﻿110 NINTH ANNUAL KEPORT 



The lime crumbles imder the feet of the insects as they attempt to climb, and prevents 

 their getting up. By their persistent efforts, however, they gradually tear off the lime 

 and reach a higher point each day, so that the whitewashing must be often repeated. 

 Trees with short, rough trunks, or which lean, are not very well protected in this way. 

 A strip of smooth, bright tin answers even better for the same purpose. A strip three 

 or four inches wide brought around and tacked to a smooth tree will protect it; while 

 on rougher trees a piece of old rope may first be tacked around the tree and the tin 

 tacked to it, so as to leave a portion both above and below. Passages between the tin 

 and rope or the rope and tree can then be blocked by filling the upper area between 

 tin and tree with earth. The tin must be high enough from the ground to prevent the 

 'hoppers from jumping from the latter beyond it ; and the'trunk below the tin, where 

 the insects collect, should be covered with some greasy or poisonous substances to pre- 

 vent girdling. This is more especially necessary with small trees ; and kerosene or 

 whitewash having Paris green mij^ed with it will answer as such preventives. 



One of the cheapest and simplest modes is to encircle the tree with cotton batting, 

 into which the insects will entangle their feet, and thus be more or less obstructed. 

 Strips of paper covered with tar, stiff paper tied on so as to slope roof-fashion, strips of 

 glazed wall paper, thick coatings of soft soap, have been used with varying success ; but 

 no estoppel eqrials the bright tin; the others require constant watching and renewal, 

 and in all cases coming under my observation some insects would get into the trees so 

 as to require the daily shaking of these morning and evening. This will sometimes 

 have to be done when the bulk of the insects have become fledged, even where tin is 

 used ; for a certain proportion of the insects will then fly into the trees. They do most 

 damage during the night, and care should be had that the trees be unloaded of their 

 voracious freight just before dark. 



Finally, most cultivated plants may be measurably protected from the ravages of 

 these young by good cultivation and a constant stirring of the soil. The young have 

 an antipathy to a loose and friable surface, which incommodes them and hinders their 

 progress ; and they will often leave juch a surface for one more hard and firm. 



Hogs and poultry of every description delight ty feed on the young locusts, and 

 will flourish where these abound when nothing else does. Our farmers in the threat- 

 ened counties should provide themselves with as large a quantity as possible of this 

 stock. Where no general and systematic efforts have been made to destroy either the 

 eggs or the young locusts, and it is found that, as Spring opens, these young hatch out 

 in threatening numbers, the intelligent farmer will delay the planting of everything . 

 that cannot be protected by ditching until the verj' last moment, or till the insects 

 become fledged — using bis team and time solely in the preparation of his land In this 

 way he will not only save his seed and the labor of planting, and, perhaps, replanting, 

 but he will materially assist in weakening the devouring armies. Men planted in 1S75, 

 and worked with a will and energy born of necessity, only to see their crops finally 

 taken, their seed gone, and their teams and themselves worn out. The locusts in the 

 end destroyed every green thing, until finding nothing more, they began to fall upon 

 each other and to perish. This critical period in their history would have been brought 

 about much earlier if they had not had the cultivated crops to feed upon; and if by 

 concert of action this system of non-planting could atfirst have been adopted over large 

 areas, the insects would have been much sooner starved out and obliged to congregate 

 in the pastures, prairies and timber. Moreover the time required for earlj^ planting 

 and cultivation, if devoted to destroying the insects after the bulk of them hatch out 

 toward the end of April, would virtually annihilate them. 



Too much stress cannot be laid on the advantages of co-operation and concert of 



