﻿PACKARD.] 
  THE 
  LOCUST 
  IN 
  DAKOTA 
  IN 
  1876. 
  621 
  

  

  any 
  season 
  the 
  whole 
  body 
  of 
  our 
  hatching-swarms 
  might 
  be 
  utterly 
  

   swept 
  away 
  from 
  our 
  midst 
  by 
  favorable 
  winds 
  ; 
  and, 
  finally, 
  if 
  we 
  may 
  

   judge 
  from 
  the 
  last 
  four 
  years, 
  our 
  breeding 
  swarms 
  would 
  decrease 
  

   gradually 
  from 
  one 
  year 
  to 
  another, 
  and 
  if 
  not 
  re-enforced 
  from 
  abroad 
  

   would 
  finally 
  become 
  so 
  few 
  and 
  so 
  scattered 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  harmless." 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Whitman 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  facts 
  observed 
  in 
  Minnesota 
  do 
  not 
  sub- 
  

   stantiate 
  the 
  rule 
  observed 
  by 
  Eiley 
  and 
  others 
  in 
  Missouri, 
  Kansas, 
  

   Nebraska, 
  &c., 
  of 
  a 
  return 
  migration 
  in 
  a 
  northwest 
  direction 
  for 
  the 
  

   purpose 
  of 
  egg-laying, 
  since 
  they 
  remain 
  in 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  and 
  lay 
  

   early 
  in 
  the 
  season. 
  

  

  The 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  swarms 
  which 
  entered 
  Minnesota 
  in 
  1874 
  and 
  1876 
  

   is 
  not 
  definitely 
  known, 
  but 
  Mr. 
  Whitman 
  states 
  that 
  " 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  

   that 
  both 
  in 
  1874 
  and 
  1876 
  the 
  swarms 
  that 
  came 
  into 
  this 
  State, 
  at 
  

   least 
  in 
  the 
  earlier 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season, 
  were 
  hatched 
  in 
  or 
  near 
  British 
  

   America. 
  This 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  inferred 
  from 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  tbeir 
  coming, 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  we 
  know 
  of 
  extensive 
  hatching-grounds 
  in 
  British 
  America 
  in 
  

   both 
  these 
  years, 
  and 
  that 
  we 
  know 
  of 
  no 
  nearer 
  hatching-ground." 
  

  

  The 
  losses 
  sustained 
  by 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Minnesota 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  four 
  

   summers, 
  ending 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  1876, 
  amounts 
  to 
  at 
  least 
  $8,000,000. 
  

  

  THE 
  LOCUST 
  IN 
  DAKOTA 
  IN 
  1876. 
  

  

  In 
  Dakota, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  Weather 
  Signal 
  Eeview, 
  grasshoppers 
  

   were 
  active 
  at 
  Bismarck 
  March 
  4 
  ; 
  they 
  were 
  reported 
  to 
  have 
  appeared 
  

   on 
  the 
  prairies 
  near 
  Pembina 
  in 
  May, 
  but 
  few 
  appeared 
  at 
  Pembina 
  in 
  

   June; 
  in 
  July 
  they 
  "first 
  appeared 
  at 
  Pembina, 
  flying 
  northeast 
  8th 
  and 
  

   9th, 
  southeast 
  11th, 
  12th, 
  17(h, 
  20th, 
  and 
  south 
  13th 
  ;" 
  swarms 
  of 
  grass- 
  

   hoppers 
  at 
  Yankton 
  27th, 
  28th, 
  29th, 
  30th, 
  and 
  31st 
  j 
  at 
  Fort 
  Sully, 
  flying 
  

   northwest 
  and 
  alighting 
  15th 
  ; 
  northwest, 
  26th 
  ; 
  numerous 
  16th, 
  27th, 
  

   28th, 
  29th, 
  30th." 
  August 
  they 
  ''appeared 
  in 
  the 
  extremesouth- 
  

   eastern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  State; 
  10th 
  to 
  29th 
  at 
  Fort 
  Sully, 
  numerous 
  ; 
  de- 
  

   creased 
  during 
  30th 
  and 
  31st. 
  At 
  Yankton 
  during 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  month, 
  

   destroying 
  all 
  the 
  corn 
  ; 
  about 
  10th 
  began 
  to 
  depart 
  and 
  all 
  gone 
  in 
  a 
  

   few 
  days. 
  26th, 
  Bismarck, 
  swarms 
  flying 
  southwest." 
  They 
  disappeared 
  

   September 
  1 
  at 
  Fort 
  Sully. 
  

  

  Buffalo: 
  The 
  entire 
  corn-crop 
  has 
  been 
  eaten 
  by 
  the 
  grasshoppers 
  ; 
  

   wheat 
  and 
  oats, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  drought, 
  ripened 
  early, 
  and 
  were 
  harvested 
  

   in 
  time 
  to 
  escape 
  them. 
  Clay 
  : 
  Have 
  destroyed 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  corn 
  and 
  

   about 
  half 
  the 
  wheat 
  and 
  oats. 
  They 
  are 
  now 
  depositing 
  eggs. 
  It 
  is 
  

   the 
  worst 
  grasshopper 
  raid 
  ever 
  known. 
  Hanson 
  : 
  We 
  are 
  again 
  visited 
  

   by 
  the 
  everlasting 
  grasshopper. 
  They 
  have 
  been 
  with 
  us 
  for 
  the 
  last 
  

   four 
  days, 
  and 
  have 
  left 
  nothing 
  of 
  corn 
  or 
  buckwheat 
  but 
  the 
  naked 
  

   stalks. 
  Oats 
  are 
  badly 
  damaged 
  ; 
  wheat 
  and 
  barley 
  were 
  nearly 
  har- 
  

   vested 
  before 
  they 
  came, 
  and 
  potatoes 
  and 
  sorghum 
  were 
  slighted 
  by 
  

   them, 
  but 
  they 
  went 
  through 
  the 
  gardens 
  like 
  a 
  whirlwind. 
  Minnehaha 
  : 
  

   Have 
  made 
  their 
  api^earance 
  slightly, 
  and 
  have 
  damaged 
  some 
  fields. 
  

   Richland 
  : 
  Are 
  now 
  upon 
  us. 
  They 
  came 
  yesterday, 
  August 
  1, 
  a 
  few 
  

   days 
  late. 
  Gardens 
  are 
  all 
  swept 
  clean 
  ; 
  not 
  very 
  much 
  damage 
  done 
  to 
  

   grain. 
  Stutsman 
  : 
  Did 
  but 
  little 
  damage 
  except 
  to 
  oats, 
  which 
  they 
  

   nearly 
  destroyed. 
  There 
  are 
  none 
  here 
  at 
  present. 
  — 
  (Monthly 
  Report 
  of 
  

   the 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture, 
  August 
  and 
  September, 
  1876.) 
  

  

  Governor 
  Pennington 
  states 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  never 
  seen 
  the 
  young 
  in 
  

   Southern 
  Dakota, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  locusts 
  fly 
  over 
  the 
  southern 
  portion 
  of 
  

   the 
  Territory 
  from 
  the 
  breeding-places 
  in 
  the 
  northern. 
  This 
  view 
  needs 
  

   <;ontirmation, 
  we 
  think. 
  

  

  