622 REPORT UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL .SURVEY. 

 THE LOCUST IN COLORADO IN 1876. 



In Colorado the movements of the locust were closely observed by my 

 friend, Mr. W. N. Byers, who has kindly sent me the following interest- 

 ing account : 



Den\^er, Colo., August 26, 1876. 



I thiuk I reported to you the time and cliaracter of the grasshopper invasion and of 

 their depositing eggs in this part of the country last year. In consequence of the 

 latter the young ones hatched out in great numbers during the month of May. The 

 farmers fought them actively and in most cases successfully. Those that hatched in 

 plovred ground were destroyed by turning them under deeply at the proper time, or 

 if the crop was already growing they were destroyed by the judicious use of fire, coal- 

 tar, or kerosene. For this purpose they have a number of ingenious devices, and each 

 agency is very effective in destroying the infantile grasshopper. Where they attempted 

 to invade growing fields they were stopped by streams of water in or from the irrigat- 

 ing ditches. In these streams traps and screens were placed by which the insects were 

 caught by the bushel, or a scum of kerosene was placed on the water, if standing or 

 moving slowly, and this was equally fatal to them. The battle lasted but a short time, 

 and almost every farmer who tried saved his crops. Early in the summer they disap- 

 peared, no one could tell how or where. The small-grain crop mamly matured with 

 excellent yield, but the breadth of ground planted was reduced through fear of the 



Right in the midst of harvest, on the 3d of August, flying swarms began coming 

 from the north and north-northeast. They alighted from day to day, but generally 

 moved on the next day and continued their march across the State toward the south. 

 After about a week their course changed to southwest, and they moved into the mount- 

 ains, covered South Park, and at last accounts were reaching the headwaters of the 

 South Arkansas and Rio Grande Rivers. On the first day of this new direction the 

 flight was the most remarkable ever seen here by civilized people. During the whole 

 day the air was literally thick with them as far as the eye could reach. But few came 

 down. Thus they came and w.ent for about three weeks. Toward the last nearly all 

 had disappeared. They damaged corn aud growing vegetables in Northern Colorado 

 perhaps one-third, though the damage was very unequal — some places nearly total, 

 and in others very slight, and some localities escaped altogether. In Southern Colo- 

 rado the damage to similar crops was much greater ; probably an average of two- 

 thirds. 



Two days ago a new swarm came and settled down in this neighborhood. I have no 

 knowledge as to the extent of the country covered by them. They are pairing,* a«id 

 as the weather is getting quite cool I do not think they will move much more. We 

 are probably fated to another generation of them next year, but our farmers have suc- 

 ceeded so well in fighting them, aud found it so much easier than they expected, 

 that they snap their fingers at the thought of being eaten out by the young ones. Bat 

 when they fly there is no power to resist them. This is the third year of the plague, 

 and we are pretty sure of the fourth. 



We thiuk here'that the first swarms came from the high plains of Wyoming, and 

 the later ones from Western Dakota, Eastern Montana, and, perhaps, from British 

 America. This judgmeut is based upon reports of their hatching in Wyoming, Da- 

 kota, and Montana. It would be a very simple matter to determine their movements 

 exactly' and predict their march with almost exact certainty. 



Beside the information given in Mr. Byers's letter of August 1, 1 find 

 it stated in the Colorado Farmer that in Larimer County they eat up 

 the grain in the last of August, having been very destructive. In the 

 same paper for September 7, M. W. D. Arnett gives the following account 

 of their visitations : 



To the Editor of the Farmer : 



Perhaps a history of tbe visitation of the locust or grasshopper may be interesting 

 in forming some conclusions as to what may be reasonably expected in coming seasons. 

 In 1864, they came to my place August 26. Wheat aud other similar grain was har- 

 vested ; corn was full and getting ripe, but they eat it up almost entirely. They also 

 deposited their eggs in vast numbers, which hatched out in 1865 and destroyed nearly 

 all the crops. I saved my own by ditches, which was mostly oats. In this year, the 

 young fry left as soon as fledged, going southwest. On August 5, 1865, an army of grass- 

 hoppers came and harvested the oats almost entire, leaving but a small amount of wheat 

 and nothing else. In 1866 they came, I think, on the 9th of September, when small 



* Farmers report that they are depositing eggs in some portions of the country. 



