasshoppers were unusually abundant 
on a piece of waste land near the river south of the town of Fruita, which is situated 
on Salt Lake Western Railroad, about 12 miles west of Grand Junction. Thenext 
year these hoppers spread to several of the surrounding farms, where they did some 
damage to crops and orchards. The next year these hoppers had increased to such 
an extent that they did considerable injury to both crops and orchards. In fact, 
they did many thousands of dollars’ worth of injury to the peach orchards, which 
thrive here as nowhere else. One orchard alone is reported to have suffered to the 
extent of $25,000. This orchard was visited by me, and as it is 80 acres in extent and 
was fully half destroyed I do not doubt that the injury was fully this great. A 
great many other orchards, both large and small, were more or less completely 
destroyed by these insects last year. With allthis amount of injury going on about 
them the inhabitants did but little fighting, and what fighting they did do was 
undertaken so late in the year that it did comparatively little good. The warfare 
did not begin until after the hoppers had attained their growth and were winged. 
At this time they had left the grain tields and were most, if not all of them, in the 
trees composing the various orchards of the region. Here they remained upon the 
twigs and branches feeding upon the leaves and tender bark of the new growth. 
When here it was next to impossible to dislodge the pest and get at it. Some bran 
and arsenic was used, but so carelessly in many instances that not only were domes- 
tic fowls and an occasional larger animal, but also nearly all of the native birds of 
the region, destroyed. Only one good feature of the use of this remedy was the 
destruction of many rabbits. 
This year I chanced to visit the region about a week before the mass of hoppers 
concerned in this destruction had attained their growth, and was, therefore, in time 
to do some good for the inhabitants by suggesting a more profitable and at the 
same time practical method of warfare, viz, the use of the hopper dozer or kerosene 
pan. In driving over the region for several days prior to my suggesting a definite 
remedy it was ascertained that the majority of the locusts were confined to the 
edges of alfalfa and grain fields, or else they were to be found in the rank vegetation 
along the edges of irrigating ditches. In these localities it was observed that the 
most practical remedy that could possibly be brought against them was the “ dozers.” 
Accordingly several of these machines were ordered made and several meetings of 
the farmers of the region were planned. At these meetings addresses were deliv- 
ered outlining the various methods that have been and that might be used in fight- 
ing locust pests. Both the piactical (such remedies as can be applied with a saving) 
and the impractical (such as cost more to apply than would be the value of the crop 
intended to be saved) remedies were described at some length. In the case under 
consideration, where the people were not overburdened with cash, I insisted upon 
the practical remedies, although there were many among the audiences who insisted 
upon some remedy where there was to be little or no outlay of labor. 
7902—No, 1——3 
