84 REPOET UNITED STATES ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 



The letter of J. W. Burdick describes the character of the spring in 

 1857. Also, the letter of J. H. H., above referred to, says : " One of my 

 neighbors, who by the way is a pious Catholic, says that the Almighty 

 has tried all the usual means of destruction this spring without effect, 

 viz, cold, backward and wet spring, late and severe frosts, and frequent 

 thunder showers.'' 



1863-'77. — No extensive depredations by the locusts in Minnesota 

 are heard of between 1857 and 1864. It has been common to name the 

 years 1864 and 1865 as the only "locust years" between 1857 and 1873. 

 It will perhaps surprise some of our own residents to learn that from 

 1863 to 1877 there has been hardly a year in which the locusts have not 

 made themselves noticeable within our borders, but principally in the 

 Eed Eiver Yalley when not heard of elsewhere. In 1866 there was a 

 slight visitation in Kundiyohi County and at or near Eed wood Falls. 

 In many of these years invasions in full force occurred in States farther 

 southward, and the presence of the locusts here was hardly felt in a 

 country little cultivated or barely inhabited. But it is not difficult to 

 collect, in addition to what is already well enough known, statements to 

 show that Minnesota has lain for the last fifteen years too dangerously 

 near to the breeding ground of the locusts, although their visits, in many 

 cases barely reaching beyond the State line, could hardly be called in- 

 vasions. 



Even in 1863 swarms were seen flying as far east as Pomme de Ten e 

 Eiver, and Mr. Burdick states that in that year, "In the fall, about the 

 first of November, I was through the country and saw several scouts 

 who informed me that they had seen the hoppers quite thick between 

 here (Will mar) and Kelley's Point (a station in the south part of 

 Meeker County), and also west of herej this must have been late in 

 August or the first of September." All these must have been portions 

 of the swarms which that sumnier left the marks of their ravages in 

 Dakota, but a few days march to the northwest of Big Stone Lake, where 

 the traces of them were found by General Sibley's expedition. That they 

 also appeared in the Eed Eiver Valley, in this and the following years, 

 is shown by the following statement, in reply to the circular No. 1 of the 

 United States Entomological Commission, received from Mr. Eobert 

 Probstfield, ^'the oldest inhabitant" in the neighborhood of Moorhead, 

 giving the years when locusts had appeared there. "• In 1863, 1864, 1865 

 (in 1865 very little damage done ; not numerous), 1866, 1867, 1869 (in 

 a few localities bad, in others less, in a few none), in 1870, 1871, bad, 187-i 

 bad, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1876. There are more or less grasshoppers here every 

 year, beginning with 1863, when they came from the southwest early in 

 Mrv, about the 15th or 16th. I came here in April, 1859, there were no 

 grasshoppers here in 1859, 1860, 1861, or 1862." That eggs were laid here 

 in 1863 is shown by his additional statement: ''In 1864, the hoppers 

 grew here; there was no grass to speak of, even the whole timber had a 

 wintry appearance in summer, the leaves being eaten and only the leaf- 



