[246] REPORT UNITED STATES ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 



coin County, Minnesota, on tlie evening of the 25tli ; the locusts were just getting into 

 work there. 



The next day I reached home, distant 30 miles west of Lake Benton. I observed 

 the locusts at work on the east side of the Big Sionx River. My own part of the set- 

 tlement on the west of the river was yet free from locusts. On the 28th, however, all 

 seemed to be lost. The immense swarms, of which I had just kept in advance on the 

 route from Redwood Falls, came rolling over the country. The word " rolling" seems to 

 express the appearance of the movement. The movement of the mass seemed like a 

 great roller moving over the ground. They would drop and rise, make a curved flight 

 and droj) again. They did not begin ravenously as they did the previous year. Some 

 would eat, and great numbers continued their motion. It would seem almost as 

 though they would tell us they had come for a long visit aud proposed to take their 

 time. The visit lasted seven days. It appeared as though the swarm w.ns making a 

 kind of progress, during the first three days, toward the west, after which they seemed 

 to desire to go south. The movement was constant during the day, but at night 

 ceased. In the morning they seemed to do mosu of their eating. A shower of rain in- 

 duced them to settle for a time, and when the rain ceased their ravages were fearful. 

 The return of sunshine set them in motion again. 



On the third day they were observed to be copulating. The general apparent 

 progress of the swarm was kept up, however, and while the ground would be covered 

 with the locusts the air would be full of those moving on. 



The tifth day they were observed to be depositing eggs. This continued during the 

 remaining period of the visit, and on the 4th day of August the swarm took final leave 

 of us. The destruction had been very great, but rot so as to leave us without resources. 

 Our settlement saved grain and produce enough so that we were able to live. The 

 phenomenon of the year before was repeated on the farm just across the lake from 

 mine. No harm was done there and no eggs were laid. 



When we had a chance to look around to see what had been done in other parts of 

 the Territory, it was found that partial destruction had extended down the valley of 

 the Big Sioux River, but nowhere except in ihe south part of Brookings County had 

 the eggs been deposited. The region of the ovipositing extended eastward into Min- 

 nesota. 



We were not troubled any more by locusts so far as I know in the Territory during 

 that year. We were, of course, somewhat anxious about the coming of the next 

 spring. The question whether enough young hcusts would hatch to damage materi- 

 ally was fall of melancholy interest in our settlem* nt. Eggs were dug up and exam- 

 ined in the Fall to see what their condition would promis^^. The young locust was 

 found to be fully formed and filling the shell. Question, wiZi they ivinter-kill ? Some 

 thought yes, some no, but no one knew anything about it. 



Spring came and the ground was anxiously watched. Every farmer put forth all his 

 ability in the way of preparation for crops. Tte 11th of May, while I was marking a 

 corn-field for a neighbor, he called me to look at the young 'hoppers coming from the 

 ground on a southern slope near his house. They came up from the soil ; color, yel- 

 low, rather flat, about three-sixteenths of an inch long; color soon changed to dark 

 brown. The next day the hatching progressed rapidly. During about Feven days, as 

 near as I could observe, there were accessions to numbers by hatching. They came to 

 the surface with an appetite, and began immediately to gratify it. Their work seemed 

 wonderful for such small creatures. On fields that had not been plowed since the de- 

 positing of the eggs, the young locusts swarmed in great numbers all over. On fields 

 ihat had been plowed, either in Fall or spring before the hatching, they began depre- 

 dations on the edges, and in the case of broad fields thern was not total destruction. 



The advances were made from the north and the west sides of fields. The young 

 locusts, the larvse, seemed esjiecially fond of strong garden vegetables, such as onions, 

 pepj)ers, turnips, &c. Potatoes were eaten also. They did not seem to relish toma- 

 toes, nor squash, nor cucumber-vines. They would eat cabbage-plants with avidity. 

 A patch of field-peas (called Canada field-peas) they would pass over and not eat. 

 Garden-peas of earlier and sweeter kinds they would eat to some exten*". Strawberry- 

 plants were eaten, and also rhubarb (pie-plant). The general grain crops they would 

 make steady work on. They do not like Hungarian. 



I had a field of oats on the west, side of which the larvce had begun their work, and 

 I wanted to plant a row of trees on the edge of the field, so I plowed about four fur- 

 rows in width, thus stirring up fresh soil and turning under large numbers of the 

 'hoppers. Tde destruction ceased entirely along that side of the field. They made 

 §ome advance from the north side of the field, but I saved finally more than half an 

 average crop from the whole field. 



I have no doubt of the eflScacy of Fall or early spring plowing, to the depth of five 

 inches, in causing the destruction of very nearly all the eggs. 



The period from hatching to fledging was forty-five days. From June 25 to .July 3 

 the full-fledged locusts were observed to rise in occasional swarms and move off with 

 the wind. 



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