SUGGESTIONS THAT MAY BE OF SERVICE. 415 



Eoot crops of most kiuds succeed admirably in the more northern 

 portions of the locust country. Of the crops that would escape the rav- 

 ages of the winged locusts, and which would grow in ordinary seasons 

 and furnish excellent food for stock, may be mentioned turnips, ruta- 

 bagas, mangel-wurzel, carrots (especially the large Belgian), parsnips, 

 and beets. Of tubers that are not so profitable, but of which it would be 

 well to plant small quantities in locust districts, for the reason that they 

 grow with such ease and are less likely to be iLJured by the insects, the 

 Chinese yam, Jerusalem artichoke {Relianihtis tiiherosiis), and the chufa 

 [Cyperns c^culentus) are w^orthy of trial. Turnips, of which the insects 

 are especially fond, kohlrabi, carrots, and the like, may be snved, when 

 they come late, by cutting off the tops and covering the roots with earttt, 

 the tops making excellent food for milch-cows. The earth should be re- 

 moved again as soon as possible to prevent the rotting of the roots. 



The benefits of irrigation and the importance to the West of perfect- 

 ing and enlarging the systems of irrigation now in vogue, we have briefly 

 mentioned on page 127. With water at command, the farmer in all this 

 locust area is measurably master of his two greatest insect plagues, 

 the Chinch bug and this locust, and full master of the young locusts, 

 either by inundating the land and drowning them out after hatching, 

 or by using kerosene in the ditches ; and if there were no other rea- 

 sons to be urged in its favor, these are sufficient to warrant those States 

 included in said area in using all means in their power in having schemes 

 for irrigation perfected and carried out, so far as the topography, soil, 

 and other peculiarities of the country will admit. 



Hogs and poultry of every description delight to feed on the young 

 locusts and will flourish where these abound, when nothing else does. 

 It will be well, in the event of a future invasion, for the people in the 

 invaded districts to provide themselves with as large a quantity as pos- 

 sible of this stock. It may occur that where no systematic efforts have 

 been made to destroy the eggs or the young locusts, these will abound 

 in such threatening numbers as spring advances that there is little pros- 

 pect of saving the crops on individual farms amid the general negligence. 

 Undtr such circumstances, unless one is prepared to vigorously carry 

 out the means of destruction we have advised, it may be well to delay 

 the planting of everything that cannot be protected by ditching until 

 the very last moment, or till toward the end of June — using team and 

 time solely in the preparation of his land. In this way not only will he 

 save his seed and the labor of planting, and, perhaps, replanting, but 

 he will materially assist in weakening the devouring armies. Where 

 proper and systematic efforts had not been made in time, men planted 

 in 1875 and worked with a will and energy born of necessity, only 

 to see their crops finally taken, their seed gone, and their teams and 

 themselves worn-out. ^'The locusts ultimately destroyed every green 

 thing, until, finding nothing more, they began to fall upon each other 

 and to perish. This critical period in their history would have been 



