﻿PACKARD.] 
  feUMMARY 
  OF 
  PRESENT 
  KNOWLEDGE. 
  675 
  

  

  SUMMARY 
  OF 
  OUR 
  PRESENT 
  KNO'WLEDGE 
  OP 
  THE 
  LOCUST. 
  

  

  1. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  an 
  inch 
  below 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  in 
  July, 
  

   August, 
  and 
  September, 
  as 
  the 
  latitude 
  varies; 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  hatch 
  in 
  

   Ajjril 
  and 
  May, 
  becoming 
  fledged 
  in 
  about 
  seven 
  weeks 
  from 
  early 
  in 
  

   Jane 
  until 
  the 
  last, 
  swarming 
  from 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  July 
  until 
  last 
  of 
  Septem- 
  

   ber. 
  Birds 
  and 
  insects 
  eat 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  young, 
  and 
  a 
  mite, 
  Tachina 
  fly, 
  

   and 
  hair-worms 
  infest 
  the 
  adnlts. 
  

  

  2. 
  While 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  locust 
  occurs 
  permanently 
  on 
  the 
  east- 
  

   ern 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  E-ocky 
  Mountains, 
  on 
  the 
  high, 
  dry 
  plateaus 
  between 
  

   4,000 
  and 
  7,000 
  feet 
  elevation, 
  the 
  district 
  liable 
  to 
  its 
  periodical 
  inva- 
  

   sions 
  is 
  between 
  latitudes 
  30° 
  and 
  52°, 
  and 
  longitudes 
  102° 
  and 
  93°. 
  It 
  

   occurs, 
  though 
  of 
  smaller 
  size, 
  in 
  California 
  and 
  New 
  England, 
  and 
  prob- 
  

   ably 
  in 
  British 
  America 
  from 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  to 
  the 
  Pacific. 
  

  

  3. 
  Its 
  migrations 
  take 
  place 
  at 
  irregular 
  intervals 
  during 
  or 
  after 
  hot 
  

   or 
  dry 
  seasons, 
  when 
  immense 
  swarms 
  are 
  borne 
  from 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mount- 
  

   ain 
  plateau 
  by 
  the 
  prevailing 
  westerly 
  and 
  northwesterly 
  winds, 
  some- 
  

   times 
  500 
  or 
  1,000 
  miles, 
  into 
  British 
  America, 
  Minnesota, 
  Nebraska, 
  

   Kansas, 
  Missouri, 
  and 
  Texas, 
  where 
  they 
  lay 
  their 
  eggs. 
  

  

  4. 
  The 
  progeny 
  of 
  the 
  emigrant 
  swarms 
  return 
  the 
  following 
  season 
  

   in 
  a 
  general 
  northwest 
  direction 
  for 
  at 
  least 
  hundreds 
  of 
  miles, 
  to 
  near 
  

   the 
  original 
  habitat 
  on 
  the 
  plains. 
  

  

  5. 
  The 
  periodical 
  invasions 
  may 
  after 
  a 
  while 
  be 
  predicted 
  with 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  certainty 
  should 
  Government 
  take 
  measures 
  to 
  appoint 
  suitable 
  

   persons 
  to 
  observe 
  them, 
  or 
  delegate 
  the 
  task 
  to 
  the 
  Weather-Signal 
  

   Bureau 
  ; 
  meanwhile, 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  telegraph, 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  swarms 
  

   may 
  be 
  announced 
  several 
  days 
  in 
  advance. 
  

  

  6. 
  In 
  years 
  of 
  plenty 
  in 
  the 
  border 
  States 
  and 
  Territories, 
  grain 
  should 
  

   be 
  stored 
  up 
  for 
  use 
  in 
  locust-years. 
  

  

  7. 
  Preventive 
  measures, 
  such 
  as 
  planting 
  of 
  forests 
  along 
  lines 
  of 
  rail- 
  

   roads, 
  around 
  towns 
  and 
  extensive 
  farms 
  ; 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  irrigation, 
  oiling 
  

   ditches 
  and 
  canals, 
  bonfires 
  and 
  prairie-fires, 
  rolling 
  the 
  soil, 
  and 
  collection 
  

   of 
  eggs 
  ; 
  bounties 
  to 
  be 
  paid 
  by 
  Government 
  in 
  the 
  Territories, 
  or 
  by 
  the 
  

   local 
  authorities 
  in 
  the 
  States 
  infested, 
  for 
  the 
  egg-sacs. 
  

  

  8. 
  Co-operation 
  among 
  farmers 
  and 
  others 
  in 
  resisting 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  

   insects 
  to 
  be 
  enforced 
  by 
  proper 
  legislation, 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  Territories 
  and 
  

   border 
  States. 
  

  

  9. 
  We 
  still 
  need 
  more 
  light 
  on 
  the 
  natural 
  history 
  and 
  migrations 
  of 
  

   the 
  locust, 
  and 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Government 
  should 
  appoint 
  entomol- 
  

   ogists, 
  who 
  should 
  study 
  the 
  locust 
  comprehensively 
  for 
  several 
  years 
  in 
  

   succession. 
  Local 
  entomologists 
  should 
  be 
  appointed 
  for 
  each 
  Territory, 
  

   and 
  the 
  border 
  State 
  legislatures 
  should 
  appoint 
  salaried 
  entomologists 
  

   to 
  further 
  study 
  and 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  locust, 
  and 
  serve 
  for 
  a 
  term 
  of 
  years 
  

   until 
  the 
  entire 
  subject 
  be 
  studied, 
  and 
  the 
  knowledge 
  thus 
  acquired 
  be 
  

   freely 
  diffused 
  among 
  the 
  agricultural 
  community. 
  

  

  FURTHER 
  INFORMATION 
  NEEDED. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  subsequent 
  examination 
  that 
  some, 
  if 
  not 
  many, 
  

   so-called 
  facts 
  and 
  inductions 
  from 
  such 
  facts 
  given 
  in 
  this 
  report 
  are 
  

   erroneous. 
  Indeed, 
  regarding 
  the 
  laws 
  regulating 
  the 
  migrations 
  of 
  the 
  

   locust, 
  the 
  greater 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  facts 
  observed, 
  and 
  the 
  greater 
  the 
  

   area 
  of 
  observation, 
  the 
  less 
  certain 
  seem 
  the 
  opinions 
  already 
  formed 
  

   by 
  entomologists. 
  Repeated 
  observations 
  by 
  reliable 
  entomologists 
  and 
  

   the 
  careful 
  sifting 
  of 
  facts 
  recorded 
  by 
  unscientific 
  observers 
  are 
  needed 
  

  

  