﻿670 
  EEPOKT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  Kerosene 
  oil 
  is 
  a 
  valuable 
  ageut 
  whenever 
  it 
  is 
  practicable 
  to 
  use 
  it, 
  both 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  

   grasshoppers 
  and 
  to 
  prevent 
  their 
  depredations. 
  A 
  spoonful 
  of 
  oil, 
  kept 
  well 
  shaken 
  

   up 
  in 
  a 
  watering-pot 
  filled 
  with 
  water, 
  and 
  sprinkled 
  upon 
  melon-vines, 
  squash- 
  vines, 
  

   or 
  any 
  other 
  garden 
  vegetables, 
  will 
  effectually 
  prevent 
  their 
  destruction. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  cheap 
  > 
  

   means 
  of 
  defense 
  and 
  easily 
  applied 
  on 
  a 
  small 
  scale. 
  Various 
  methods 
  are 
  in 
  use 
  for 
  

   the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  deposited. 
  Deep 
  fall 
  or 
  early 
  

   spring 
  plowing 
  has 
  a 
  tendency 
  to 
  disturb 
  and 
  destroy 
  them, 
  sometimes 
  wholly 
  and 
  

   sometimes 
  only 
  in 
  part, 
  but 
  always 
  seriously 
  affecting 
  their 
  vitality. 
  A 
  flock 
  of 
  sheep 
  

   having 
  the 
  run 
  of 
  a 
  stalk-field 
  of 
  mine 
  last 
  season 
  completely 
  destroyed 
  a 
  large 
  deposit 
  

   of 
  eggs. 
  The 
  ground 
  was 
  very 
  loose 
  and 
  dry, 
  and 
  the 
  surface 
  becoming 
  completely 
  

   pulverized 
  and 
  cut 
  up 
  with 
  their 
  feet, 
  not 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  ever 
  hatched. 
  Birds 
  are 
  au 
  

   important 
  aid 
  in 
  their 
  destruction, 
  and 
  in 
  loose 
  soils 
  they 
  scratch 
  out 
  and 
  eat 
  enormous 
  . 
  

   numbers 
  of 
  them. 
  The 
  much-despised 
  skunk, 
  too, 
  is 
  a 
  most 
  desirable 
  friend 
  to 
  man 
  iuli 
  

   this 
  contingency. 
  A 
  single 
  skunk 
  will 
  often 
  clear 
  an 
  acre 
  of 
  ground, 
  even 
  in 
  sod, 
  of' 
  

   all 
  grasshopper-eggs. 
  No 
  farmer 
  in 
  the 
  West 
  who 
  has 
  good 
  sense 
  will 
  kill 
  skunks. 
  

   They 
  deserve 
  to 
  be 
  propagated, 
  even 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  necessary 
  to 
  nurse 
  them 
  on 
  young 
  

   chickens. 
  

  

  To 
  defend 
  a 
  field 
  of 
  grain 
  against 
  flying 
  grasshoppers, 
  altogether 
  different 
  tactics 
  must 
  

   be 
  employed. 
  Clouds 
  of 
  dense 
  smoke 
  made 
  from 
  burning 
  old 
  rags 
  wet 
  with 
  kerosene 
  

   oil, 
  or 
  by 
  hurning 
  coal-tar 
  or 
  sulphur 
  in 
  differint 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  fields, 
  have 
  proved 
  quite 
  

   successful 
  when 
  thoroughly 
  tried. 
  Sometimes 
  also 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  driven 
  from 
  afield 
  by 
  

   dragging 
  ropes 
  through 
  the 
  grain, 
  on 
  which 
  are 
  tied 
  newspapers 
  or 
  rags 
  ; 
  when, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  they 
  are 
  tired 
  with 
  a 
  long 
  flight 
  and 
  are 
  hungry 
  from 
  long 
  fasting, 
  this 
  latter 
  

   method 
  is 
  generally 
  of 
  little 
  avail. 
  In 
  this 
  State 
  the 
  young 
  grasshopper 
  is 
  our 
  worst 
  

   enemy, 
  our 
  principal 
  crop 
  being 
  wheat. 
  The 
  flying 
  hosts 
  seldom 
  get 
  here 
  in 
  time 
  to 
  

   injure 
  it. 
  When 
  we 
  came 
  out 
  here 
  the 
  old 
  settlers 
  told 
  us 
  they 
  only 
  had 
  grasshoppers 
  

   about 
  once 
  in 
  seven 
  years 
  ; 
  that 
  season 
  being 
  free 
  from 
  them 
  seemed 
  to 
  lend 
  weight 
  

   to 
  the 
  statement. 
  The 
  next 
  year 
  bringing 
  a 
  pretty 
  fair 
  crop 
  of 
  them, 
  they 
  said 
  they 
  

   usually 
  came 
  every 
  other 
  year, 
  but 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  had 
  them 
  everv 
  year 
  since, 
  they 
  now 
  

   say 
  they 
  generally 
  stay 
  about 
  seven 
  years 
  in 
  a 
  place. 
  Perhaps, 
  after 
  all, 
  the 
  " 
  fourteen- 
  

   year 
  locusts 
  " 
  would 
  be 
  au 
  appropriate 
  designation 
  ; 
  at 
  least 
  we 
  look 
  upon 
  them 
  as 
  being 
  

   a 
  permanent 
  investment, 
  and 
  make 
  our 
  plans 
  to 
  fight 
  them 
  always. 
  We 
  have 
  a 
  fair 
  

   amount 
  of 
  eggs 
  planted 
  for 
  next 
  year's 
  crop. 
  

  

  In 
  Iowa 
  the 
  farmers 
  spread 
  hay 
  or 
  straw 
  over 
  the 
  surface. 
  "At 
  night 
  

   the 
  young 
  insects 
  would 
  gather 
  under 
  it, 
  and 
  immense 
  numbers 
  were 
  

   burned 
  up 
  in 
  this 
  manner. 
  Plowing 
  is 
  resorted 
  to 
  this 
  fall 
  (1876) 
  in 
  

   some 
  localities 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  covering 
  the 
  eggs 
  deep, 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  

   said 
  they 
  will 
  rot. 
  Other 
  methods 
  have 
  been 
  used, 
  such 
  as 
  catching 
  

   them, 
  and 
  machines 
  have 
  been 
  invented 
  for 
  this 
  purpose. 
  Eolling 
  the 
  

   ground 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  had 
  also 
  been 
  suggested 
  as 
  a 
  means 
  for 
  destroving 
  

   the 
  young 
  insects." 
  (Proc. 
  Conference 
  of 
  Governors.) 
  

  

  Some 
  important 
  suggestions 
  of 
  a 
  practical 
  nature 
  are 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  

   following 
  proclamation 
  of 
  the 
  governor 
  of 
  Minnesota, 
  here 
  reprinted 
  

   fron\ 
  the 
  Grasshopper 
  Conference 
  pamphlet: 
  

  

  State 
  of 
  Minnesota, 
  Executive 
  Department, 
  

  

  Saint 
  Paul, 
  August 
  30, 
  1876. 
  

   The 
  continued 
  and 
  increasing 
  ravages 
  of 
  the 
  locusts 
  or 
  grasshoppers 
  in 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  

   Territories 
  and 
  States 
  of 
  the 
  Union 
  have 
  been 
  deemed 
  sufficiently 
  serious 
  to 
  warrant 
  

   a 
  meeting 
  of 
  the 
  governors 
  of 
  such 
  States 
  and 
  Territories 
  for 
  consultation, 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  

   to 
  seek 
  congressional 
  aid, 
  or 
  otherwise 
  secure 
  combined 
  action 
  in 
  resistance 
  of 
  the 
  

   growing 
  evil. 
  Such 
  conference 
  has 
  been 
  called 
  to 
  meet 
  in 
  October. 
  Meantime 
  the 
  

   widening 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  visitations 
  of 
  these 
  insects 
  in 
  this 
  State 
  induces 
  me 
  without 
  delay 
  

   to 
  urge 
  the 
  people 
  whose 
  interests 
  are 
  most 
  directly 
  involved, 
  to 
  assemble 
  in 
  public 
  

   meetings 
  in 
  their 
  several 
  localities, 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  collecting 
  information, 
  inter- 
  

   changing 
  views, 
  and 
  devising 
  plans 
  of 
  concerted 
  action 
  for 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  insects, 
  

   and 
  for 
  a 
  common 
  defense 
  against 
  their 
  ravages. 
  Both 
  the 
  correction 
  of 
  exaggerated 
  

   reports, 
  and 
  the 
  promotion 
  of 
  an 
  intelligent 
  apprehension 
  of 
  the 
  actual 
  evil 
  to 
  be 
  en- 
  

   countered, 
  it 
  is 
  believed, 
  would 
  result 
  from 
  this 
  course, 
  while 
  the 
  hope 
  of 
  thus 
  attainiuo- 
  

   practical 
  means 
  of 
  mutual 
  protection 
  certainly 
  justifies 
  a 
  united 
  and 
  energetic 
  effort 
  

   in 
  behalf 
  of 
  an 
  object 
  common 
  to 
  the 
  public 
  welfare. 
  

  

  _ 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  concurrent 
  belief 
  of 
  all 
  who 
  have 
  given 
  close 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  subject 
  that 
  

   it 
  is 
  practicable 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  pests 
  in 
  great 
  measure 
  or 
  to 
  insure 
  a 
  vast 
  mitigation 
  of 
  

   the 
  worst 
  results, 
  by 
  the 
  timely, 
  concerted, 
  and 
  persistent 
  efforts 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  com- 
  

   munities 
  directly 
  concerned, 
  and 
  the 
  employment 
  of 
  simple 
  agencies 
  readily 
  available. 
  

   To 
  this 
  end 
  I 
  have 
  taken 
  pains 
  to 
  collect, 
  from 
  the 
  most 
  reliable 
  sources, 
  information 
  of 
  

   the 
  several 
  modes 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  successfully 
  employed, 
  which 
  I 
  here 
  detail 
  for 
  the 
  

  

  