﻿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 
  : 
  

  

  Denver, 
  Colo., 
  August 
  26, 
  1876. 
  

  

  I 
  think 
  I 
  reported 
  to 
  you 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  character 
  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 
  

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

   if 
  the 
  crop 
  was 
  already 
  growing 
  they 
  vs^ere 
  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 
  orop 
  mainly 
  matured 
  with 
  

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

   insects. 
  

  

  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 
  went 
  for 
  about 
  three 
  weeks. 
  Toward 
  the 
  last 
  nearly 
  all 
  

   had 
  disappeared. 
  They 
  damaged 
  corn 
  and 
  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 
  escapeid 
  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,* 
  and 
  

   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, 
  and 
  found 
  it 
  so 
  much 
  easier 
  than 
  they 
  expected, 
  

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

   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 
  think 
  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 
  judgment 
  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'a 
  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 
  the 
  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 
  and 
  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. 
  

  

  