﻿PACKARD.] 
  KEMEDIES 
  AGAINST 
  THE 
  LOCUST. 
  673 
  

  

  them 
  off 
  on 
  an 
  extensive 
  scale. 
  Among 
  the 
  more 
  general 
  preventive 
  

   measures 
  to 
  be 
  adopted 
  on 
  the 
  plains 
  and 
  prairies 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  is 
  the 
  

   planting 
  of 
  forests 
  on 
  as 
  extensive 
  a 
  scale 
  as 
  possible. 
  Farms 
  should 
  

   be 
  hedged 
  in 
  with 
  growth 
  of 
  coniferous 
  trees, 
  willows, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  the 
  

   Eucali'ptus 
  can 
  be 
  planted 
  on 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  Colorado, 
  Montana, 
  and 
  Da- 
  

   kota, 
  while 
  hard 
  and 
  pine 
  trees 
  can 
  be 
  planted 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  eastward 
  of 
  

   the 
  plains. 
  Mr. 
  G. 
  M. 
  Dawson 
  has 
  clearly 
  brought 
  out 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   extensive 
  forests 
  prove 
  an 
  effectual 
  barrier 
  to 
  the 
  flight 
  of 
  locusts, 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  Eastern 
  States 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  California 
  grasshoppers 
  do 
  not 
  swarm 
  

   as 
  they 
  do 
  in 
  the 
  treeless 
  plains 
  and 
  prairies 
  of 
  the 
  West, 
  the 
  main 
  cause, 
  

   next 
  to 
  the 
  climate, 
  being 
  undoubtedly 
  the 
  prevalence 
  of 
  extensive 
  for- 
  

   ests. 
  As 
  the 
  far 
  West 
  becomes 
  more 
  thickly 
  settled 
  and 
  trees 
  become 
  

   planted, 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  will 
  be 
  checked 
  and 
  their 
  breeding 
  

   places 
  disturbed 
  and 
  diminished. 
  Meanwhile 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  suggested 
  that 
  

   the 
  State 
  and 
  General 
  Government 
  should 
  foster 
  the 
  planting 
  of 
  forests 
  

   along 
  railways 
  and 
  highways, 
  and 
  bounties 
  should 
  be 
  given 
  to 
  aid 
  in 
  

   this 
  direction. 
  Farmers 
  should 
  co-operate 
  through 
  the 
  medium 
  of 
  their 
  

   granges 
  and 
  other 
  organizations. 
  Moreover, 
  we 
  believe 
  the 
  time 
  has 
  

   come 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  for 
  legislation 
  to 
  promote 
  cooperation 
  among 
  agri- 
  

   culturists 
  in 
  dealing 
  with 
  the 
  locust, 
  army 
  and 
  cotton 
  worm, 
  chinch- 
  

   bug, 
  canker 
  and' 
  tent 
  worms, 
  and 
  other 
  injurious 
  insects. 
  The 
  active 
  

   and 
  forehanded 
  do 
  not 
  need 
  the 
  stimulus 
  of 
  legislation, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  

   always 
  enough 
  idle 
  and 
  thriftless 
  members 
  of 
  a 
  farming 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  any 
  

   other 
  community 
  who 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  compelled 
  to 
  labor 
  in 
  common 
  with 
  

   their 
  neighbors 
  in 
  resisting 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  injurious 
  insects. 
  When 
  in 
  

   one 
  season, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1874, 
  the 
  country 
  loses 
  $50,000,000 
  from 
  

   the 
  attacks 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  alone, 
  the 
  matter 
  is 
  sufficiently 
  grave 
  to 
  attract 
  

   the 
  attention 
  of 
  legislatures. 
  If 
  education 
  is 
  compulsory 
  and 
  vagrancy 
  

   is 
  a 
  legal 
  offense, 
  surely 
  want 
  of 
  co-operation 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  few 
  

   should 
  be 
  punishable 
  by 
  law. 
  In 
  my 
  first 
  annual 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  injurious 
  

   and 
  beneficial 
  insects 
  of 
  Massachusetts, 
  for 
  1871, 
  1 
  made 
  the 
  following 
  

   suggestion 
  in 
  this 
  direction 
  : 
  

  

  While 
  a 
  few 
  are 
  well 
  informed 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  losses 
  sustained 
  by 
  iujurous 
  insects, 
  and 
  use 
  

   means 
  to 
  ward 
  off 
  their 
  attacks, 
  their 
  efforts 
  are 
  constantly 
  foiled 
  by 
  the 
  negligence 
  of 
  

   their 
  neighbors. 
  As 
  illustrated 
  so 
  well 
  by 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  incursions 
  of 
  the 
  army-worm 
  

   and 
  canker-worm, 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  by 
  a 
  combination 
  between 
  farmers 
  and 
  orchardists 
  that 
  

   these 
  and 
  other 
  pests 
  can 
  be 
  kept 
  under. 
  The 
  matter 
  can 
  be 
  best 
  reached 
  by 
  legislation. 
  

   We 
  have 
  fish 
  and 
  game 
  laws 
  ; 
  why 
  should 
  we 
  not 
  have 
  an 
  insect-law 
  ? 
  Why 
  should 
  we 
  

   not 
  frame 
  a 
  law 
  j)rovidiug 
  that 
  farmers, 
  and 
  all 
  owning 
  a 
  garden 
  or 
  orchard, 
  should 
  co- 
  

   operate 
  in 
  taking 
  preventive 
  measures 
  against 
  injurious 
  insects, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  early 
  or 
  

   late 
  planting 
  of 
  cereals 
  to 
  avert 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  the 
  wheat-midge 
  or 
  Hessian-fly, 
  the 
  burn- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  stubble 
  in 
  the 
  autumn 
  and 
  spring 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  joint-worm, 
  the 
  combined 
  use 
  of 
  

   proper 
  remedies 
  against 
  the 
  canker-worm, 
  the 
  various 
  cut-worms, 
  and 
  other 
  noxious 
  

   caterpillars? 
  A 
  law 
  carried 
  out 
  by 
  a 
  proper 
  State 
  entomological 
  constabulary, 
  if 
  it 
  

   may 
  be 
  so 
  designated, 
  would 
  compel 
  the 
  idle 
  and 
  shiftless 
  to 
  clear 
  their 
  farms 
  and 
  gar- 
  

   dens 
  of 
  noxious 
  animals. 
  

  

  State 
  legislation 
  has 
  also 
  lately 
  been 
  agitated 
  by 
  the 
  Massachusetts 
  

   Horticultural 
  Society. 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  breeding- 
  grounds 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  are 
  situated 
  

   on 
  the 
  Indian 
  reservations. 
  Could 
  not 
  the 
  Indians 
  be 
  compelled 
  to 
  

   search 
  for 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  bring 
  them 
  in 
  to 
  the 
  Government 
  posts 
  and 
  be 
  

   paid 
  in 
  food 
  and 
  clothing 
  ? 
  It 
  would 
  not, 
  perhaps, 
  be 
  a 
  difficult 
  matter 
  

   to 
  compel 
  them 
  to 
  collect 
  both 
  eggs 
  and 
  winged 
  locusts, 
  under 
  the 
  direc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  Government 
  officials, 
  and 
  thus 
  habits 
  of 
  industry 
  be 
  fostered, 
  

   and 
  additional 
  inducements 
  thus 
  be 
  held 
  out 
  to 
  keep 
  them 
  on 
  their 
  res- 
  

   ervations. 
  

  

  Locusts 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  eaten 
  as 
  food. 
  Millions 
  of 
  people 
  in 
  the 
  Old 
  

   World 
  find 
  locusts 
  a 
  nutritious 
  and 
  palatable 
  diet 
  ; 
  why 
  should 
  not 
  the 
  

   43 
  G 
  s 
  

  

  