﻿672 
  REPOET 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  1 
  

  

  half 
  of 
  onr 
  commonwealtb, 
  that 
  our 
  representatives 
  and 
  j^overnors 
  and 
  others 
  in 
  

   authority 
  will 
  all 
  unite 
  in 
  obtaining 
  the 
  aid 
  needed 
  to 
  prosecute 
  the 
  scientific 
  research 
  

   referred 
  to. 
  

  

  The 
  subject 
  which 
  most 
  concerns 
  us 
  is 
  the 
  adoption 
  of 
  any 
  or 
  all 
  the 
  successful 
  

   means 
  already 
  known, 
  or 
  such 
  as 
  may 
  bo 
  provided, 
  for 
  a 
  general 
  and 
  systematic 
  cru- 
  

   sade 
  against 
  locusts 
  next 
  year. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  certain 
  that 
  we 
  shall 
  have 
  the 
  impending 
  invasion 
  in 
  1877. 
  They 
  may 
  

   wholly 
  disappear, 
  as 
  they 
  did 
  from 
  Iowa 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1887, 
  without 
  doing 
  any 
  

   damage. 
  

  

  Within 
  the 
  last 
  thirty 
  days 
  I 
  have 
  examined 
  many 
  thousands 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  in 
  South- 
  

   eastern 
  Nebraska, 
  and 
  find 
  a 
  large 
  proportion 
  already 
  destroyed. 
  Those 
  in 
  the 
  hard 
  

   ground, 
  such 
  as 
  roadsides, 
  are 
  best 
  preserved 
  ; 
  while 
  those 
  in 
  soft 
  ground, 
  such 
  as 
  

   stubble 
  corn-fields, 
  or 
  gardens, 
  are 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  great 
  exteut 
  carried 
  away 
  or 
  consumed 
  by 
  

   some 
  predatory 
  insect. 
  But 
  whatever 
  the 
  results 
  may 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  it 
  is 
  wise 
  

   meanwhile 
  to 
  disseminate 
  among 
  the 
  people 
  everywhere 
  descriptions 
  of 
  every 
  known 
  

   device 
  or 
  remedy, 
  whether 
  mechanical 
  or 
  chemical, 
  by 
  which 
  we 
  may 
  secure 
  partial, 
  

   if 
  not 
  good, 
  average 
  crops. 
  The 
  people 
  are 
  generally 
  uninformed 
  on 
  this 
  subject; 
  

   they 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  what 
  to 
  do. 
  Arm 
  them 
  with 
  reliable 
  facts, 
  modes 
  of 
  destruction, 
  

   and 
  we 
  will 
  have 
  a 
  home 
  army 
  of 
  millions 
  of 
  men, 
  who 
  will 
  fight 
  vigorously 
  for 
  their 
  

   farms 
  and 
  gardens. 
  

  

  Those 
  who 
  understand 
  these 
  matters 
  in 
  Nebraska 
  have 
  succeeded 
  in 
  driving 
  off 
  hordes 
  

   of 
  these 
  locusts 
  and 
  saving 
  their 
  crops. 
  Governor 
  Furnas, 
  who 
  last 
  year 
  lost 
  heavily 
  

   by 
  them, 
  has 
  now 
  no 
  fear 
  either 
  as 
  to 
  his 
  farm 
  or 
  nursery. 
  " 
  He 
  has 
  met 
  the 
  enemy 
  and 
  

   they 
  are 
  his." 
  His 
  modes 
  are 
  exceedingly 
  simple, 
  as 
  he 
  has 
  explained 
  them. 
  Another 
  

   man 
  in 
  this 
  same 
  county 
  raised 
  one 
  hundred 
  acres 
  of 
  wheat 
  by 
  making 
  a 
  ditch 
  as 
  a 
  

   barrier 
  against 
  the 
  creeping, 
  unfledged 
  locusts 
  ; 
  the 
  ditch 
  sloping 
  to 
  the 
  coming 
  hosts, 
  

   • 
  but 
  steep 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  side. 
  

  

  One 
  man, 
  in 
  Saline 
  County, 
  invented 
  a 
  long 
  box 
  and 
  placed 
  it 
  on 
  wheels, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  

   would 
  catch 
  all 
  the 
  locusts 
  as 
  it 
  approached 
  them. 
  By 
  this 
  means 
  he 
  saved 
  his 
  corn- 
  

   field. 
  

  

  Another 
  man, 
  in 
  York 
  County, 
  burned 
  brimstone 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  pan 
  with 
  a 
  long 
  handle, 
  

   and 
  drew 
  it 
  through 
  his 
  corn-field 
  after 
  the 
  flying 
  locusts 
  hoid 
  taken 
  the 
  country, 
  and 
  

   he 
  was 
  successful 
  in 
  saving 
  his 
  entire 
  crop. 
  

  

  Again, 
  the 
  Meunonites 
  came 
  to 
  Nebraska 
  in 
  1874, 
  and 
  when 
  they 
  saw 
  the 
  first 
  inva- 
  

   sion 
  of 
  locusts 
  in 
  August 
  of 
  that 
  year 
  did 
  not 
  mind 
  theui 
  in 
  the 
  least 
  ; 
  nor 
  have 
  they 
  

   manifested 
  any 
  concern 
  or 
  alarm 
  since. 
  The 
  reason 
  is, 
  the 
  Mennonites 
  were 
  familiar 
  

   with 
  them 
  in 
  Russia, 
  and 
  knew 
  how 
  to 
  fight 
  them 
  successfully. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  their 
  modes, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  cutting 
  ditches, 
  are 
  as 
  follows: 
  In 
  the 
  springy 
  as 
  

   the 
  locusts 
  begin 
  to 
  appear, 
  they 
  are 
  driven, 
  by 
  pushing 
  them 
  with 
  brush 
  or 
  brooms, 
  

   to 
  the 
  grass 
  or 
  prairie, 
  which 
  is 
  set 
  on 
  fire 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  just 
  that 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  prairie 
  which 
  

   has 
  received 
  the 
  horde 
  from 
  the 
  plowed 
  field. 
  The 
  prairie-fire 
  is 
  iben 
  put 
  out 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  

   they 
  appear 
  day 
  by 
  day, 
  more 
  locusts 
  are 
  driven 
  to 
  the 
  grass, 
  which 
  is 
  also 
  burned, 
  and 
  

   so 
  on 
  until 
  all 
  have 
  been 
  destroyed. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  locusts 
  are 
  coming 
  in 
  swarms 
  from 
  abroad, 
  the 
  Mennonites 
  build 
  small 
  

   smoke-fires, 
  with 
  dry 
  or 
  damj^ 
  straw 
  or 
  prairie-grass, 
  making 
  fires 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  

   rods 
  over 
  a 
  forty 
  or 
  eighty 
  acre 
  field. 
  These 
  fires 
  or 
  smokes 
  are 
  kept 
  until 
  the 
  locusts 
  

   have 
  passed 
  over, 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  manner 
  the 
  crop 
  is 
  wholly 
  or 
  partly 
  saved. 
  

  

  But 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  familiarize 
  the 
  people 
  with 
  these 
  cheap 
  and 
  simple 
  modes 
  of 
  

   destruction 
  ; 
  and 
  while 
  much 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  through 
  the 
  press, 
  much 
  more 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  

   by 
  organizing 
  the 
  counties, 
  towns, 
  and 
  districts 
  or 
  precincts 
  into 
  locust 
  clubs, 
  under 
  

   the 
  authority 
  or 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  governor 
  of 
  each 
  State 
  or 
  Territory, 
  who 
  may 
  send 
  

   some 
  competent 
  person 
  or 
  persons 
  over 
  the 
  State 
  to 
  assist 
  in 
  perfecting 
  such 
  organiza- 
  

   tions 
  and 
  selecting 
  the 
  most 
  available 
  men 
  as 
  local 
  committees, 
  who 
  can 
  receive 
  and 
  

   distribute 
  such 
  printed 
  matter 
  as 
  the 
  governor 
  may, 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  forward 
  for 
  

   distribution. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  a 
  whole 
  State 
  may 
  be 
  thoroughly 
  organized 
  for 
  the 
  cam- 
  

   paign, 
  and 
  the 
  entire 
  population 
  will 
  become 
  enthusiastic 
  in 
  preparing 
  for 
  and 
  carry- 
  

   ing 
  on 
  this 
  warfare. 
  

  

  For 
  other 
  useful 
  hints 
  and 
  suggestions 
  the 
  reader 
  is 
  referred 
  to 
  an 
  

   article 
  " 
  On 
  the 
  means 
  of 
  destroying 
  the 
  grasshopper," 
  by 
  Y. 
  Mots- 
  

   chulsky, 
  translated 
  from 
  the 
  Eussian 
  by 
  Prof. 
  W. 
  W. 
  Turner, 
  and 
  i)ub- 
  

   lished 
  in 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  Eeport 
  for 
  1858. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  also 
  been 
  shown 
  that 
  the 
  most 
  young 
  may 
  be 
  destroyed 
  by 
  good 
  

   cultivation 
  and 
  a 
  constant 
  stirring 
  of 
  the 
  soil. 
  Swarms 
  of 
  winged 
  

   locusts 
  may 
  be 
  in 
  part 
  driven 
  oif 
  by 
  smudges, 
  or 
  in 
  grain-fields 
  by 
  

   hitching 
  a 
  long 
  rope 
  to 
  a 
  horse 
  and 
  dragging 
  it 
  over 
  the 
  grain, 
  thus 
  

   disturbing 
  the 
  locusts 
  and 
  driving 
  them 
  off. 
  But 
  after 
  all 
  they 
  are 
  only 
  

   driven 
  from 
  one 
  field 
  to 
  another, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  almost 
  impossible 
  to 
  drive 
  

  

  